Three Legionaires make cut for Ontario Youth Team
Oshawa Legionaires 16U pitcher Matt Johnson begins his delivery during a match up against the Mississauga Majors June 3 at Kinsmen Stadium in Oshawa. The Legionaires 16U split a doubleheader that day, winning the first game 3-2 and losing the second half 10-0. (Photo by Dave Flaherty).
By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express
Three players from the 16U Elite Legionaires have been selected for the 40-man roster of the 2017 Ontario Youth Team, which will represent the province at the Canada Games in Winnipeg later this summer.
Carter Arbuthnot, Dawson Sarginson and Jason Kauffeldt made the cut out of six players from the team who attended the tryouts.
More than 260 players from across Ontario, a record-breaking number, vied for a spot on the roster.
“We are pretty excited about it,” said Legionaires coach Jamie May.
That news was a welcome change after May’s rainy weather proved to be a thorn in the side of the team early in the season.
The Elite Baseball League of Ontario (EBLO) team has faced a number of rainouts already, which May said creates short-term and long-term consequences.
“We’ve had six or seven practices so far and only three games. It’s tough to keep practicing without playing,” he said.
May also noted the cancelled games will lead to a heavier schedule down the road.
“We could have weeks where we are playing four games,” he said.
Weather issues aside, the 16U Elite have amassed at 3-2 record as of June 7.
May said he believes the team boasts one of the deepest rosters in the league.
“We have 14 guys and one through 14, everyone can contribute,” he said, adding that depth was something the team lacked last year.
On the field, May said the team’s biggest strength is its defensive play.
“As long as our pitchers throw strikes, our defence will be there to pick them up,” he said.
On the hitting side, May expects the team will bolster a “good offence”, albeit one that will lean towards high batting averages and good contact over power and extra base hits.
With the league’s 16U division reduced from 12 to eight teams this year, May predicts it will be a tight race this season.
May said he would put his team alongside Etobicoke and Vaughan in the top three in the division, however, in his view, every team has the potential to compete for the top spot.
“It’s a very diverse league. The talent is spread out,” he said
The team will be playing in a tournament in Buffalo this coming weekend, which May said will be a good test for his players.
The Legionaires return to Kinsmen Stadium on June 14 for a 7:30 game against the Etobicoke Rangers.