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Living in the small community of Wimborne has not stopped 14-year-old Dylan Eastcott from realizing his dreams of playing baseball.

He has travelled long hours to play games and has put up with little practice time with his teammates and siblings, but despite these disadvantages, this outfielder is heading to the Alberta Summer Games.

"You have to travel far, you have to try out a lot harder, and I have nobody to play catch with," said Eastcott.

Nonetheless, Eastcott is playing on the Innisfail AA team with aspirations to try out for the Red Deer AAA team next year college teams after that and eventually play in the major leagues.

Being one of the top provincial players in his age group has not made Eastcott cocky or boisterous.

He appears modest but self-assured.

"Right now I am pretty confident in my game," said Eastcott, although he is a little worried about the scouts who will be watching him play at the games.

"It makes me nervous," said Eastcott. "If I do good I would go to a higher calibre team, then if I do bad I would make myself look bad in front of a new team."

He will have to get over that bump in the road if he wants to play for his favourite team in the major leagues, the New York Yankees, alongside his favorite player, shortstop Derek Jeter.

"His approach to the game, the way he comes to the baseball diamond every day and is ready to play," said Eastcott of Jeter.

On the flip side, Eastcott isn't as big a fan of Manuel Perez of the Boston Red Sox.

"If he hits a home run he will just walk to first," said Eastcott. "He's just kind of cocky."

It seems that Eastcott's small-town sensibility will help him to realize his aspirations for the future.

With a mixture of hard work and a dash of determination, folks from the Wimborne-area may see their small-town star make his way into the big city leagues.

Eastcott is prepared to travel anywhere in Canada and the States to play his favourite sport.

For now, Eastcott will be preparing by playing games on the weekends, practicing Tuesday evenings and smacking balls on his hit-a-way, a contraption rigged up so he can hone his batting skills on his own.