The following is a game-by-game preview of the 1st round of the 2022 Ontario Sr AAA Men's Elimination Tournament taking place in Windsor and surrounding areas. The tournament kicks off on Friday, July 29th with four games at 11am and will wrap up on Monday at Cullen Field at the Mic Mac Sports Complex in Windsor. The champion will earn themselves a spot at the Canadian Men's Senior Baseball Championships in Sydney, Novas Scotia in late August. 

 

CABC Baseball will be on site for the duration of the tournament streaming selected games on Facebook Live. For those wishing to catch the action, the page can be found by searching CABC Baseball on Facebook or by using the link fb.me/CABCBaseball

 

Game #1 - Kendal Eagles (12-6; 1st GTBL) vs Ajax Spartans (6-9-1; 5th GTBL) 5:00pm @ Soulliere

 

The Eagles have been having a great season in league play as they currently sit on the top of the GTBL standings, The team has attended two tournaments so far this season. In Vaughan, the team went 1-2 grabbing a win against the St. Thomas Jt Tomcats while dropping close games to Ilderton and league mates Thornhill. At the Hap, they went 2-1 dropping a 3-0 game to Ilderton while winning against Mississauga North Jr and Milton. Now that  they have been at the Sr level for a number of season, the Eagles have a very veteran laden team with the ability to advance deep with some good pitching and some strong hitting. 

 

Key Players

Ryley Davenport (.404, 5 2B, 5 HR, 18 R, 21 RBI)

Jesse Elliott (.383, 3 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 14 R, 11 RBI)

Mitch Wilbur (.375, 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 9 R, 13 RBI)

Logan Stewart (.353, 5 2B, 3B, HR, 10 R, 9 RBI)

 

Ethan Nichols (4-0, 1.80 ERA, 28 K)

Logan Stewart (2-1, 3.96 ERA, 13 K)

Corey Robinson (2-0, 1 Sv, 5.63 ERA, 5 K)

Josh Arce (2-1,1 Sv, 5.68 ERA, 15 K)

 

The Ajax Spartans have hit a little bit of a skid over the past few weeks in league play. After starting 5-1-1, they have had a hard time put together consistent games on the field. They have shown a little better in tournament play but will need to make some big adjustments if they are going to make a deep run in this tournament. In Vaughan, the Spartans went 1-2 in round robin play dropping games to Vaughan and Leaside before ending with a narrow 4-3 victory over the Brampton Royals. At the Hap, the Spartans went 2-1 in round robin play defeating the Strathroy Royals and Etobicoke Rangers before dropping a narrow 9-7 decision to Brampton. 

 

Key Players

Matt Krettek (.422, 6 2B, 5 R, 10 RBI)

Sean Molony (.380, 6 2B, 3B, HR, 19 R, 14 RBI

Glenn Reeves (.366, 5 2B, 12 R, 10 RBI)

Jesse Dynes (.280, 2 2B, 2 HR, 12 R, 11 RBI)

 

Corey Jeffery (2-0, 2 Sv, 2.65 ERA, 23 K)

Pat Vecchiarelli (1-0, 8.16 ERA, 15 K)

Sean Molony (1-0, 4.91 ERA, 9 K)

Peter Nash (0-1, 4.50 ERA, 5 K)

 

Game #2 - Newmarket Hawks (10-6-1; 2nd GTBL) vs Milton Red Sox (9-9-1; 4th COBA) 11:00am @ Woodslee

 

The Hawks have been quietly sliding up the GTBL standings over the past few weeks of league play. They have made some decent runs at this tournament in past years, but will be looking to make the next step this year and get into Monday at the Eliminations. They played in two tournaments this year. In Vaughan, they went 2-1 dropping a narrow 3-1 decision to Ilderton before winning against St Thiomas Jr and Thornhill earning a spot in the semis. That, however, was postponed due to rain. At the Hap, they also went 2-1 but narrowly missed out on the playoff round by run differential. They beat Kincardine and Erindale but dropped their game to Thornhill. 

