Ams’ Geekie at home on hockey ice, baseball diamond

Legendary baseball player Ted Williams once said, “I think without question the hardest single thing to do in sports is to hit a baseball.”

Morgan Geekie would not argue.

The Tri-City Americans rookie forward suits up for Hamiota Collegiate (High School) in the spring and plays for the Oak River Dodgers in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League during the summer. He’s seen enough pitches to know he can’t hit them all.

“It does take time to get the timing down,” said Geekie, a 2013 fifth-round WHL bantam draft pick. “Even the pros can’t hit it every time. It’s a hard thing to do.”

Not that hockey is any easier with learning to skate, pass with precision and make split-second decisions, but the native of Strathclair, Manitoba, has been doing both since he was about 5 years old.

“I’ve played baseball ever since I could throw a ball or catch a ball,” Geekie said. “I started with T-ball. I’ve been playing both sports since about the same time, but they are in different seasons so it wasn’t an issue.”

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound center has six goals and four assists in 41 games this season for the Americans. Not a bad start for the 17-year-old, who a year ago had 27 goals and 36 assists in 44 games for the Yellowhead Chiefs of the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League.

But while there is hockey in nearly every town in Canada — big or small — a baseball program is a bit more of a rare find.

Strathclair is a village of around 800 people, and the nearest baseball is in neighboring Hamiota. He plans to play baseball again this spring when the Americans season is over, which is fine with Tri-City coach Mike Williamson.

“I think that the more sports guys play when they are young, that there are transferable skills: preparation, hand-eye coordination,” Williamson said. “Having something else to focus on at a high level in the offseason is beneficial. You also get to see what they love. I enjoyed playing as many sports as possible growing up. I think it’s great that Morgan can play a high level of baseball.”

Last summer with the Oak River Dodgers, Geekie played second base and was a relief pitcher.

In 23 games (regular and postseason), he had a .384 batting average with 33 hits, four doubles, two triples, two home runs and 32 RBIs.

On the mound, he saw action in six games, throwing 11 innings with a 3.27 ERA. He faced 55 batters, scattering 13 hits, striking out nine and walking seven. He was a first-team All-Star last summer in the MSBL.

“I like the mental aspect (of baseball), Geekie said. “It is slower, and you have time to think and strategize. There is a team aspect — you have to trust in each other like you do in hockey.”

Geekie said his parents have never made him decide between the sports, but he has decided that hockey comes first.

“I chose hockey when I came down here for the first time,” Geekie said. “That’s when I was sure that’s what I really wanted to do. But I’m happy that I still get to play baseball.”

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 7:35 PM with the headline "Ams’ Geekie at home on hockey ice, baseball diamond."