Finding A Home At Portland Came Quickly For Labonte

William Labonte RHP / Okotoks Dawgs Academy, AB / 2025

OKOTOKS, A.B. - The decision to look for another college home was difficult, but a commitment to the University of Portland has Will Labonte pleased with how it all turned out.

“Obviously I wasn’t planning on decommitting, it just all happened at once,” Labonte explained. “I wanted to make sure to take things slowly and had discussions with people that have been in baseball a long time now to see what they had to say. What kept coming around was you want to go where you play. If you don’t, you don’t get exposure to the pros. That was my thought process the second time around.”

The decision to reenter the recruiting process rather than go to Arizona State took place in mid-October.

“It was a decision that wasn’t right by me with the new NCAA rules changing roster sizes,” the 17-year-old explained. “Me and my family discussed it and felt we weren’t going to be in the best place staying there so we explored our options and found a better fit for me overall as a student, person and baseball player.”

Portland, one of three colleges that had offered Labonte when a commitment was made to ASU back in early fall of 2023, got back in the picture immediately.

“As soon as they heard I wasn’t committed they texted me the day after,” the Okotoks Dawgs senior said. “They thought I could be a great fit. The Dawgs have a strong relationship with them and they had shown a strong interest before. On our fall trip on the west coast we played them in October before I decommitted.”

Labonte was impressed with what he saw there.

“I liked the campus,”  Labonte noted. “It’s small but it fits my personality better. I like the program, they win a lot and that’s important to me.”

But it was what Portland could do for his future that made the difference.

“I have a good relationship with the coaches,” Labonte related. “They know what they’re doing with pitchers, they get them to the pros. We feel safe with the program already in place there.”

The 5-10 180-pound right-handed pitcher made an impression on Portland as well.

“They like my competitiveness,” Labonte explained. “They think I can make an impact early on freshman year. That’s what I want, an opportunity to prove myself. It’s a perfect fit for me.”

Virginia Commonwealth, Illinois State, Washington and Utah are others that took an interest, but Portland was the lone offer at the time Labonte made the decision to go to school 14 hours from home.

“I remember when I was younger the first time I learned about college baseball,” Labonte reflected. “Everyone saw it as impossible to reach. Now it’s a dream come true for me. But I have to work to the fullest to make sure the dream continues.”

Labonte pointed to the coaching staff with the Okotoks Dawgs and his parents for their support as the biggest influences in his baseball journey.

“It’s been a collective effort, and I’m really grateful for the people around me,” Labonte said. “Participating in the Future Games in 2023 obviously was a great event that gave me a lot of exposure to schools. Our annual Scout Day with the Dawgs was also great for everyone to get their numbers posted. I’m sure schools that didn’t know me got an opportunity to see me and followed me from there.”

Finding a home at Portland is, admittedly, a great feeling according to Labone, a 4.0 student who will major in business.

“It’s really relieving but I knew from the start schools were going to reach out and at the end of the day it would be fine,” Labonte said. “But I’m not sure I was expecting to commit again a month later. It just happened. You want to wait, but is it worth the risk to wait for who knows what?”

What Labonte does know is what he feels he can bring to the West Coast Conference program.

“A lot of energy and hard work,” Labonte said. “I’m a big competitor, it’s what I love to do. I want to try and help the team win to the best of my abilities.

“I’m super excited to live the college experience and get to play at that level against other great programs,” Labonte concluded. “I’m just excited to have a great college career.”