If the Moncton Fisher Cats senior baseball team had a difficult season, they bounced back at the end of the season thanks to the return of injured players to give the Charlottetown Islanders a tough time in the semi-finals.
On Tuesday, the Islanders won the final against the Fredericton Royals in game six to claim the title of New Brunswick Senior Baseball Champions. It is a bit of a validation of the efforts of the new manager of the Fisher Cats, Darrell Christie, called upon to take over from Greg Hickox at the helm of the team two months before the start of the campaign.
Because it took these same Islanders seven games to overcome the Fisher Cats, in a tough semi-final, often interrupted by rain.
“We knew Charlottetown had a strong team from the start. We were confident we could compete with them. I think we managed to demonstrate that well,” explains Christie, a few days after the Islanders’ victory in Fredericton.
Reconstruction
Ultimately, Darrell Christie believes he has done well this season, despite the pitfalls along the way.
“It was a rebuilding year for us. We struggled throughout the season, mainly due to injuries. We didn’t have as many healthy players as we wanted in the dugout.”
“Fortunately,” he adds, “we had juniors from the Mudcats who came to help us right up until the playoffs. They made a big difference.”
Third baseman Philip Rail has been injured most of the season. Sam Lund, another mainstay with the team on the mound, dislocated his shoulder late in the campaign. He still maintained a 2.04 ERA for the season.
“The absence of these players was really felt,” says Christie. When they returned to the game, it felt great to see us playing up to our abilities.”
New manager, new challenges
Called to take over from Greg Hickox at two months’ notice, Darrell Christie, who was already on the coaching team, explains that there was a period of adaptation before feeling comfortable. comfortable in his position.
“It still takes some time to get to know the other teams and their pitchers well, before we really feel what we have to do for each game to keep up with the other teams.”
“I’m really looking forward to next season. I have a list of guys who could join us next year,” explains Darrel Christie, who is careful not to reveal names before they are confirmed with the team.
The Fisher Cats will surely be able to count on the return of juniors called in as reinforcements this season, including Kevin Aubé (12.00) and Josiah Coombes (2.47) on the mound, then Kolin Betts (.256) and Brendan Gallant (.667 in 9 appearances), all Moncton Mudcats.
Christie makes it her mantra.
“It’s very important to me that we have new players every year, to “feed the machine”,” he illustrates.
He also does not fail to highlight the performance of his imported player, John Haimowitz (.358), who played college baseball for the Prairie Wolves of Nebraska Wesleyan until the spring. The American has also distinguished himself as the most useful player for his team in the league this season.
“He really enjoyed his time in Moncton this summer. We remain in discussion with him in the hope of finding him again next year. He was fantastic. He is a team guy who likes to be involved in the community. We will see after Christmas what his intentions will be.”
The manager also wants to highlight the contribution of other pillars of the team, including the essential Acadians Justin Cormier (.268) and Serge Vautour (.319).
If health holds, fans of the Moncton team can already expect a competitive team next season. Unless there are any surprise departures in the off-season.
2023-10-13 20:01:15
#reconstruction #underway
