ORLANDO - The Junior National Team scored four runs on seven hits, but it was not enough as they would fall by a score of 7-4 to the Atlanta Braves in their Fall Instructional League opener. Only three of the Braves’ seven runs were earned in this game due to an error and a wild pitch. Brad Furdal (Ancaster, ON) started on the mound for the Canadians and threw two innings. He allowed four runs, two earned, on three hits with four walks and two strikeouts. Stosh Wawrzasek (Langley, BC) relieved Furdal and allowed only one hit while striking out four in two innings of work. Following Wawrzasek was David Walkling (Nanaimo, BC), making his Junior team debut. Walkling threw two innings of relief, giving up one run on two hits with a pair of walks and a strikeout. Danny Britton-Foster (Ladysmith, BC) and Philippe Charpentier (L’Épiphanie, QC) closed things out for the Juniors. Britton-Foster allowed two unearned runs on two hits with two walks and a strikeout in two innings pitched. Charpentier threw a perfect inning in his Junior debut. Four different players produced a run for the Canadians in this game as Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC), Jonathan Gilbert (St-Georges, QC), Carter Bell (Courtenay, BC) and Lionel Morrill (Edmonton, AB) each got an RBI. Ivan Hartle (North Vancouver, BC) was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Next up for the Junior National Team in their Fall Instructional League schedule is Seminole C.C. at 1 pm on Sunday, October 7th.
He stands at 6’3” and weighs in at 225 lbs and anyone who meets him for the first time has trouble believing that he is only 19-years-old. In his first full-season in professional baseball, Nick Weglarz of Stevensville, Ontario hit .274 with 24 home runs and 83 RBI in 127 games in the Minor Leagues with the Cleveland Indians. His play earned him the organization’s “Biggest Breakthrough” award, which is chosen by SportsTimeOhio.com. But this is not really surprising from the left-handed outfielder. After being drafted in the third round by the Indians in 2005, he went straight to the Burlington Indians of the Appalachian League. In 41 games, he hit .231 with 11 doubles, two homers and 13 RBI. “It’s good to know that my season didn’t go unnoticed,” says Weglarz of his award. “It’s an honour that they think so highly of me.” It would not be the only honour that would be bestowed upon Weglarz for his “breakthrough” season. He was chosen on the Indians All-Minor League first team. “Again, it’s an honour. There are a lot of guys who had really good years, guys form Double-A and Triple-A. It’s really nice. It’s all I can say,” says Weglarz. His success this season was not only in the shape of awards, but the 19-year-old was also promoted from low Class-A Lake County to high Class-A Kinston. In Kinston, Weglarz saw a familiar face in the shape of teammate and fellow Canadian, T.J. Burton of Ottawa, Ontario. But not only were they teammates, they were also roommates and it did not take long for a war of words to break out. “(T.J.) is an Ottawa (Senators) fan and I’m a Leafs fan,” says a laughing Weglarz. “So we got on each other quite a bit about that.” “You feel like you’re at home,” adds Weglarz. “We’re the only two Canadians in Cleveland’s organization so it’s always good to see guys from back home.” Weglarz and Burton will once again be teammates, this time with the Senior National Team as they will head over to Taiwan for the World Cup of Baseball in early November. This will mark the first time that Weglarz will be a member of the SNT. He previously represented Canada with the Junior National Team. “I can’t wait to get there,” says Weglarz. “Anytime you get a chance to represent your country, not only in baseball but in anything, it’s exciting and an honour.” “Nothing beats the atmosphere of the National Team and the comraderie of the players,” adds Weglarz. Canada’s World Cup team will be young, with only five members of the 24-man roster over the age of 26. Weglarz will be among the youngest. But the team’s lack of experience does not take away from the talent it possesses and the young outfielder expects only one thing happening at the tournament. “I’m going in with the attitude that we’re going to win the whole thing.”
