The Durham Lords men’s baseball team has an overall record of 11-9 but would like to end the season on a high note as they host the Canadian College National Baseball Invitational Championship Thursday through Sunday.
Durham won the national title in 2010.
The team’s schedule is as follows:
- Thursday, Oct. 27: St. Clair vs. Durham, 1 p.m., Kinsmen Stadium
- Friday, Oct. 28: Durham vs. Humber, 12 p.m., Kinsmen Stadium
- Friday, Oct. 28: Holland vs. Durham, 6 p.m., Kinsmen Stadium
- Saturday, Oct. 29: Final rounds
- Sunday, Oct. 30: Make up games in case of weather
Led by head coach Sam Dempster and all-stars Alec Brown and Michael Chilvers, the Lords head into the tournament with confidence. “Our team stays really focused. We’re not the loudest team in the diamond. But everyone’s always focused,” said Brown.
Along with having two all-stars on the team, they also have the coach of the year, Sam Dempster, who has been with the Durham baseball team since it began in 1992. He was honoured by the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association late last month and will be at the helm as the Lords prepare to take on various teams, including the Holland Hurricanes from Prince Edward Island.
There’s also an entry from Québec in the event, the John Abbott Islanders.
The other Ontario teams in the tournament are the Fanshawe Falcons, Humber Hawks and the St. Clair Saints.
The weekend will be split into to two pools. Pool A consists of Holland College, Humber and St. Clair. Pool B consists of Durham College, John Abbott and Fanshawe.
The first game will take place between Durham and St. Clair at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Kinsmen Stadium. Game locations will vary between Kinsmen and Ritson Field.
“We don’t let anything get in our heads,” Brown said. “I think this year our biggest thing is going to be defence. We have a lot of pitchers who use our defence, so if our defence is really good I feel like our offence will follow suit.”
Coach Dempster said that his team can succeed if they don’t make as many mistakes, pointing to running mistakes that cost the team in a couple of games this past season.
