The London Tigers will be hosting their annual Men's AAA Baseball Tournament this weekend in London and the surrounding area. 11 Men's AAA Teams along with the St. Thomas Tomcats will try and take home the title thsi coming Sunday. 

 

The field has a mix of teams from acroiss the four major Men's AAA leagues across Onatiro and usually acts as a pretty good mesauring stick to see where teams are as we get into a busy month of July. The teams this year include: the Erindale Cardinals, Brampton Royals, Etobicoke Rangers, Oakville A's and Milton Red Sox of the COBA Major Baseball League.

 

The GTBL will be represented by the Leaside Leafs and East York Bulldogs. The Southwestern League will have the Strathroy Royals, Sarnia Brigade and Ilderton Riverhawks in attendace while the St. Thomas Tomcats 22U team will also be there. They will all be trying to take down the defending champions the Tecumseh Thunder who round out the 12 team field. 

 

Here is a brief look at each of the teams attending:

 

Black Division

Tecumseh Thunder (12-2; 1st place Can Am League)

The Thunder are the defending champions winning this tournnament last year. The team is off to a good start in league play as they currently are at the top of the Can-Am League standings as well as the unofficial #1 team in Canada via the CABC Top 10 Rankings released on June 14th. Tecumseh will be looking for a good showing here as they prepare for the Elimination Tournament in August as well as hosting the Men's AAA Canadians in 2024. They would have be the favorite right now to win this division.

 

Top Hitters

Ross Barker:18-for-47 (.383), 13 R, 4 2B, HR, 8 RBI

Eric Cunningham: 14-for-35 (.400), 7 R, 2 2B, 5 RBI

Paul Lamantia: 14-for-41 (.341), 8 R, 3 2B, HR, 12 RBI

 

Top Pitchers

Kyle Breitner: 4-0, 27 Inn, 23 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 7 BB, 45 K, 2.07 ERA

Micah Harris: 2-0, 11 Inn, 13 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 3.82 ERA

Chris Horvath: 1-2, 1 Sv, 23 Inn, 15 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 6 BB, 19 K, 2.43 ERA

 

Erindale Cardinals (3-6-1; 5th place COBA Major League)

The Cardinals have had a bit of a rough go the last few weeks. The team has been playing decent baseball but their defense continues to hamper them in some games as they have dropped games that were close until the late innings. The Cards still pack a bit of a punch at the plate offensively but will need some big time outings on the mound from their pitching staff to advance out of this division. 

 

Top Hitters

Pip Murray-Smith: 13-for-39 (.333), 13 R, 2 2B, 9 RBI

Chris Novia: 11-for-35 (.314), 10 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI

Eric Alcaraz: 8-for-20 (.400), 3 R, 2 2B, 5 RBI

 

Top Pitchers

Andrew Mullin: 1-1, 15 1/3 Inn, 19 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, 13 K, 4.70 ERA

Eric Alcaraz: 1-1, 10 Inn, 8 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 12 K, 3.60 ERA

Adam Forsey: 0-0, 10 1/3 Inn, 10 H, 10 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 2.61 ERA

 

Oakville A's (1-9-1; 6th place COBA Major League)

The A's have had another tough season so far as they sit in the basement of the COBA Major League standings. They have battled hard in some games and have some potential to possibly upset some of the teams in their pool in London. The offense boasts a little bit of pop and can make themselves a tough out if they get rolling. The A's will need a big effort aal around this weekend if they are going to advance to Sunday and the playoff round.

 

Top Hitters

Dan Beaver: 10-for-24 (.417), 6 R, 4 2B, HR, 7 RBI

Vic Christensen: 9-for-25 (.360), 6 R, 2B, 5 RBI

Steve Shum: 9-for-26 (.346), 9 R, 2B, 2 3B, 8 RBI

 

Top Pitchers (No Stats Available)

Peter Zytner

Cam Cook

Steve Shum

Marc Walton

 

Strathroy Royals (4-4; 3rd place Southwestern League)

The Royals are sitting in the middle of the pack of the Southwestern Baseball League so far this season. Offensively, they have put up 64 runs in their 8 games so far while pitchers have only given up 45 thus far. Strathroy has always had a very strong team and can certainly make a deep run in this tournament. I dont have any statistical information about the team this season but if it is the same as last year, they had a great balance of veteran leadership as well as a good influx of youth added to the team. Look for them to challenge Tecumseh for top spot in the division.