The Major League Baseball regular season has come to a close and there are three Canadians who are continuing on for a chance to compete for a World Series title. After winning 14 of their last 15 games, the Colorado Rockies clinched the National League Wild Card and will take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the League Division Series and Jeff Francis of Vancouver, B.C. will be on the mound for game one for the Rockies. The left-handed pitcher who is continually establishing himself as the ace of the Rockies staff posted a 17-9 mark this season with a 4.22 ERA in 34 games. He threw 215.1 innings, striking out 165 batters to only 63 walks. This marks the first time in Francis’ Major League career that he will participate in the playoffs. Ryan Dempster of Gibsons, B.C. will also be in the playoffs for the first time in his Major League career. The Chicago Cubs pitcher posted a 2-7 record with a 4.73 ERA and 28 saves this season. The Cubs take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series. A trade from the Texas Rangers to the Boston Red Sox helped Eric Gagné of Mascouche, Québec reach the playoffs for the second time in his Major League career, the previous time coming with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004. Gagné put together a 4-2 mark with a 3.81 ERA and 16 saves this season between the Rangers and Red Sox.
David Corrente of Chatham, Ontario learned from an early age that helping others is an important thing in life because had no one been there to help him, he would not be pursuing his dream today. “My parents were instrumental in recognizing the people who had helped you,” says Corrente. “There are always people volunteering to help you.” It is his spirit of volunteerism that has made the Toronto Blue Jays give him the team’s Community Service Award. The catcher in the Blue Jays organization was an enthusiastic participant, spending countless hours in numerous activities, but for the 23-year-old the award was unexpected. “It’s kind of funny because you don’t do community events to get an award, you give back because it’s the right thing to do,” says Corrente. Among his volunteer duties, Corrente gave his time to the Boys and Girls club of Dunedin, Mease Manor Nursing Home, Armwood High School and the City of Dunedin. The 6’2” and 210 lbs youngster took the time to teach kids the basic skills of baseball, speak to high school students and go on picnics with seniors. In between all of his volunteering, Corrente also played baseball hitting .240 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI in 51 games between Class-A Dunedin and Triple-A Syracuse this season. His on field skills earned him a roster spot on the Senior National Team that will be heading out to Taiwan in November for the World Cup of Baseball. “It’s always a special thing to be asked to play for your country. I’m very excited,” says Corrente. This is not the first time that Corrente has been asked to dawn the Canadian colours for the Senior National Team. He was a member of the team which was at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Cuba last year. It was a learning experience for the young catcher as Canada finished fourth and thus qualified for a “wild card” Olympic qualifying tournament this spring, but he knows what to expect this time around at the World Cup and is confident that the team will do well. “The talent in Canada is really starting to excel,” says Corrente,” and we’re hoping we can make a name for ourselves and get (momentum) into the (Olympic) qualifier and hopefully into the Olympics.”
Karine Gagné of Granby, Québec was named the Most Valuable Player for the Women’s National Team for the 2007 season. The announcement came on the heels of the Women’s Team capturing the Women’s International Friendship Series in Cary, N.C. in early September. “The entire team played really well, so it wasn’t something I was expecting,” says Gagné, “but I’m very happy and flattered.” Gagné hit .333 in the International Series with one RBI and five runs scored, leading the team in that category. She also led the team in average, hits (seven), at-bats (21) and stolen bases (four). Already recognized as one of the best female outfielders in the world, Gagné made a transition to shortstop this season and she did not lose a step. “Karine took to the challenge of being placed at shortstop and now she can be recognized as one of the top shortstops,” says WNT Head Coach André Lachance. “She came up with some defensive plays that I have yet to see in international play. It’s without a doubt that she is a very important part of our team.” “I think I did okay at short,” says a modest Gagné. This would not be the only award the 23-year-old would earn this season. She earned the Top Shortstop Award at the Softball National Championships and in her typical reserved manner, she appreciated the accomplishments. “In general, I think I had a good year.”
