Not many athletes get a chance to play for their favorite childhood team.

Auburn Doubledays catcher Joel Collins might just get that opportunity.

“I grew up 30 minutes outside of Toronto,” Collins said. “My dad has had season tickets since the 1970s and they have always been my favorite team.”

Being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays happened suddenly for Collins who was sitting with his family watching the draft when he saw his name hit the screen. Then the phone rang.

“It was almost simultaneous,” Collins said. “I remember seeing my name on the screen and then the Blue Jays were on the phone. It was a great feeling.”

Collins knew the Toronto organization was looking at him and was he was more than happy to accept the offer.

“It was a dream come true,” Collins said. “The fact that it is the Blue Jays organization I get to play for is unbelievable.”

A huge fan of Pat Borders, former Toronto Blue Jays catcher, Collins grew up knowing that he wanted to play and he wanted to be behind the plate.

As the starting catcher for the Doubledays, Collins enjoys making the big plays at the plate, such as the one he made on July 22.

“It was a nice play in the seventh inning that prevented the tying run,” Collins said. “That is what I go out there for, making plays like that and winning ball games.”

Collins is hoping to help the team get their seventh straight Pinckney Division title this season.

“The team has been up and down, that win was really big for us,” Collins said. “We have enough talent on this team to win another championship, I know we can get it done.”

His love for the game is also what propels his success behind the plate. Collins cannot remember a time when he did not play baseball.

“I have played my entire life as far as I know,” Collins said. “I have heard stories about my dad rolling the baseball to me as a baby. It has always been a big part of my life, there has never been a question about it.”

That love for the game is what drove Collins to chose the University of South Alabama, which was a completely different world from his Canadian hometown.

“It was a big change from Canada,” Collins said. “That is exactly what I wanted though, the weather down there makes it possible to play baseball all year round. I wanted to experience playing during every season and go someplace completely different.”

Collins was a broadcast communications major and is not far from obtaining his degree.

“Baseball is first and foremost in my life,” Collins said. “Someday when I cannot play baseball anymore I do want to have something to fall back on. I would like to finish my degree and perhaps be a sportswriter or broadcaster, or even a coach.”

Collins also enjoyed his time playing baseball in college where last year he was a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award for the National Collegiate Catcher of the Year. Being a semifinalist for such an award is impressive enough, but it says more about the type of player he is.

Catcher is one of the more dangerous positions in sports, and its a danger Collins knows first hand.

With a bandage on the side of his head, Collins explains that he got hit in the temple off the backswing of an opposing player. The swing opened a gash on his head that required stitches.

“It was not as bad as it looked luckily,” Collins said. “There was a lot of blood but that is part of the game sometimes.”

Injuries are not the only issues Collins has faced during his playing days. As a member of the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays last year, Collins had difficulty getting a work visa in order to stay in the United States.

“It took a little while to get the visa,” Collins said. “Then playing in that league I got to get a real taste of what playing professional baseball is really like.”

Collins played in the league with some of the Doubledays he plays with now, which helps when going from one team to another. For Collins, that is just one of the perks of playing with the Doubledays.

“This team has a wonderful history,” Collins said. “It is an honor to be a part of that. This town is great, the fans are great and the support for the team is fantastic. The community and the team have a great bond and it is up to us to continue that and keep winning games.”

Ultimately Collins is dreaming of the that day he gets behind the plate for the Blue Jays, the team he has watched and loved his entire life.

“I can see myself playing in the big leagues,” Collins said. “We all do, that is why we are here.”