 

Top Batters

Ron Oneson

Mitch Roy

Matt Cook

Justin Cook

 

Top Pitchers

Tyler Annett

Justin Cook

Dave Wydevan

Jason Aguoine

 

Orange Division

Etobicoke Rangers (12-0; 1st place COBA Major League)

The Rangers have had another tremendous start to their season so far as they have gone undefeated in league play. They boast a scary lineup as everyone 1 thru 9 can be a threat at the plate at any point and time as shown by the 166 runs they have put up offensively in 12 games. While they have had some good battles in league play, this will be a good test for the Rangers to see where they stack up against some of the stronger teams in the province. They should be the front runners to win this division and advance to the playoff round on Sunday. 

 

Top Hitters

Michael Ferracuti: 20-for-48 (.417), 17 R, 6 2B, 4 HR, 18 RBI

Mike Foster: 18-for-38 (.474), 16 R, 4 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI

Hunter Bisser: 16-for-29 (.552), 15 R, 4 2B, 3B, HR, 14 RBI

Dan Franceschetti: 18-for-39 (.462), 17 R, 5 2B, 3 HR, 14 RBI

 

Top Pitchers

Andrew Hyde: 3-0, 26 Inn, 17 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 42 K, 1.73 ERA

Mike Asta: 1-0, 12 2/3 Inn, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 7 BB, 21 K, 4.26 ERA

Brad Crone: 1-0, 4 Inn, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. 0.00 ERA

Max Skoropadsky: 2-0, 16 1/3 Inn, 25 H, 22 R, 20 ER, 20 BB, 12 K, 11.02 ERA

 

Milton Red Sox (4-7-1; 4th place COBA Major League)

The Red Sox had a decent start to their year in the COBA Major League but they have dropped their last four games heading into this weekend. The Milton squad has the pieces to make a bit of a run at this tournament as they made a deep run a few year back making it to the final. Their offense has been pretty good as the team is hittign at a .300 clip. Their pitching has been ok as well but will need to have some big outings this weekend to make it out of the division and into the playoffs. 

 

Top Hitter

Aaron Nash: 14-for-41 (.341), 11 R, 3 2B, 2 3B, HR, 12 RBI

Liam Buckley 12-for-38 (.316), 15 R, 2 2B, 8 RBI

Sean Alp: 15-for-36 (.417), 14 R, 3 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI

Matt Fusco: 17-for-39 (.436). 11 R, 6 RBI

 

Top Pitchers

Chris Cloes: 2-0, 18 1/3 Inn, 23 H, 14 R, 9 ER, 6 BB, 6 K, 4.32 ERA

Dylan Clark: 2-1, 1 Sv, 16 2/3 Inn, 17 H, 16 R, 7 ER, 14 BB, 10 K, 3.78 ERA

Tyler MacKillop: 1-2, 19 2/3 Inn, 31 H, 25 R, 21 ER, 13 BB, 12 K, 9.61 ERA

Kyle Clark: 0-1, 11 1/3 Inn, 19 H, 18 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 6 K, 3.97 ERA

 

Ilderton Riverhawks (6-4; 2nd place Southwestern League)

The Riverhawks have had a good start to their 2023 season. The Ilderton club have been pretty steady both at the plate as well as on the mound. The club returns a large part of their roster from last year and a lot of those players have a veteran presnece around Men's AAA baseball. I don't have a lot of info about their offense but on the mound they have some strong arms that could carry this team deep. The Ilderton club has a prety good lineup and should challenge Etobicoke for top spot in this division. 

 

Top Hitters

Kevin Bowden

Rob Wakefield

Tyler D'Alessandro

 

Top Pitchers

Jordan Townshend

Travis Keyes

Leo Labine

Ryan Beckett

 

East York Bulldogs (3-6; 6th place GTBL)

The Bulldogs have had a decent season thus far. The results haven't been there for the club consistently but they have been playing teams hard in league play having some very close calls in some games. The team has had a little bit of a tunrover but for the most part have a good portion of their roster returning which finished 1st in their division here last year and lost to a tough Brampton team in the semi-finals. East York will need a pretty strong team effort similar to last year in order to get out of divisional play this year.

 

Top Hitters

Anthony Fera: 6-for-20 (.300), 5 R, 2B, 2 3B, 6 RBI

Brandon Nieva: 6-for-22 (.273), 6 R, 6 RBI

Peter Samonas: 11-for-26 (.423), 10 R, 3 2B, 5 RBI

Felix Veilleux: 7-for-25 (.280), 6 R, 3 RBI

 

Top Pitchers

Logan Kerry: 2-2, 8 2/3 Inn, 13 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 7 BB, 4 K, 7.27 ERA

Adam Garner: 0-2, 11 Inn, 13 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, 6.55 ERA

Cameron Martin: 0-0, 1 Sv, 8 Inn, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 BB, 8 K, 1.13 ERA

Take Mori: 0-1, 11 Inn, 15 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 6 K, 5.73 ERA

 

Red DIvision 

Sarnia Brigade AAA (10-1; 1st place Southwestern League)

The Brigade have gotten off to another very strong start this season in league play. The team pretty much returns their roster from last season which lost in the provincial championship game to a tough Windsor Stars squad. The team has been putting up big numbers offensively as they have scored 142 runs in 11 league games. Their pitching has been just as impressive giving up only 62 runs all together. They also have a 2nd place finish at the Vaughan Tournament under their belt as well. The Brigade should be the front runner to win this division and advance to Sunday.

