PERTH, Australia – Four runs in the fourth inning was the difference for the Senior National Team in the third exhibition game against the Perth Heat as they would take the win by a score of 8-2. The Canadians opened the scoring in the top of the first inning as Matt Rogelstad (New Westminster, BC), after hitting a triple, came in to score on the RBI single from Mike Saunders (Victoria, BC). The Heat would tie the game in the bottom half of the first inning and then take the lead in the third inning after Lachlan Dale hit an RBI single to score Daniel Floyd to make the score 2-1. The Canadians would immediately respond in the fourth inning. After Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, ON) singled and Jimmy VanOstrand (Richmond, BC) reached on an error, Taylor Green (Courtenay, BC) would hit an RBI single to score Weglarz and tie the game. With two runners on and no outs in the fourth, Emerson Frostad (Calgary, AB) hit a three-run home run to put the Canadians ahead for good, and make the score at the time 5-2. “I got a slider and I was just trying to put a good swing on it and luckily it went out and it was a big inning for us,” says Frostad. The Canadians added one run in the eighth inning and two in the ninth inning for insurance and to complete the scoring. Offensively, Frostad was 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI and Rogelstad was 2-for-5 with a double, triple, two RBI and a run scored. On the mound, Jamie Richmond (Mississauga, ON) earned the victory, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts in five innings of work. “I went out there and threw some strikes, got some ground balls and the defense played great, so it went pretty good,” says Richmond. In relief, the combination of Mike Kusiewicz (Ottawa, ON), R.J. Swindle (Vancouver, BC) and Mike Johnson (Edmonton, AB) held the Heat to one hit with four strikeouts. “We hit the ball consistently. Got some big hits, which was key because you never know where you’re going to get it. Hits can come from anywhere from our lineup which is the beauty of our lineup,” says SNT Field Manager Terry Puhl on the performance of the team. The Senior National Team will play its final exhibition game on Friday, November 3 at 6:30 pm against the Perth Heat at the Perth Baseball Park.
PERTH, Australia – The Senior National Team’s offence exploded right out of the gate as they would pound the Perth Heat in their second exhibition game by a score of 12-4. Nine of the twelve Canadians who saw action in this game reached base. The Canadians started things off with six runs in the first inning after the Heat scored one in their half of the inning. The first six hitters scored those six runs on two hits, three walks and two errors Leading the way offensively were Jamie Romak (London, ON) who went 4-for-5 with a home run, double, five RBI and three runs scored. Jimmy VanOstrand (Richmond, BC) went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. “I got a fastball pretty much in the middle of the plate, so it was a good pitch to drive,” says Romak of his seventh inning home run. “Right now I’m still working on my swing and trying to hit some balls well. Today everything went my way.” “It was good today. I feel more comfortable and each day is getting better,” says VanOstrand of his two hit night. “I was looking for pitches out on the plate that I can drive the other way.” “One I hit well, the other I didn’t but both of them work out,” he adds with a laugh. On the mound, Scott Richmond (Langley, BC), making his Team Canada debut, entered the game in the first inning with the Heat threatening with the bases loaded and only one out. He would get the next two hitters to strikeout and pop out to second to end the inning and the threat. “It was a nice feeling to get out of that situation,” says Richmond. “I worked out of the stretch in the bullpen. (I) came in and felt confident and it was a big help.” When all was said and done, Richmond threw five and 2/3 innings, allowing only three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. “Not bad for the first time out. I still need to fine tune some things and next time hopefully it’ll be even better.” SNT Field Manager, Terry Puhl was once again pleased with the progress of the team and thinks things will only get better. “We had a much better showing offensively. We got to see some pitches, we hit the ball a little more crisp and got a little long ball. We have a really nice offensive group,” says Puhl. “Scotty Richmond did a really good job. He had an incredible first inning to slam the door and held them to only the one run. That situation could’ve been a lot worse.” The Senior National team plays their third exhibition game against the Perth Heat on Friday, November 2 at 6:30 pm at the Stadium in Perth.