 

Key Players

Dan Telford (.457, 2 2B, 2 HR, 13 R, 11 RBI)

Brian MacDonald (.442, 4 2B, 3 HR, 12 R, 21 RBI)

Troy McLoughlin (.413, 8 2B, 2 HR, 20 R, 14  RBI)

Owen Taylor (.333, 5 2B, 8 R, 9 RBI)

 

Andrew Raponi (2-1, 2.05 ERA, 36 K)

Connor Elbaum (3-0, 5.40 ERA, 9 K)

Jamie Henderson (2-1, 1 Sv, 6.63 ERA, 10 K)

Christian Mullen (1-2, 1 Sv, 7.66 ERA, 29 K)

 

The Milton Red Sox have been playing some good baseball as of late in the COBA Major Baseball League. They are currently sitting at .500 on the season and have also shown well in tournament play for the most part. After some minor injuries, Sean Alp and Brendan Job will be back in the lineup which will be a welcome sight for Red Sox fans. In tournament play, Milton attended the Lakeside Tournament where they went 2-1 in round robin play losing to Ilderton but rebounding to beat St Thomas Jr and Etobicoke to get into the semis. In that game, they lost a very tight 2-0 game to Tecumseh. At the Hap, the Sox dropped three very close games to Ilderton, Kendal and Mississauga North Jrs. Milton will need some timely hitting and some big performances on the mound if they are going to go deep into this year's Elims. 

 

Key Players

Sean Alp (.462, 7 2B, HR, 22 R, 17 RBI)

Kevin Greer (.339, 4 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 17 R, 16 RBI)

Brandon Chong (.319, 6 2B, 10 R, 24 RBI)

Michael Ong (.314, 3 2B, 6 R, 9 RBI)

 

Chris Cloes (3-2, 4.00 ERA, 31 K)

Tyler MacKillop (2-1, 7.27 ERA, 20 K)

Kyle Clark (1-2, 8.00 ERA, 12 K)

Dylan Clark (1-3, 6.95 ERA, 20 K)

 

Game #3 - Leaside Leafs (10-7-1; 3rd GTBL) vs Etobicoke Rangers (10-4-2; 1st COBA) 11:00am @ Soulliere

 

The Leafs have been playing some good baseball as of late as they have been sitting around the middle of the pack of the GTBL for the good majority of the season. Leaside is a very veteran team with a number of players that have made deep runs in this tournament in the past. They are going to need some big performances on the hill and the team will have to keep hitting the baseball like they have  been if they are going to see any success at the Elims this year. In tournament play, in Vaughan the team went 2-1 in round robin play losing to Brampton before beating Ajax and Vaughan earning a spot in the playoff round. They played in the quarters dropping that game 9-4 to Ilderton. At the Hap, They also went 2-1 beating East York and Oakville but losing to Burlington to miss out on the playoff round by run differential. 

 

Key Players

Noah Koffman (.419, 6 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 15 R, 19 RBI)

Nick Manoukarakis (.385, 5 2B, 3B, 11 R, 13 RBI)

Michael De Luca (.358, 2 2B, HR, 21 R, 13 RBI)

Averey Bet-Payumo (.250, 2B, 2 HR, 7 R, 6 RBI)

 

Jeremias Sucre (2-0, 1.97 ERA, 32 K)

Jorge Frugoni (2-2, 2.95 ERA, 10 K)

Sean Kavanaugh (1-0, 7.36 ERA, 5 K)

Chris Goodale (1-2, 8.25 ERA, 14 K)

 

After a pair of seasons off, the Etobicoke Rangers came into the 2022 season with unknown expectations. The club has gone through a bit of an overhaul personnel wise but as we enter the Elims weekend, they find themselves in a familiar spot: 1st place in the COBA Major Baseball League. The Rangers have a good portion fo their veteran guys back this year but have added some great youth to their team which have made thenm a very dangerous team again this year. In tournament play, in Lakeside, the Rangers went 2-1 beating St Thomas Jr and Ilderton before dropping a 10-0 decision to Milton. They missed out on the playoff round due to run differential. At the Hap, they went 1-2 losing to Brampton and Ajax before wrapping up with a win against Strathroy. With a fulll lineup slatted to be in Windsor, the Rangers will be looking for a deep run again this year at the Elims. 

