Happy Easter Weekend

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After two weekends of Spring Training and 30+ players out for an early start we have offically made it to Easter Weekend. The coaching staff wants to applaude all the players for their participation, enthusiasm, and even noticable growth through just two sessions (especially in their pitching).

Just a reminder their is no sessions during the Easter Weekend, and we will pick things back up the following Sunday on April 7th.

24 Hours until Spring Training

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Tomorrow marks the start of Legionnaire 11U Spring Training. Players born in 2014 are invited to the 10U session starting at 11:00 am. While, the players born in 2013 are invited to the 11U session starting at 12:30 pm. The sessions will take place within the North Perth Westfield E.S. gymnasium and are free to registered players. Players are reminded to bring clean shoes, a ball glove, and a batting helmet.

Pre-Ordering Cage Jackets

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Due to the potential issue to limited stock, I am going to pre-order some cage jackets this weekend… any interest? Price is still to be determined, but it should be a much more appealing price than last years. If interested please email me: kylehollinger5@hotmail.com.

Legionnaire Dynasty

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The Legionnaires “L” has always been a staple in the Listowel community during the summer months for as far back as anyone can remember. This includes the 90’s when coach Kyle was a little blonde-haired boy attempting to throw the ball across the diamond. When it comes to on the diamond, Listowel Minor Baseball has always been a strong anchor within Western Ontario and at times been a benchmark for other nearby centers. Coach Hollinger still remembers his first year coaching as a 19-year-old teen when the registration numbers for 11U (Mosquito) were barely enough to field two teams. Jump forward to the mid-2010’s when the 11U registration sky-rocketed to 50+ keen young ball players, thanks to the Jays success. Ever since then, Listowel has been on a “dynasty-esh” run.

Over the past seven seasons, exempting the COVID year, the Listowel 11U OBA Program has put some pretty incredible teams on the field. Collectively they have gone 224-62-3, which results in a 78% win percentage. This includes going to the Provincial “C” Finals in five of those seasons and winning four of the five times (2017, 2019, 2022, 2023). Three of these years, the championship came without losing a game at the Provincial Tournament, and two of these championships came by way of mercy. Also worth noting includes the Legionnaires success in the ICBA. During these years, Listowel has also won two ICBA Tier 2 Championships, which is against “A” centers from the Tri-City area. Needless to say, these past seven years a lot of hardware has been brought back to Perth County and the Listowel “L” has been represented proudly.

In the end, I think it is safe to say that Listowel Minor Ball has generated or carried a level of excellence during the past decade within its 11U program, but as of recently this standard has been incredible, successful, and maintained. Not that winning is everything, but the dedication and joy these players have played with over the years and continued to come back speaks for itself. A huge shout out to all the players, coaches, and parents who have dedicated their summer months to evenings at the ball diamond and to all the endless hours put in at home playing catch, swinging a bat, and learning to pitch.

Enjoy the off-season as we look forward to seeing everyone next summer wearing the “L” proudly… and who knows maybe we can three-peat for the first time.

Champions meet Stars

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Last weekend, the 11U Legionnaires got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as they traveled to Toronto. In Toronto they not only got to watch an incredible ball game as the Jays walked off the Red Sox in the ninth, but they actually got to meet some Blue Jays players before the game. With their “field passes” in hand they got to be face-to-face with the likes of Nate Pearson, Tim Mayza, Kevin Gausman, Davis Schnieder, Chris Bassitt, Jamie Campbell, Buck Martinez, and even Bo Bichette.

All-Time Leaders from 2023

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Something that made this team different than most years was truly the depth. From pitching to batting to general athleticism this team proved challenging throughout its order and no matter the situation. In doing so, 10 different players found their way onto the “All-Time Leader” lists. What a group…

Oliver Morwood

  • Batting Average – 0.631 (3rd)
  • On-Base Percentage – 0.728 (1st)
  • Hits – 70 (9th)
  • ERA – 3.27 (6th)

Another incredible year for Morwood as once again he demonstrated an ability to be a consistent and professional hitter. For the majority of the year, he batted in the number one spot in hopes of getting on base for his team and frequently setting the tone for the rest of the Legionnaires’ batting order. I think it is safe to say, “mission accomplished” as for the second straight year he posted a batting average north of 0.630, putting him 3rd on the all-time list. He also set a new record for an OBP with 0.728 beating his own record set from last year. This comes at the hands of some incredible plate awareness and patience. Another all-time list he cracked included the all-time Total Hits, sneaking onto the list with 70 hits, and into 9th. He also was one of our most heavily used arms on the mound throughout the year, and all said and done, he posted a very impressive 3.27 ERA ranking him slightly behind Walls from last year’s championship team. Well done Olie, it was a pleasure!