 

Top Hitters

Core Jackson: .487 Avg, 19 H, 3 HR, 22 RBI

Alex McLean: .509 Avg, 29 H, HR, 21 RBI

Mitch Bigras: .444 Avg, 12 H, 10 RBI

Kyle Maloney: .364 Avg, 20 H, 3 HR, 12 RBI

 

Top Pitchers

Alex McLean: 5-0, 23 Inn, 27 K, 4.30 ERA

Derek Masse: 3-0, 17 Inn, 15 K, 3.71 ERA

Mike Damchuk: 1-0, 1 Sv, 15 Inn, 15 K, 3.07 ERA

 

Brampton Royals (5-6-1; 3rd place COBA Major League)

The Brampton Royals have had a bit of an up and down season to this point. The club has dropped their last two regualr season outings to drop below .500 on the season. The club had a good run at the Vaughan Tournament two weeks ago making it to the semi-finals before bowing out to the Sarnia Brigade in a tight one run game. The Royals have a good balance of youth and veteran leadership and with some good pitching this weekend could challenge for top spot in the division. 

 

Top Hitters

Joe Ferreira: 10-for-22 (.455), 5 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI

Caleb Chramow: 8-for-23 (.348), 6 R, 3 2B, 9 RBI

Alex Fascia: 14-for-37 (.378), 8 R, 4 2B, 3B, 9 RBI

Aiden Cowper: 9-for-24 (.375), 9 R, 4 2B, 3B, 7 RBI

 

Top Pitchers

Matt Stoddart: 1-1, 14 Inn, 18 H, 13 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 15 K, 3.86 ERA

Joe Ferreira: 1-0, 10 1/3 Inn, 16 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 8 BB, 18 K, 10.59 ERA

Arman Lakhani: 0-2, 16 Inn, 28 H, 24 R, 23 ER, 14 BB, 14 K, 10.00 ERA

 

Leaside Leafs (4-5; 5th place GTBL)

The Leafs have had a bit of a slow start in GTBL play this season. They have only managed to put up 56 runs in 9 games so far this season. Their pitching has been good allowing 71 runs overall. The veteran Leaside club will be in tough in this division as Brampton and Sarnia both already have a tournament under their belts this season and both performed well. The Leafs will have to have a very strong weekend both at the plate and on the mound in order to have any shot at getting a shot at some Sunday baseball. 

 

Top Hitters

Joe Woods: 9-for-25 (.360), 6 R, 2 2B, 3B, 6 RBI

Nick Manoukarakis: 9-for-30 (.300), 3 R, 3 2B, 3B, 6 RBI

Kevin Henry: 10-for-27 (.370), 4 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBI

Jeff Gruchy: 8-for-21 (.381), 5 R, 2B, 2 RBI

 

Top Pitchers

Sean Kavanaugh: 1-1, 7 2/3 Inn, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 5.87 ERA

Jorge Frugoni: 1-0, 15 1/3 Inn, 16 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 7 BB, 9 K, 4.70 ERA

Dean Christidis: 0-2, 15 2/3 Inn, 11 H, 12 R, 5 ER, 9 BB, 16 K, 2.87 ERA

 

St Thomas Tomcats (10-5-2; Jr Intercounty League)

A young and eager Tomcats 22U team will have a really good test this weekend against some elite Men's AAA level teams. I don't have a lot of information about the St Thomas club but they have certainly held their own so far this season in the ICBA. Look for the Tomcats to try and play spolier this weekend but with two top level Men's AAA programs in their division, advancing to Sunday could be a tall order. 

 

Top Hitters

Lumley: .509, 17 R, 27 H, 9 2B, 3 HR, 18 RBI

Williams: .382, 16 R, 21 H, 2B, 5 HR, 26 RBI

Morrison: .326, 15 R, 15 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI

 

Top Pitchers

Spring: 2-0, 16 Inn, 18 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 10 BB, 8 K, 5.51 ERA

Foshay: 0-0, 15 Inn, 14 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 11 BB, 13 K, 3.60 ERA

Gagnon, 0-0, 14 2/3 Inn, 7 H, 9 R, 5 ER, 18 BB, 9 K, 3.07 ERA

Krautner: 0-0, 14 2/3 Inn, 19 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 9 K, 4.30 ERA