Flashback to June, 2016 – Mississauga, Ontario.
The Muskoka Hornets Minor Midget AA team of 15-year old baseball players cruised through qualifying rounds in the MSBA Spring Tourney, thereby earning a semi-final date with the top elite team in Ontario, the Etobicoke Rangers. For two innings, the local Hornets held the stronger Etobicoke opponent in check, but then the floodgates opened and the Rangers scored six in the third to take a commanding lead.
Leading off the fourth inning for the Hornets, Ethan Murdy hammered a ball over the right fielder’s head. With the Etobicoke right fielder chasing down the ball as it rolled to the fence, Murdy looked up at his third base coach for a signal and got none which meant keep running. Unfortunately for Murdy, Etobicoke executed a perfect relay and gunned him down at third for the first out of the inning. When Hornets third base coach Kevin Bly, a former major league scout, returned to the dugout and was asked by a grumpy head coach why he would commit the cardinal sin of making the first out at third, Bly’s response was “I wanted to have our team watch an elite team execute an elite relay play,” as only an elite level team could get the speedy Murdy out.
Fast Forward to September 3 – Baseball Ontario Minor Midget Provincials, Niagara Falls
Game 1 vs MSBA – with the Hornets clinging to a 2-0 lead in the last inning, MSBA’s lead-off hitter pounded a ball over the Hornets left fielder and the ball ran all the way to the fence. Chasing down the runaway ball, Hornets left fielder Jordan Howse made a perfect cut throw to shortstop Tyler Gysbers who, in turn, made a perfect throw to third base to gun the MSBA runner out. The Hornets went on to win 2-0 on route to a semi-final finish in the provincial championship, its best ever result.
Ready to move up to Elite
It was at this point in time that coaches for the Muskoka Hornets team realized that its special group of 12 ballplayers, many of whom played together in the Hornets program for up to eight years were ready to move up to the Elite level of baseball. As such, in 2017, the local Midgets will be part of Baseball Ontario’s highest level of competition, the U17 Elite Division, an incredible accomplishment given the small user base of ball players to fill an elite level roster.
Peter Haynes, head Coach of the Midget Hornets had this to say when asked about his team’s move up the ladder to Elite. “It is amazing to see a group of kids come together and work as hard as they do to get better and to represent the Muskoka region in games all over North America with such class and dignity. As coaches, we felt we owed it to them to work as hard as they are to give the players every possible shot at pursuing their baseball dreams.”
Ryan Davis joins as an assistant coach
In order to help the team achieve its goals, the Hornets recruited Ryan Davis to be an assistant coach. Davis is President of Edge Baseball Training in Barrie and is a former collegiate ballplayer turned teacher. Ryan worked with the Hornets program for the past six years, and is well known to all the players and parents.
When I was a young ball player growing up in Peterborough, I was fortunate to play on a team with several elite players that went on to earn scholarships to US colleges. I can see from this group a similar potential, and knowing the players as well as I do I felt like I could help them get to the next level.
Ryan Davis on why he joined the Midget team’s coaching staff
Getting ready for next season
So what is in store for this team in the coming months? To start with, the U17 Elite team got a taste of fall ball when they travelled to the Pastime Wood Bat Fall Challenge tournament recently in Ajax. This tournament included 15 elite teams from across Ontario between 16 and 18 years of age. While the Hornets failed to win in four starts, the games were all close finishes and proved that the locals can compete with the best baseball prospects in the province. The Hornets boast great starting pitching and defense, two skills that will ensure the team remains competitive in most games regardless of opponent.
For the next few weeks, the Midgets will continue to practice under the watchful eye of Davis, and then move indoors for twice weekly workouts starting in January. In order to maximize player exposure, the team plans to participate in three showcase tournaments next summer and will utilize the networks of connections with college and pro scouts developed by Bly and Davis in their years of competitive baseball in order to spread the word on the program and its players.
Make no mistake, this is not easy sledding. If it was, then everyone would make it to the pros. Thankfully, the families involved with this team know the commitment required to play high level baseball and are up to the challenge. This should make for a great summer of high level baseball to be played in the local community. And, who knows, maybe someday in the not too distant future, you will be reading about a couple Hornets that graduated to US college baseball, a feat unthinkable just a few years ago.
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