(Colton McKee, photography)
Truman Bartman | themavericks.ca
Expectations are something that come with being an athlete. They can come from a passionate fanbase, a coach, family members, or a teammate. Living up to those expectations can plague even the world’s best athletes. The story of Mavericks first baseman Eric Calder did not begin rooted in the expectations that he would one day become a college baseball player. Rather, it was his mother’s wish to see her son in a baseball uniform.
“It really had nothing to do with baseball when I started. It was my mom who signed me up. She just wanted a picture of me wearing the uniform to put on the wall. That was it.”
Born and raised in Oakville, Ontario, Calder never pictured himself as a baseball player when he was younger; rather, he dreamed of becoming a hockey player. It wasn’t until Calder turned 4 years old that he was introduced to the game of baseball.
“I remember I was playing blast ball to start, which is just like another version of T-ball. My grandfather was the coach, which was pretty awesome.”
Focusing solely on the enjoyment that both baseball and hockey gave him, Calder spent his adolescence in southeastern Ontario captivated by the pair of sports for much of the year, one season blending into the other. It wasn’t until he was nine years old that the first turning point in his baseball career transpired when his family moved 10,000 miles away from his hometown.
“I actually moved to Australia when I was nine years old, but I was big into hockey at the time. Living in Australia, though, there is only one arena in a two-hour radius, so I lost my touch. As I came back, I was washed up, so I was like, It’s going to be baseball from here on out. I would still play hockey for fun, but I started to really take baseball more seriously once I came back to Canada.”
Now fully committed to his baseball career, Calder never felt as though he was as sought after as some of his teammates. During his travel years in Burlington, Ontario, where he played for the Fieldhouse Pirates and throughout his high school career, Calder said he saw limited opportunities to play college ball. Despite this, as a high school senior at the time, he elected to take a post-grad year in hopes of making the jump a year after.
“When I graduated from high school, I had a few looks, but nothing I was too intrigued by. I ended up taking a post-grad year down in Florida in Fort Lauderdale.”
“Things didn’t really go according to plan at that place. I mean, it was a good experience nonetheless. I just wasn’t quite ready. They had a great roster, so I ended up going to junior college for a year after, and I loved it. Played well, and then I moved on to Tabor College, where I’m at now, which has been an awesome time, and I’ll be back there in the fall.”
Well-travelled over his first 3 years of collegiate competition, Calder’s key to adjusting on the fly has always been staying within himself. It’s one of the traits that his Medicine Hat Mavericks teammates have clamoured over throughout the summer. But not everyone can pull off having a stoic approach as easily as Calder has, and it’s something he doesn’t take for granted.
“For me, it’s one of those things I definitely take seriously. I just find the more emotional I am on the field, the more it becomes a roller coaster, and my performances go with it. Hitting is mental, and it’s very tough. So I’m trying to stay even-keeled, whether things are going really well or they’re not going my way. I think it just helps me have that peace of mind of continuing to be a good teammate no matter what.”
Calder’s calmness and straightforward mentality have propelled him into a breakout first season in the WCBL. Leading all qualified Mavericks hitters in on-base percentage and consistently being one of the team’s top contact threats, Calder has watched his all-around numbers skyrocket over the last few weeks. That includes a two-game stretch where the first baseman deposited 4 home runs.
From an outsider’s view, you’d never guess that Calder has been a standout player for the Mavs. A quiet and humble soul away from the diamond, there isn’t a lot of flash that comes with Calder’s approach; all he’s looking to do is offer his authentic self. Letting the highs and lows of the sport figure themselves out and removing his emotion from the equation has allowed Calder to continue to excel in his ball-playing career.
“I think there’s a fine line between being passionate and emotional. You don’t have to be super rah-rah or have an outgoing persona. It works for some guys. It’s just never really been my style. So staying level-headed and just taking it one at-bat at a time, one game at a time, one pitch at a time. I think it has helped me stay successful, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”
For a career that began without any expectations, a composed Eric Calder doesn’t let the pressures of outside expectations impact his process. This very approach has landed him in the midst of an impressive first summer with the Medicine Hat Mavericks. As the Mavericks race towards the 2026 postseason, Eric Calder’s only focus remains dialled in on doing what he can in hopes of guiding the Mavs towards a picture-perfect ending.