Saturday marks a day that’s been a long time coming for the Lambton College Lions and their men’s baseball team.
It marks the day that the team officially takes to the field for OCAA competition.
The Lions officially announced that they would field a baseball team back on June 7th, 2019, and the buzz has only grown since then. After a competitive week of tryouts, and on the heels of a successful season for the Sarnia Braves at the AAA level, all eyes will be on the Lions in a talent-rich baseball community.
“We’ve put together a group of guys that can play the game the right way and try hard on the field,” said Head Coach James Grant. “Hopefully we can compete in some games and see where we need to go from there.”
After coaching the Braves to an Ontario Championship this past season, Coach Grant and several members of the Braves will look to guide the Lions on their quest for OCAA glory. Pitcher Eric Steeves is coming off a summer in which he posted a 5-1 record with the Braves, and the former member of the Laurier Golden Hawks will look to anchor the pitching staff.
Paul Sheeler (Chemical Production and Power Engineering Technology) brings versatility to the lineup. Primarily an outfielder, Sheeler will also be looked upon to pitch for the Lions throughout the season. The pair of Steeves and Sheeler give Lambton a veteran tandem on the mound to which they can build around.
The inaugural season is also an exciting time for first-year students at Lambton College. For some of the new student-athletes, being part of the first Men’s Baseball team has them excited for what lies ahead.
“It feels pretty good to be a part of the first varsity team for Baseball,” said Riley Brown, a first-year student athlete who will study Chemical Production and Power Engineering Technology. “We’ll have a pretty good team through the batting order and on defense.”
Drew Pepper echoed the same excitement as Brown as he gets set to represent the Lions as a first-year student-athlete.
“I’m ready to compete,” said Pepper. “The biggest challenge will be trying to get used to playing with the guys that we have this year as we all try to find our roles.”
“It’ll be fun.”
Brown adds depth to the third base position, while Pepper adds more versatility to the lineup with his ability to play either catcher or at first base.
Heading into the season, the Lions are excited about the challenges that lie ahead in the OCAA. In a league that features some of the best talent across the province, the Lions are going into the season with their expectations in check. Coach Grant has been in a similar situation before with the basketball program.
“I’ve been here before with the basketball program and it’s a process to grow,” added Grant. “Hopefully, we can kind of follow the path that’s led our basketball team to be somewhat successful.”
“I don’t think we have any real expectations, whatsoever. Just go out there and play baseball.”
The Lions open their season on Saturday afternoon with a double-header on the road against the Seneca Sting, a team that is coming off a last-place finish in 2018 with a 3-17 record. Lambton will look to kick off their season on the right foot with a strong showing in both Saturday contests.
First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Bishops Cross Park in Markham, with Game Two of the double-header scheduled for approximately 2 p.m.