Last month, the Manitoba Baseball Association sent five kids, from ages 10 and 11 to Puerto Rico. Why? So that the kids could get a new perspective all in the name of developing the sport of baseball. The event was the 18th World Children’s Baseball Fair. It was founded by Sadaharu Oh of Japan and the legendary Hank Aaron in the interest of promoting baseball and providing an opportunity to develop international relationships, goodwill and cultural understanding among the youth of the world. Manitoba is the seventh province, in the second cycle, to represent Canada at the WCBF. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland have all been to the event previously. Next year, British Columbia will get the honour with Québec and Nova Scotia to follow respectively. One of the participants at this year’s event was Thomas LeStrat, age 10. The trip and the experience will not be soon forgotten by the youngster from Eriksdale, Manitoba. “It was an experience of a lifetime and it was pretty fun,” says Thomas. Kids from around the world, along with a chaperone, are invited to the annual event. With top notch instructors from around the world, the kids learn the basics of baseball and make new friends from different backgrounds along the way. “I learned to catch, run, slide and a lot of other things,” says Thomas “I think I probably learned more than the kids,” says the chaperone and the President of Baseball Manitoba Ken Sharpe with a laugh. “The instruction was great and I got to learn a lot of different techniques.” There were kids from Japan, Puerto Rico, Czech Republic, Nicaragua and many other countries who participated in this event, but things like different languages did not stop the kids from establishing some new relationships. “It was fun learning Spanish and French and I made about 100 friends,” recalls Thomas. Not only did Thomas make new friends, but he is excited to show off all of his new skills for next season and that’s music to the ears of the organizers of the WCBF.
Matt Stairs of Fredericton, N.B. surpassed Terry Puhl of Melville, Saskatchewan, moving into second spot on the Major League games played list amongst Canadians. Stairs, the first baseman/outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays, played in his 1,532nd game in a 4-3 Blue Jays win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday. “I never thought I'd make it to the major leagues. To become the second Canadian in games played… it's an honour,” says Stairs in an interview with the Canadian Press. Stairs is only surpassed by Larry Walker of Maple Ridge, B.C. who has played in 1,988 career Major League games. The former 1988 Olympic team member and 2006 World Baseball Classic team member is currently in his 15th Major League season and has played for 10 clubs; Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays. Along with his games played total, he has thus far 239 home runs, 810 RBI and 1,221 hits with a .268 average in his career.
OTTAWA - Baseball Canada has announced the Junior National Team’s roster and schedule for the annual Fall Instructional League Camp, which will take place from October 4-14 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida. The 30-man roster features 13 returning players who competed at the America’s World Junior Qualifying tournament in Ixtapa, Mexico last August, including Brett Lawrie of Langley, B.C. who was featured at the 2007 Cape Cod High School Classic, a showcase for high school prospects, and is a top prospect for the 2008 MLB First Year Player Draft. The Junior National Team will take on Major League affiliated teams of the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians, as well as Seminole Community College which is based out of Sanford, Florida. For the complete roster and schedule, go to the National Teams link and click on Junior National Team on our website.
The Regina Red Sox of the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL), Canada's Premier Wood bat Summer Collegiate League, are looking for a head coach for the 2008 season (May 25 - August 15). Interested candidates must posses a minimum of 5 years experience coaching baseball at the collegiate, minor pro or elite amateur level and have solid connections to be able to recruit Division 1 calibre players. Qualified candidates should email their expression of interest to Team President, Gary Brotzel at gbrotzel@sasktel.net prior to October 31. For more information on the WMBL visit www.wmbl.ca.
Cary, NC - Canada started day 3 of the International Women’s Baseball Series with only one win shy of winning the tournament. After an early loss to the Americans, Canada came back strong by defeating Japan 6-2 to win this first edition of this series in preparation for the 2008 World Cup. In the first game of the day, the Americans scored five runs in the 6th inning and won the game by the score of 6-2. Autumn Mills (London, ON) got the loss for Canada. Martine Nadeau (Québec, QC) started the game for Canada working five innings, allowing only 2 hits while striking out five. Team Canada took the lead in the 3rd inning with RBI’s from Amanda Asay (Prince George, BC) and Samantha Magalas (Burlington, ON). In the last game of the tournament, Canada scored three runs in the third inning in a 6-2 win over Japan. Marie-Josée Tremblay (St-Honoré, QC) was credited for the win coming in relief for Melissa Armstrong (Saskatoon, SK) in the 5th inning. Vanessa Riopel (Repentigny, QC) earned her first save wearing the Canada uniform. Karine Gagné (Granby, QC) with 3 for 3 and 1 RBI was the leader offensively for Canada while Amanda Asay (Prince George, BC) and Stéphanie Savoie (La Pocatière, QC) also produced runs for the national team. “We came here with the idea of trying different things in preparation for 2008 and I am very pleased with what I saw. We showed once again that our team can compete with the best in the world” said Manager André Lachance at the conclusion of the event. Team USA finishes in second place with a 3-3 record while Japan finishes 3rd with a 2-4 record.