 

Key Players

Alex Thrower (.464, 7 2B, 29 R, 11 RBI)

Ryan Panas (.452, 8 2B, 10 R, 17 RBI)

Mark Capone (.419, 2 2B, 11 R, 7 RBI)

Michael Ferracuti (.397, 6 2B, 3 HR, 17 R, 22 RBI)

 

Andrew Hyde (4-1, 2.50 ERA, 41 K)

Brendan Lyons (2-0, 4.50 ERA, 20 K)

Corey Vandergraaf (2-0, 4.76 ERA, 24 K)

Brad Crone (0-0, 1 Sv, 3.27 ERA, 11 K)

 

Game #4 - East York Bulldogs (4-16-1; 6th GTBL) vs Windsor Athletics (7-17; 3rd Can-Am) 11:00am @ Cullen

 

The Bulldogs have had a bit of an up-and-down season to this point in the year. After a rought start to the year, East York has been playing some better baseball this half but a lot of games it just hasn't resulted in wins on the scoresheet. They willl be in tough to make any sort of run into this years elims as they will have the winner/loser of the Sarnia/Tecumseh game which will be a tall order for any team. In tournament play, in Lakeside, the team saw some success as they went 3-0 in round robin beating Lakeside, Oakville and Erindale before bowing out to Brampton in the semis. At the Hap, the Dogs were 0-3 with losses to Leaside, Oakville and Burlington. With some of the names on the roster, depending on who shows up, East York could easily surprise some teams if taken lightly.

 

Key Players 

Steve Andreopoulos (.343, 3 2B, HR, 16 R, 12 RBI)

Peter Samonas (.333, 8 2B, 12 R, 7 RBI)

Anthony Fera (.333, 5 2B, 3 HR, 11 R, 18 RBI)

Che Andrews (.318, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 12 RBI)

 

Adam Garner (1-3, 6.67 ERA, 11 K)

Cam Martin (0-1, 1 Sv, 6.13 ERA, 11 K)

Michael Manning (0-2, 17.36 ERA, 3 K)

Nick Collett (0-2, 7.36 ERA, 10 K)

 

The Windsor Athletics got off to a good start this year in league play in the Can-Am loop. Over the course of the last few weeks though the team has hit a bit of a slide dropping a large number of their last games heading into the Elims this weekend. The team boasts a number of veteran players that have been around this tournament for a number of years now but the deep of the team after the last few games certainly will be in question now. The one thing working for the A's is that they haven't been seen by anyone provincially as they have not attended any sort of tournament play in the 2022 season

 

Key Players 

Jane Roehler (.362, 5 2B, 10 R, 11 RBI)

Frank Jeney (.339, 6 2B, 16 R, 10 RBI)

Chris Rinaldi-Ross (.286, 4 2B, HR, 12 R, 9 RBI)

Nick Philbin (.321, 2 2B, 9 R, 6 RBI)

 

Owen Novacco (1-1, 3.00 ERA, 17 K)

Cole Hillier (1-2, 3.82 ERA, 12 K)

Jeremy Nixon (1-2, 1 Sv, 6.36 ERA, 8 K)

Cody Gillis (1-3, 6.75 ERA, 11 K)

 

Game #5 - Tecumseh Thunder (17-7; 2nd Can-Am) vs Sarnia Bridage (14-2; 1st SWSBL) 11:00am @ Lacasse

 

The Tecumseh Thunder have had another strong season this year as they come into the Eliminations playing some great baseball. The Thunder won five straight Ontario Championships from 2014-2018 and have a team built to make another deep run this year. This year, they return a good core of that team and have also added a few new additions to the team. In tournament play, the team made the trek to Lakeside and successfully defended their title going 4-1 in the process. They lost to Strathroy before defeating Brampton and Sarnia in the round robin. They beat Milton in the semis and Brampton again in the final to take home the title. 