PERTH, Australia – The Senior National Team took a step in the right direction to start things off in their exhibition schedule in Australia with a 2-1 win over the Perth Heat. The pitchers were the story of this game as four Canadian pitchers combined to hold the Heat to four hits in this ballgame. James Avery (Moose Jaw, SK) threw the first five innings for the Canadians, allowing only one hit and one walk with one strikeout in his outing. “I think I did pretty well. My curveball was coming along toward the end. I just want to make sure I get everything going before we go to Taiwan,” says Avery. All of the offence in this game came in the sixth inning. The Heat took the lead in the top half when Andrew Kyle hit an RBI double to score Allan De San Miguel to give the Heat the 1-0 lead. But the Canadians came right back in the bottom half. Matt Rogelstad (New Westminster, BC) led off the inning with a double. After moving over to third on a sacrifice fly, he came around to score on Mike Saunders (Victoria, BC) RBI single to tie the game. Saunders then came in to score the go ahead run on a bloop single from Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, ON). “I had two strikes on me and then all I wanted to do is put the ball in play and luckily it fell in,” says Weglarz. A good defensive play stopped the Heat from tying things up in the seventh inning. Matt Kennelly hit a single into left field where Jimmy VanOstrand (Richmond, BC) fielded the ball and threw it in immediately to Rogelstad at second base, cutting off Kennelly who was trying to stretch his hit to a double. In the meantime, Lachlan Dale tried to score on the play, but Rogelstad threw a strike to catcher Chris Robinson (Dorchester, ON) and tagged out Dale at the plate to end the inning. From there, Mike Johnson (Edmonton, AB) came in on the mound and shut the door on the Heat offence. He threw two perfect innings, striking out three in his outing. “We had very good pitching today,” says SNT Field Manager, Terry Puhl. “Avery did a great job and I’m very happy with Johnson with the way he controlled the game at the end. Our hitting was a little rusty, but I’m very pleased with our performance.” The Senior National Team continues its exhibition schedule against the Perth Heat on Thursday, November 1 at 6:30 pm at the Stadium in Perth.
PERTH, Australia – The Senior National Team has a lot of new faces this year. The 2007 IBAF World Cup will be the first international tournament for many of these young players. This is where the coaches and veteran players come in. Their role is to make this team gel, which is something that will happen during their week long trip to Australia for training and exhibition games prior to heading to Taiwan for the World Cup. “I want to show the younger guys that they can have fun and be serious at the same time,” says Mike Kusiewicz (Ottawa, ON), former Olympian and veteran of the team. “It is a game and we can’t get uptight.” One of the advantages that Canada has over the other countries in these international competitions is that the team is always like a big family. “We always do things together (as a team),” says Jeremy Ware (Guelph, ON) another former Olympian and veteran of the squad. “Whether it’s off the field by going out for supper or chatting on the bus, it’s things like that that we do. We include everybody in everything.” Mike Saunders (Victoria, BC) is one of those new faces on the team, but he does have some experience with the Senior Team as he was a member of the squad that was in Cuba in for the Olympic qualifier in 2006. He has a recent perspective he can share with those here for the first time. “When I was in Cuba, (the veterans) did a great job of taking me in and making me feel like one of the guys,” recalls Saunders. “I think it begins with off the field stuff. Taking the guys aside, hanging out in hotel rooms and doing stuff as a team I think is really important. That kind of stuff really helped me out last year and I think that’s what will happen again this year.” Those things started as soon as the team got together at the beginning of the trip. Taylor Green (Courtenay, BC) and Jimmy VanOstrand are two of the new face who have already felt the effects of the camaraderie of this team. “All the guys who have been here before have just been awesome,” says Green. “They’ve been great to be around and they’ve been helpful with everything.” “It’s a really fun group and fun to be involved with,” adds VanOstrand. “The older guys make it pretty easy and make you feel like you’re part of the group.” The Senior National team began it’s practices before kicking off its four game exhibition schedule against the Perth Heat on Wednesday in preparation for the 2007 IBAF World Cup from November 6-18 in Taiwan. Field Manager Terry Puhl (Melville, SK) now has the task of developing this team and seeing what they can do. “The first couple of days, you get to know them really quickly as far as strength and weaknesses,” says Puhl. “We have a larger, physical team which can limit our options a bit, but I need to find our strengths and go from there.” The physicality of this team is something that Mark Randall (Edmonton, AB), SNT pitching coach; feels will be a strong advantage for this inexperienced pitching staff. “Even though we are a young staff, we have some very good arms with lots of velocity and great stuff,” says Randall. “We have some veteran guys in the bullpen to help our young guys. We have a good mix and what you’ll see is our guys pound the strike zone.” The offence is very talented with many guys posting good numbers in the minors this past season and the team is not looking to change things. “The biggest thing is that we won’t be doing many mechanical adjustments,” says SNT coach Orv Franchuk (Amesbury, AB). “The guys are talented and they’re here for a reason. We want them to go up to the plate with a plan and to keep things simple.” Although this team is young, there is no lack of talent and especially heart. That is something this team has plenty of. If you want to follow the Senior National Team during its stay in Australia, you can find box scores and live updates at www.wa.baseball.com.au.
