By JOE McFARLAND

When Benito Bonilla hits a baseball, the silence says it all.

You can hear it right after he hit a towering home run for Dawgs Academy during a game against Vauxhall Academy in April.

He did it again on June 1st when he hit his first round-tripper at Seaman Stadium for the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) Dawgs against the Brooks Bombers.

Bonilla has done it at virtually every step of his baseball journey, including the Canadian Futures Showcase and with the Baseball Canada Junior National Team.

“I love to hit the ball hard and to any part of the field,” Bonilla told Alberta Dugout Stories.

Not only does the sound of one of his hits turn heads, but scouts also can’t look past his 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame, which is also more than capable of stealing bases and pitching.

The Missouri State University commit is ready for the next step of his baseball journey, wherever it takes him.

MAYBE HE’S BORN WITH IT

Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Bonilla says he might have actually been born with a baseball in his hand.

His father, who is from the Dominican Republic, was a die-hard fan and had a major influence on his son’s beginnings in sport.

While he did play some hockey during the winter, Bonilla loved baseball from an early age and kept succeeding everywhere he went.

His family saw the potential, which made it a little easier for them to see him move across the country in high school to join the Dawgs program.

“I knew right away that this (Okotoks) is where I wanted to be,” Bonilla said in a 2023 interview with Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. “My family was a bit hesitant but they knew that, at the end of the day, it was the best decision for me to continue my baseball career and go as far as I can.”

‘24 1B/RHP Benito Bonilla
6-4, 230Ibs@DawgsAcademy

Bonilla drives a ball deep over the LCF wall for a HR.

As physical as they come, one of the top 2024s in the country.@MSUBearBaseball commit@BenitoBonilla_1 || #BeSeen🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/T5hMSTEQ3y
— Prep Baseball Alberta (@PrepBaseballAB) April 14, 2024

Citing fellow Nova Scotian Micah McDowell as an influence, Bonilla became an instant contributor, becoming part of a core Dawgs Academy team that would win several big games and tournaments over the last couple of years.

ALL THE FEELS

Among the proudest moments of his young career, Bonilla says getting to suit up for Canada’s Junior National Team was a dream come true.

He was named to the 2023 Spring Training Camp roster, then returned for the Dominican MLB Academy Tour.

“When you first put on that jersey, there’s a lot of emotions there that you’re wearing your country on your chest and you’re representing your home country,” Bonilla recalled. “It means a lot because only a select few get to do that, not just in baseball but in any sport.”

On the field, his personal highlight was a two-run home run against the Houston Astros Extended Spring Training Camp team.

But the opportunity also allowed him to meet other young players like 2023 MLB Draft pick Myles Naylor and other 2024 draft-eligible players like Brendan Lawson and Josiah Romeo.

Bonilla adds he wanted to be a sponge in those moments to learn from coaches like Greg Hamilton and Pete Orr so that he could be better-prepared coming back to the Dawgs.

MISSION ORIENTED

Like other Academy players, Bonilla dreamed of suiting up for the WCBL Dawgs while he helped sell 50-50 tickets on the Seaman Stadium concourse.

He was named to the roster to start the 2024 season and came in as a pinch-hitter during the Dawgs’ opening night 11-0 win over Brooks, where he went 0-for-2.

A week later, Bonilla broke out with a 2-for-5 performance against the Bombers, including his first home run.

Since then, he’s hit .313 with four homers and nine RBI in five games.

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With the last wave of college players arriving around the league, Bonilla’s time on the field may end up being limited…for now.

The 18-year-old, whose birthday is in August, could become a key piece to a playoff run, just as Eric Machej and Eric Hartman did for the Dawgs during their 2023 championship run.

“Hopefully win another championship with the team,” Bonilla said of his goals for the summer. “That’s really the main goal.”

He says he’s also still young and so he will soak in all of the learning he can from the players and coaches of the Dawgs over the summer as he gets ready for his first college season.

UNDER NO PRESSURE

When Bonilla finds his way to Hammons Field at Missouri State University, he will have a few familiar faces around him.

Fellow Dawgs Academy product Michael Yusypchuk and Junior National Team teammate Sam Maclaughlin are also 2024 commits for the Bears.

“Coming in as one of the best two-way players in Canada, Benito demonstrates some of the best power on both sides of the ball in his whole country,” associate head coach Joey Hawkins said in a news release about the incoming 2024 class. “He has some top-end exit velocity that will stack up at the top of our team and can also be a power right-handed arm on the mound.”

‘24 Benito Bonilla drives one deep over the LF wall for a HR.@MSUBearBaseball commit@BenitoBonilla_1 || #BlazeProTour pic.twitter.com/lWxhADJo5j
— Langley Blaze 🇨🇦 (@Langleyblaze) March 17, 2024

Even with the praise coming in, Bonilla remains humble about his hopes and dreams.

He suspects most of his attention will be on being a hitter, but he will be happy to hop on the bump if the opportunity comes up.

“Personally, there’s no pressure,” he says. “I’ve prepared myself and, at the end of the day, it’s just a game that I’ve been playing my whole life.”

If all the scouting reports and fan reactions are any indication, Bonilla will be playing the game for a long time to come as well.