 

Key Players

Ross Barker (.400, 7 2B, 20 R, 10 RBI)

Paul Lamantia (.392, 6 2B, HR, 18 R, 21 RBI)

Cam Goddard (.386, 2 2B, 2 HR, 13 R, 13 RBI)

Eric Cunningham (.338, 4 2B, 20 R, 10 RBI)

 

Brandon Lindquist (2-0, 0.78 ERA, 21 K)

Chris Horvath (2-1, 1 Sv, 1.48 ERA, 52 K)

Kyle Breitner (5-1, 1.37 ERA, 37 K)

Micah Harris (1-1, 3.27 ERA, 29 K)

 

The Brigade are back with a new name since the last provincial championships but they still have a very strong team that is poised to make another deep run in this year's tourmanent. They have had a very successful regular season thus far as their record shows. In tournament play, in Lakeside, the team went 1-2 beating league mates Strathroy before dropping close games to Brampton and Tecumseh. The team once again boasts a very deep pitching staff as well as a very veteran laden hitting line-up that knows how to get it done in when it counts. They will be looking to defend their provincial title once again this year. 

 

Key Players 

Brad HIll (.455, 7 2B, 3B, 22 R, 20 RBI)

Vince Caschera (.321, 3 2B, 7 R, 21 RBI)

Brandon Keegan (.302, 5 2B, HR, 11 R, 20 RBI)

Core Jackson (.550, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 R 10 RBI)

 

Mike Damchuk (3-0, 3 Sv, 2.32 ERA, 32 K)

Alex MacLean (3-0, 1.06 ERA, 12 K)

Derek Masse (3-1, 2.05 ERA, 16 K)

Greg Ross (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 17 K)

 

Game #6 - Oakville A's (4-14; 6th COBA) vs Burlington Brants (10-8-1; 2nd COBA) 2:00pm @ Woodslee

 

The Oakville A's have had a bit of a rough go at it this year in regular season play. The team just got their first win a few weeks back to drop the goose egg but the upside to things is that the team has been playing better baseball as of late with three of three of their wins coming in their last four games. Two of those wins were a double header sweep against their opponents from Burlington. In tournament play, in Lakeside, the A's went 1-2 dropping their beating the host Tigers before dropping games to East York and Erindale. At the Hap, the A's once again went 1-2 beating East York before dropping games to Burlington and Leaside. This is a very winnable game for the A's but depth could be an issue for a deep run into the tournament. 

 

Key Players 

Vic Christensen (.444, 3 2B, 3 3B, 14 R, 10 RBI)

Ryan Freemantle (.414, 2B, 2 3B, 7 R, 9 RBI)

Nick DiGennaro (.310, 2 2B, 2 3B, 8 R, 10 RBI)

Marc Walton (.263, 2B, HR, 7 R 10 RBI)

 

Steve Shum (2-1, 7.31 ERA, 20 K)

Peter Zytner (0-0, 11.15 ERA, 7 K)

Paul McKenna (0-1, 12.91 ERA, 4 K)

Jacob Schuurman (0-2, 12.19 ERA, 7 K)

 

The Burlington Brants have had a great season to this point in the year so far. After a bit of a slow start to the year, the team has picked up some big wins both in league play as well as tournament play. The Brants don't boast a lot of depth but they have a large veteran core that knows the ins and outs of the provincial eliminations and what it takes to be successful. In their sole tournament appearance, the Brants went 5-0 and ran the table to win the Hap Walters. They beat Oakville, East York and Leaside in the round robin followed by beating the Brampton Royals in the semis before taking down the finals against Ilderton in extras. If this team plays to its full potential, they could be a very dangerous team this year. 

 

Key Players

Tim Sogan (.462, 3 2B, 2 HR, 9 R, 12 RBI)

Corrie Morrison (.379, 4 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 21 R, 17 RBI)

Anthony Rizquez (.350, 7 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 18 R, 20 RBI)

Max Von Gemmingen (.308, 5 2B, 10 R, 12 RBI)

 

Cam Ryerson (2-1, 1 Sv, 4.50 ERA, 10 K)

Trevor Woodjetts (1-1, 2 Sv, 4.52 ERA, 29 K)

Jordan Rienzo (3-1, 7.26 ERA, 29 K)

Evan Krychowski (1-1, 7.22 ERA, 14 K)

 