OTTAWA, ON - Baseball Canada’s Fall Convention is not only meetings, it is also an adventure. Each year, the host city of the convention tries to put its own flavour to the annual assembly. This year, the city of Edmonton will host the baseball delegates from across the country from November 8-11 and Baseball Alberta’s Executive Director, Bob Cardinal expects the weekend to be a success. “We’re geared up and we’re on track, let’s put it that way,” says Cardinal from Edmonton. Many special events are planned for this year’s convention. Among those is the “Be Seen in Your Jeans” event which is a rodeo to benefit the search for a cure for breast cancer. “We are working in conjunction with the Canadian Rodeo Finals,” explains Cardinal. “We have a private party room and tickets for the evening where there will be seven different rodeo events and we may have a surprise visit.” The meetings scheduled at the convention will always be the focus of the weekend, but Cardinal wants the delegates to leave Edmonton having experienced something unique. “We want to put a western twist to it and give everyone an opportunity to learn more about Edmonton and Alberta. Everyone who has hosted has put their own way of introducing their own program and we’re just happy to have that opportunity.”
OTTAWA, ON – The International Baseball Federation (IBAF) has reached an agreement with Stadeo TV to broadcast 41 games of the forthcoming World Cup, November 6-18, live on the internet. This is an important step forward in broadcasting the event, as it will enable fans all over the world to follow the progress of their respective national teams. Stadeo TV is a French broadcasting company specializing in sporting events. For more information on the broadcast schedule of the World Cup, go to the Stadeo TV website at www.stadeo.tv, or to the IBAF website at www.baseball.ch.
OTTAWA, ON – Baseball Canada announced today the roster that will represent Canada at the 2007 International BAseball Federation (IBAF) World Cup in Taiwan from November 6-18. Among the 24 players selected by Baseball Canada for the event are four former members of the 2004 Olympic Team who are RHP Mike Johnson (Edmonton, AB), LHP Mike Kusiewicz (Ottawa, ON), SS Kevin Nicholson (Langley, BC) and OF Jeremy Ware (Guelph, ON). This will be a young squad that will represent Canada as only six players on the 24-man roster are over the age of 25. “We’re excited about our roster,” says Greg Hamilton, Coach and Director of National Teams for Baseball Canada. “We will be young, but given our talent level we anticipate being very competitive. Many of these players have the potential to impact our Olympic team program and the professional game going forward.” Sixteen countries will be featured at the World Cup and will be divided into two groups. Canada will be featured in Group B along with Australia, Cuba, Germany, Korea, Netherlands, Thailand and Venezuela. Group A will have Chinese Taipei, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, Spain and the United States. Before heading over to Taiwan, the Senior National Team will make its way to Perth, Australia from October 29th to November 4th for a training camp and exhibition series against the Perth Heat of the Australian Pro-Am League. Canada’s World Cup schedule sees them play seven games within their group in round-robin play and the top four teams in each group play in the quarter-finals. Click here to see the entire 24-man roster and schedule of the Senior National Team for the 2007 World Cup.
