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Aaron Duffy Set to Join Brother Matthew at Canisius

March 8, 2024 8:48 AM
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About a year after Matthew Duffy, Aaron's older brother committed to Canisius, the younger right-hander followed suit, committing for 2021.

Aaron, who moved to GLC for his 16u season, opted to join Canisius for various reasons after touring the campus during Matthew's visit.

"Canisius was a great fit both academically and for baseball. I went along with my brother when he visited Canisius and I really felt like it was a place I could thrive at."

"I started having contact with Coach [Matt] Mazurek of Canisius last summer. He really believes in me and wants me to become an important part of his team. Canisius has a strong history of competitiveness in its conference which was something I really liked."

Meanwhile, of course, his brother's experience so far in Buffalo, New York, contributed to his decision as well. "Matthew and I are close as brothers. We have a lot of respect for the way we each play the game and a healthy competitiveness between us that drives us both to be better. He was definitely a factor for these reasons. Matthew was able to tell me how great his experience has been so far, which gave me full confidence that I'm going to the right place."

Aaron Duffy

And the connections don't stop there. GLC alum Josh Niles is also in his freshman year at Canisius, and Pitching Coordinators Shane Davis and Jon Fitzsimmons also played for the Golden Griffins, another factor that Aaron took into consideration when making his ultimate decision.

He stated, "They [Canisius] have produced many great Canadian pitchers including GLC coaches Shane Davis and Jon Fitzsimmons, who both went on to play professionally. Canisius was the right fit for me to follow my dreams of playing pro baseball one day."

"I look forward to settling into campus and meeting my new teammates. It was always a huge goal of mine to play D1 baseball, I just can't wait to get started and show what I can add to the team."

Aaron acknowledged the impact his father, Phil, who coached him growing up, has had in his development, stating, "he got me started in the game and taught me to love and respect it. He coached me in my early years and instilled in me many valuable lessons that are a major factor in my success."

"Another huge impact was my move to GLC. Being surrounded by incredible teammates and coaches in a highly competitive atmosphere helped to bring the most out of myself."

Aaron's greatest memory with the organization was his first year with the club, in which he won the pitcher of the year award and the CPBL Championship.

When reflecting on his time with GLC, he stated, "my teammates and coaches welcomed me with open arms and offered an amazing environment for myself to develop. There is such a competitive culture here and that is what makes this program one of the best in Canada."

"GLC has not only helped me improve my game on the field, but also becoming a better person off of it. The coaches have given me so much knowledge and advice from their baseball experience in pro leagues that will stick with me for the rest of my career."

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Fitzsimmons, one of those former pro coaches, praised the right-hander's ability to pound the strike zone, among other things. "You don't see a ton of pitchers who have above-average feel for the strike zone these days. His ability to command both sides of the plate with his fastball and breaking ball are what separates him from other pitchers in our province. He attacks hitters, produces a ton of ground ball outs, and pitches deep into games because he can keep his pitch counts super low."

Aaron's advice for up and coming GLC players; "my advice for the up and coming players would be to make a commitment to be the best player you can be. Make the most out of the situation you are in and respect the people that give you the opportunity to play this game," said Aaron Duffy, 2021 GLC Grad.

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