Game #7 - Strathroy Royals (8-5; 2nd SWSBL) vs Thornhill Reds (10-8; 4th GTBL) 2:00pm @ Soulliere

 

The Strathroy Royals have had another good year in regular season play in the Southwestern Sr Baseball loop. After a bit of a hiatus due to Covid, the team boasts a strong veteran presnece again with some great younger additions made by Coach Bloomfield. In tournament play, in Lakeside, the team went 1-2 in a very tough pool beating the Tecumseh Thunder before droppping tight games against Brampton and Sarnia. At the Hap Walters, the steam struggled a bit again dropping games to Ajax and Etobicoke before tying Brampton in their last round robin game. Dont let their tournament record fool you though; with a full roster there this is a very dangerous team that can take advantage of oppurtunities when they are given to them and make a deep run into Sunday or even Monday.

 

Key Players

Hitters

Matt Cook 

Justin Cook

Mitch Roy

Mike Ambrose

 

Pitchers

Matt Cook 

Tyler Annett

Jake English

Justin Cook

 

The Thornhill Reds have had anpther good season this year in the GTBL. The club had a bit of a slow start to ythe year dropping their first five games but have stormed back going 10-3 in their last 13 league games to sit in 4th place overall. The Elims finalists from 2019 have had a few roster changes since that year but still have a good part of the nucleus of that team still intact for this year. In tournament play, in Vaughan, the Reds were 2-1 beating the Windsor Stars and Kendal Eagles befgore dropping their round robin finale to Newmarket. They advanced to the semis but that was rained out on the Sunday. At the Hap, the Reds were once again 2-1 losing to Erindale before beating Newmarket and Kincardine to adavnce to the semis where the dropped a 6-2 decision to Ilderton.

 

Key Players

Russell McGibbon (.405, 2 2B, HR, 10 R, 6 RBI)

Warren Kember (.400, 3 2B, 3B, 9 R, 8 RBI)
Jonas Press (.350, 6 2B, 3B, 11 R, 8 RBI)

Kravice Batts (.333, 2B, 3B, 21 R, 2 RBI, 17 SB)

 

Jaz Shergill (2-0, 2.84 ERA, 12 K)

Mike Bannon (2-2, 2.88 ERA, 37 K)

Mack Major (1-1, 1 Sv, 3.79 ERA, 17 K)

Chadwick Cameron (0-3, 2 Sv, 4.50 ERA, 23 K)

 

Game #8 - Brampton Royals (10-9; 3rd COBA) vs Ilderton River Hawks (8-6; 3rd SWSBL) 2:00pm @ Lacasse

 

The Brampton Royals are currently sitting in the middle of the pack for the COBA Major League standings. The Royals have returned a large core of their team from 2019. One big change was the return of Coach Frank Fascia to the Sr level on a full time basis. He, along with GM Dave Flannagan added some great young talents from their Jr program that have fit in nicely. in tournament play, in Vaughan, the team went 2-1 with wins over Leaside & Vaughan before losing to Ajax. They made the semis but these were rained out. At Lakeside, the team 2-1 in round robin play beating Sarnia & Strathroy and losing a tight game to Tecumseh. In the semis, they beat East York before dropping the final to Tecumseh. At the Hap, the Royals once agaion reached the playoff round going 2-0-1 in round robin play before dropping the semis to Burlington. 

 

Key Players

CJ Fearon (.478, 4 2B, 3B, 21 R, 4 RBI, 14 SB)

Sam Lebel (.400, 3 2B, 4 HR, 17 R, 21 RBI)
Aidan Murphy (.393, 3 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 13 R, 17 RBI)

Joe Ferreira (.391, 4 2B, 6 HR, 18 R, 17 RBI)

 

Arman Lakhani (3-1, 3.96 ERA, 14 K)

Steve Hough (1-1, 3.37 ERA, 12 K)

Cameron Hibbs (1-1, 7.71 ERA, 7 K)

Alex Emerson (2-1, 8.22 ERA, 17 K)

 

The Ilderton River Hawks are currently in the middle of the pack of the Southwestern Sr Baseball League standings. The club has retained a good part of their core from a few years ago but the club has also added a few younger additions as well from the London Badgers program as well as other areas around London. In tournament play, in Vaughan, they went 2-1 beating Newmarket and Kendal while losing to the Windsor Stars to advance to the playoff round. They won their QF 9-4 against Leaside but the rest of the tournament was washed out. At Lakeside, they went 1-2 beating Milton but losing to Etobicoke and St Thomas Jr. At the Hap, they went 4-1 running the table in the round robin and beating Thornhill 6-2 in the semis. They dropped the final 8-4 against Burlington in extra innings. 

