The North Delta Blue Jays are retiring former pitcher’s Jonathan Côté’s jersey and establishing a scholarship in his honour.
Côté died in May 2018, just three weeks after his 22nd birthday, following a two-year battle with a rare brain cancer called medulloblastoma.
Starting this season, the team will hoist up a banner with his name and the number 56 at Mackie Park each spring. The Blue Jays have also established the Jonathan Côté/North Delta Blue Jays Scholarship, which will go to a graduating player for their post-secondary education either in Canada or the United States.
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“[Côté] was a player who demonstrated a strong work ethic, was an outstanding teammate with strong academic abilities and community involvement,” a press release by the Blue Jays read. “He was very much a committed player and these fine attributes earned the respect, admiration and friendship of his coaches, teammates and fans.”
Côté played one season with the White Rock Tritons before heading to North Delta to pitch for the Blue Jays, where he set records for both strikeouts and walks in his senior year. After graduating from the BC Premier Baseball League in 2016, he went to Colorado to play for Otero Junior College, as well as Colorado Mesa University.
— with files from Nick Greenizan
sasha.lakic@northdeltareporter.com
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