Haidyn Norman Signs Letter of Intent with the Salem University Tigers of West Virginia

18U Haidyn Norman became the fifth Titan at the end of November to commit to a US College. The Barrie, Ontario resident committed to the NCAA Division 2 Salem International University Tigers and is looking forward to attending school in “The Mountain State”.  Norman had familiarity with SIU due to a Titans excursion in October and this affected the dual player’s decision-making. 

One of this year’s nine stops on the Titans Fall College Tour was Salem, West Virginia, home of the Tigers.  The 18U Titans pitcher and outfielder explained that he “got noticed on the College trip and it set up a great phone call with the coach which led to my offer.” Norman’s decision to commit to SIU was three-fold and it was made with his family members:  “I committed to Salem University because my family and I thought it would be good for me to live in West Virginia, SIU had my academic program, and it has a competitive level of baseball.” The Honor Roll graduate of St. Peter’s Catholic High School in Barrie is looking forward to studying cybersecurity and living in Salem, West Virginia where they have “way less snow than Canada.”

Aside from shoveling way less snow, the 18U veteran member of the Titans organization has a pair of lofty aims while being a student-athlete in “The Mountain State”:  “My athletic goal is to be able to start my sophomore year and my academic goal is to get my Masters in cyber security.” These laudable goals would not have been possible to fulfill without the help of Titans College Placement Coordinator Denis Bailey whom Norman acknowledged was “a key part” in his placement at SIU:  “The Titans staff member who really assisted me was Dennis Bailey. He has a good connection with Salem and got me noticed on the College trip.  Coach Bailey set up a great phone call with the coach and my offer came during the phone call.”

Although the offer from Salem International University was the crescendo of Norman’s  career as a Titan, his on-field high point was a unique moment in 2019: “My best moment as a Titan was when I pitched my first game with the organization three years ago against the 18U Terriers and I pitched a complete game as a 16 year old.”  Throwing a CG against an older team was an accomplishment for the young Titan at the time and Haidyn had some academic words of wisdom for the current young Titans:  “My advice to the younger Titans is to have good grades; school should always come first, then baseball.”

The student-athlete from Barrie has certainly impressed Titans Director of Operations and Player Development Lawrence Vera over the years:  “In his third and final year as a Titan, we are extremely proud to see Haidyn achieve one of his long-term goals.  Haidyn’s work ethic on and off the field has proven to be the difference maker in his career and we can’t wait to see what he does next.”

Congratulations, Haidyn, on your commitment to the Salem International University Tigers.  The Titans Baseball Club wishes you all the best with your work on and off the field in West Virginia.