 

Key Players

Hitters

Nolan Anderson

Kevin Bowden

Preston Carr

Daniel Litchy

 

Pitchers

Jordan Townshend

Travis Keys

Josh Krautner

Ryan Beckett

 

Game #9 - Windsor Stars (20-1; 1st Can-Am) vs Erindale Cardinals (9-8; 5th COBA) 2:00pm @ Cullen

 

The Windsor Stars have had a dominate regular season as they ran away with the Can-Am regular season standings. The Stars return a good majority of their roster from two years ago but now they are that much stronger and wiser with the Sr level. Coach Smith has also added a good number of grads from the Windsor Selects program which has bolstered the roster as well. The Stars are looking for a return to glory as they seem to be set to try and make a deep run into the Elims and a shot at another Ontario Sr Baseball title. In tournament play, in Vaughan, the Stars faltered a bit going 1-2 in round robin play beating Ilderton handly but losing tight games to Thornhill and St Thomas Jr. After winning the abbreviated Sr Provincials last year, they will be looking for the big title this year. 

 

Key Players

Jake Lumley (.379, 4 2B, 2 HR, 20 R, 17 RBI)

Steven Adam (.364, 3 2B, 3 3B, 14 R, 13 RBI)

Noah Renaud (.347, 3B, HR, 16 R, 12 RBI)

Mitch Hudvanger (.346, 5 2B, 3B, 13 R, 12 RBI)

 

Jack Zimmerman (4-1, 1 Sv, 1.25 ERA, 34 K)

Andrew Rajsigl (3-0, 1.33 ERA, 23 K)

Dane Little (3-0, 1.84 ERA, 7 K)

Chris Renaud (3-1, 1.65 ERA, 17 K)

 

The Erindale Cardinals are packed into the middle of the COBA Major League standings. After a 4-1 start to the season, they find themselves sitting just above .500 right now on the regular season. The Cards have a bit of a different look this year but still hsve sa good part of their core arund from the last few seasons. They have some talented players but depth could play into how far they advance into this year's tournament. In tournament play, in Lakeside, they went 2-1 with wins against Lakeside and Oakville and a loss to East York. At the Hap, They once again went 2-1 with wins against Thornhill and Kincardine but a loss to Newmarket took them out of contention because of run differential. The Cards could mke a bit of a run this weekend but it will depend on who is there from their roster. 

 

Key Players 

Pip Murray-Smith (.406, 3 2B, 23 R, 10 RBI)

Aaron Palmer (.404, 5 2B, 21 R, 13 RBI) 

Jason Woodford (.333, 7 2B, 3 HR, 13 R, 25 RBI)

Chris Novia (.278, 3 2B, 3 HR, 10 R, 21 RBI)

 

Daniel Zelezko (3-0, 1.50 ERA, 8 K)

Kevin Lucas (3-2, 3.00 ERA, 13 K)

Adam Forsey (2-1, 8.72 ERA, 17 K)

Andrew Mullin (0-0, 5.91 ERA, 13 K)

 

Best of luck to all of the teams this coming weekend. Remember, to catch some of the live stream for the games make sure to follow the CABC Baseball page on Facebook. Ill try and post which games will be covered. The first two games on Friday to be covered will be:

 

Sarnia Brigade vs Tecumseh Thunder 11:00am @ Lacasse

Ilderton River Hawks vs Brampton Royals 2:00pm @ Lacasse

 

Future games will be posted on the Facebook page as well as @COBABaseball on Twitter. All scores and results will also be posted on twoitter as well as www.cobamajorbaseball.com