COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — The Whitecaps have players on the roster who come from all over the globe. In all, seven different countries are represented on the Whitecaps roster, but only one player is from Australia — pitcher Jack O'Loughlin.
"We always take pride like yeah, we're from Australia," O'Loughlin said. "It's cool. It's an amazing place to come from, that's for sure."
The Whitecaps organization is no stranger to having Australians on the team. Australian Andrew Graham used to manage the team and Ulrich Bojarski played for the Whitecaps earlier in the season. As the lone Whitecap from the land down under at this moment, the southpaw hears some jabs from his teammates.
"A lot of people try to mimic the accent and see how well they can, I guess, put on the accent," O'Loughlin said.
Even with the playful jokes, O’Loughlin could not be more thrilled to play baseball in the United States with the Whitecaps.
"It’s been an awesome experience," he said. "It's something that not a lot of Australian kids get the chance to do. It's growing a little bit more. But at the end of the day, there's still only a very few selection of us that actually have the opportunity to play overseas. So it's amazing."
O’Loughlin has quickly made his presence known in the West Michigan clubhouse. In the 27 games he's seen action this season, he’s recorded a 1.35 WHIP with a 4.01 ERA. He's also showing he can be an Australian success in the minors.
"I definitely say that I am a part of the growth for that baseball in Australia," he said. "But I would also like to see it grow to somewhat on a scale of similar to the United States."
In total, just 36 Australians have ever played in the MLB. Of those 36, two have played for the Tigers — Warwick Saupold and Brad Thomas. Both of those Australians who played in the bigs are pitchers just like O'Loughlin.
The pipeline from Australia to Detroit has been impressive.
"It says a lot about our organization," Whitecaps manager Brayan Peña said. "We want to give an opportunity to our younger talent. We want to give an opportunity to continue to grow, no matter where you from, and no matter what is your background."
Given his pride for his home country, it would mean so much for O'Loughlin to someday become the 37th Australian to play in the major leagues.
"It would mean everything, that is sure," O'Loughlin said. "To be one of those guys that had the opportunity to play in the big leagues, that would be an unreal experience."
O'Loughlin and the Whitecaps are back at LMCU Ballpark for a 12-game homestand that begins with a six-game series against the Lake County Captains on Tuesday night.
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