Youth movement pays dividends for Baseball Oshawa Junior Legionaries.

The oldest group of Baseball Oshawa rep players captured the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association title with a convincing win over the Northumberland Jacks at Kinsmen Memorial Stadium.

In the 22U final, we beat Northumberland 12-5 behind 2 home runs from  Alex Scoular and Brett Hardy. Connor Broughton started and went 4  innings for the win, with Frankie Best going 3 innings in relief for the save. Matt VanSkyle returned from an injury to go 3-for-5 in the final with 3 RBI, while Alex Scoular was 2-for-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI from the homerun. Brett Hardy put the game away with a 2-run HR in the 7th, his 3rd hit of the game. Eric Murchison and Justin Murray each had 2 hits in the final, in their final Junior game.

In the EOBA semi-finals, we beat Whitby 11-4. They went up 3-0 early, but Cody Hagerman hit a grand slam in the third inning (and then another 2-run home run in the sixth inning) to put it away. Eric Murchison was 3-for-4 with 2 runs and 3 RBI in the win. Braeden Lewis threw a 7-inning complete game on 96 pitches with 0 walks and 5 strikeouts.

It was a season of great promise for us, especially considering the 95% roster turnover from  the previous year. Despite being the youngest team in the eliminations, we won 2 games and secured our spot for next year without  having to play in the play-in tournament.

Our victory in the EOBA championship is a testament to our potential. With only 2 graduates, Eric Murchison  and Justin Murray, the majority of our team, including every pitcher, can return next year.
We also look forward to the return of some key 2023 players next summer after their stint in collegiate leagues in the US this summer.
We finished the season with a commendable 23-10-1 record.