Patrick Heenan

  • Hits – 68 (11th)
  • ERA – 3.71 (9th)

With some incredible athleticism, Heenan was a notable presence both at the plate and on the mound. At the plate, he surely found his form for the provincial championships, as he recorded more hits than any other player with 11, and a 0.733 AVG over the weekend. This bumped him into 11th place on the all-time list of “Total Hits” with 68, just two shy of team leader Morwood. On the mound, he always carried an aces demeanor and was put in some tough scenarios. These included the Kincardine tournament quarter-finals against the OBA “D” Champions from Saugeen, the final two innings of the regular season when they were bidding for the top seed, and in the relief role for the championship game of OBAs. With some incredible outings, he punched his ticket into 9th in the all-time ERA list with a 3.71 ERA.

Tucker Frook

  • WHIP 1.17 (3rd)

Fresh off of a championship win where Frook took away the “W”, he also put this name into the record books with a very impressive 1.17 WHIP. This was enough to get him tied for 3rd on the all-time list as he maneuvered his way through 25 innings pitched, including some high-stress situations, much like Heenan. Noting this was enough to bump him ahead of his brother’s numbers posted from the 2019 championship team.

Myles Love

  • ERA – 2.85 (4th)
  • WHIP – 1.19 (5th)
  • Pitches/Inning – 14.85 (10th)

In his first year with Listowel, Love definitely made an impression, especially on the rubber. Coming off of an incredible semifinals, 6 inning, victory, Love has also found his way into the records in various pitching categories. His ability to throw hard and consistent strikes with the odd change of speed truly kept batters off balance and needing to be ready to swing the bat. This allowed him to break into the top five of both ERA and WHIP all-time lists through his 27 innings pitched. His long outings and consistent strikes also allowed him to creep into the pitches/inning list averaging less than 15 pitches per inning.

Sam Kraal

  • WHIP – 1.28 (12th)
  • ERA – 3.91 (12th)
  • Pitches/Inning – 14.24 (6th)

With a unique pitching release that gets on top of the batter quickly, Kraal managed to get his name onto the all-time list in three different pitching categories. He was always relied upon to throw strikes and in doing so, put up some exceptional numbers during his 30-plus innings pitched. His highest rank came in his team-leading pitches per inning numbers of 14.24, placing him at 6th on the all-time list.

Wade Van Allen and Ripken Harrison

  • Van Allen – 14.49 P/IN (7th)
  • Harrison – 14.77 P/IN (9th)

How can you go wrong with an infielder that throws strikes in 11U baseball? With incredibly (and oddly) similar numbers, Van Allen and Harrison both pitched 16-plus innings throughout the season allowing 18 hits and 10 walks each. Not record worthy, but what was, was their ability to simply throw strikes no matter the situation. Pitching for contact is a great trait to have in youth baseball and both easily filled that criteria by posting sub-15 pitches/inning numbers.

Gray Parkhouse

  • WHIP – 1.20 (7th)

In his first year of live pitching, Parkhouse proved a determination to simply throw strikes. His change of speed and consistency made him a secret weapon in the bullpen to shake things up. In doing so, he pencilled his name into the all-time list recording a 1.20 WHIP and enough to get him into 7th on the all-time list.

Game Played Leaders:

With a return back to ICBA, and making the finals in every tournament they partook in, comes a lot of commitment and baseball over the course of 4+ months. This year, the coaching staff also decided to reward some second-year players with a larger “core” throughout the season. This panned out to numerous players making the all-time games played list, while also having more than 120 at-bats. These players included;

  • Patrick Heenan – 48 Games (5th)
  • Simon Kaye – 47 Games (7th)
  • Maison Padfield – 46 Games (8th)
  • Tucker Frook – 45 Games (10th)
  • Wade VanAllen – 45 Games (10th)