Despite the groundhog’s call for six more weeks of winter, baseball fans should know that the Baycats are starting their management meetings and another title defense is being planned.
In less than a week, pitchers and catchers will be reporting for training in Major League Baseball. While the MLB regular season will start on March 29, the Barrie Baycats will begin their Inter-County Baseball League championship defense in early May; but the work is starting now. Team president David Mills and members of the Baycats board met today to discuss how to make this the best season for the five-time championship franchise. With four-straight titles since 2014 (their first banner win was 2005), the talk is more about off the field logistics than on.
“We have had great success these past few years and really lots of it since day one,” said Mills. “Its a credit to what our coaching staff has always done and how hard our players compete every game. Most of these guys have to make that drive up the 400 every weekend and it can be a lot when added on to their jobs and much needed family time; the drive they have amazes us every year.”
This is the 100th season of the IBL, a league with a storied history and the oldest amateur ball league in Canada. Four teams competed in the inaugural 1919 season (Galt, Guelph, Stratford, Kitchener), and now eight make up the standings from London to Barrie. The Baycats have been competitive nearly every year of existence with the last four championship seasons being a dream come true for management.
“When we started this club back in 2001, we never thought of this kind of streak of wins,” said Mills. “It’s a dream come true for not just our clubhouse, but also for our staff and volunteers. I emphasize the volunteers a lot because when you see what they do to make this team operate, it’s such an honour for us to have them on board.”
The Baycats are in the planning stages for some special moments for their fans to celebrate the IBL’s centennial anniversary, but the league has begun the honours. Feb. 24 is the 100th Season Banquet in Kitchener. The league yesterday also unveiled the Top 100 IBL Players of All-Time, with 10 current and former Baycats on that list. Of the ten, six were a part of last year’s dominating championship season that saw the squad break records to become the greatest single season team in league history. They started the year 26-0 (a new record), went 33-3 in the regular season (the most wins in a 36 game schedule with three losses being the least by a team), their .931 winning percentage was the best in IBL history and not only didn’t they lose at home all season, but they went 8-0 for a perfect playoffs.
“That was a season that will be hard to top,” said Mills. “But I know our guys will do their best to do so, and the fans will be behind them the whole time.”
Barrie’s fan base is full of season regulars despite playing in the Barrie Sports Complex in Midhurst. Much talk of getting the team into Barrie and more accessible for everyone has been in the news as of late with a proposal for a lakeshore stadium by the Southshore Centre. No plans are fully in place for that as both sides of the discussion have been vocal about their argument, but the team would be happy just being in the downtown or close to it region.
“If we could get this team into the heart of Barrie and more accessible to families and fans who want to watch a game and go grab a bite to eat after, we would be ecstatic,” said Mills. “Imagine walking down the street or the beach to catch a game on a sunny summer day; that would be fantastic. We are a little bit away from anything like that right now, but hope we can do something sooner than later. Four-straight championships doesn’t happen often, we hope lots of folks will be in the stands this coming season for a fifth.”
The Baycats will be announcing the 100th regular season schedule once the league makes it official, along with any and all home game centennial celebrations and contests on their website and social media platforms.
Check them out here and on social media
Facebook: IBLBarrieBaycats
Twitter: @IBLBaycats
Instagram: @iblbaycats01