For Courtenay, BC’s Taylor Green, all the attention from this past season was not something that was expected. The 20-year-old third baseman was selected to the South Atlantic League’s mid-season and postseason all-star teams. His team the West Virginia Power, an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, made it all the way to the league final before bowing out to the Columbus Catfish. He also hit .327 (fourth best in the league) with 14 home runs and 86 RBI in 111 games this season. All this attention was well deserved and the Brewers organization awarded him with the organizational Player of the Year Award. “I didn’t expect this at all,” says Green of the award. “I usually try to not worry about things like that and just go about my business, but it’s a great honour from them to recognize me for something like that.” On September 29th, before a Brewers’ game against the San Diego Padres, Green received his award at Miller Park in Milwaukee and was able to see with his own eyes what could be in his near future. “That was one of the best experiences of my life,” says Green of his day at Miller Park, “walking down on the field and getting to meet the players and the Manager Ned Yost and (General Manager) Doug Melvin and (Assistant General Manager) Gord Ash, it was really nice.” All this attention did not only come from the Brewers. The 5’10”, 180 lbs youngster was asked to join the Senior National Team for the World Cup of Baseball in November which will be held in Taiwan. This will be the first time Green will be able to represent his country for the Senior National Team and he remembers vividly how he got the news. “I was driving back from West Virginia after the season and I got a call from Greg Hamilton (Director of National Teams for Baseball Canada). I called my parents and we sat down in the kitchen and we were real happy.” For the first time in his career, Green will compete at the International level. He can barely contain his excitement at the thought of the opportunity. “I’m ecstatic. Getting a chance to play for your country, it’s one of the best things you could ever do. It’s unbelievable the felling.” “I have no idea what to expect, but I’m looking forward to it,” adds Green of his first time competing on international soil. “Everyone tells me that it’s one of the best times of your baseball career.” Green has achieved a lot of success this season, and with that success came some extra attention. His transition to third base from the middle infield at the start of the season was the beginning of this road. For his success to continue and to fulfill his dream of playing in the Majors, he plans to keep up with his current plan “I’m just going to keep working as hard as I can and sty focused day-by-day and not worry about stuff I can’t control.”
ORLANDO, FL – The Junior National Team could not capitalize on their chances, leaving eight runners on base as they would fall 4-1 to the Atlanta Braves in Fall Instructional League action. The Canadians registered three hits and five walks off Braves pitching, but the Braves held them to one run on an RBI hit from Carter Bell (Courtenay, BC) which scored Brett Sanders (Etobicoke, ON). Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) and Argenis Paz (Toronto, ON) collected the other two hits for the Juniors, going 1-for-4 and 1-for-3 respectively. Nick Fogarty, (Thornhill, ON), Andrew Ledger (Toronto, ON) and François Lafreniere (St.-Bruno, QC) were the scheduled pitchers for the game, all pitching three innings. Fogarty allowed two runs on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts in his outing on the mound. Ledger had a solid outing, striking out four batters while giving up one unearned run on two hits and a walk. It was almost an identical outing for Lafreniere, who gave up one unearned run on two hits and one walk with three strikeouts in his three innings on the mound. The Junior National Team will complete its Fall Instructional League schedule with a game against the Cleveland Indians on Saturday, October 13th at 1 pm.
ORLANDO, FL – The Detroit Tigers held the Junior National Team’s offence in check, allowing only three hits as the Juniors fall by a score of 7-0 in Fall Instructional League action. Brett Sanders (Etobicoke, ON) led the Canadian offence, going 2-for-3 on the day. Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) had the other hit; he was 1-for-3. Ivan Hartle (North Vancouver, BC) and Greg Densem (Toronto, ON) also got on base via the walk, drawing one each. The starting pitcher for the Canadians was David Otterman (Coquitlam, BC) and the 16-year-old left-hander allowed four runs on five hits with three strikeouts in three innings of work. Cameron Wych (Calgary, AB) threw three solid innings, giving up only two walks while fanning a pair in his outing. Mike Monster (Kelowna, BC) allowed three runs on two hits and two walks with one strikeout in his three innings of relief. The Junior National Team will be back in action in the Fall Instructional League on Friday, October 12th at 10 am against the Atlanta Braves.
