The London Tecumsehs 2016 Minor Mosquito team had a season to remember. The "season" started back on January 8th, 2016 with our Indoor Workouts.
This was the first look at what would eventually become a power house in the LDBA. After many months of hard work, the team was chosen on April 3rd - a solid 13 players built on 3 strengths - Speed - Pitching - Defense. After some in-class sessions and some final tune up practices the season began on May 11th and the team quickly proved to be the team to beat in the LDBA.
Through the season the Minor Mosquitos had many team building events as well which included a Bowl-a-Rama fundraiser, a n
ight out at a London Majors game, competing in the MLB's Pitch/Hit/Run competition, a Players vs. Parents game - and lastly a Car Wash fundraiser. We teamed up with CarStar Express and helped raise $1450 for Cystic Fibrosis - an amazing team helping out an amazing cause. A huge Thank you to parents and players alike for the amazing effort!
We also had countless practices and exhibition games throughout the summer. The most memorable would have to be when the London Tecumsehs Junior team joined us and lead the practice. The Juniors worked the players hard - teaching them new drills, different ways to approac
h situations, tips on how to improve and most importantly - how to still have fun playing the game they love. The Junior team injected our team with a renewed focus which helped lead to our OBA Playdown where we swept North London and qualified for the OBA Playoffs.
When the LDBA Season finally came to an end - the London Tecumsehs Minor Mosquito team had won the Pennant with a record of 21 wins and only 2 losses. This was a great accomplishment and could only have been accomplished as a team. The team also competed in 4 Tournaments over the summer and were Finalists in 2 of them. We also had strong showings in the LDBA & OBA Championships. As I think back to our 1st practice in
January, I am blown a
way with how much each player improved - not only as baseball players - but as Teammates / Sons / Friends / and Men. The thing I am most proud of is seeing the Friendships that were formed with this group of boys - they truly enjoyed being around each other and being at games and practices.
A few highlights / fun facts / statistics from the season:
- We had 3 Players on the LDBA All-Star team
this year. This team is open to both Minor & Major Mosquito players - and our 3 Minor players made the roster! Congratulations to Nolan Bettridge, Cooper Clark and Bryson McElroy.
- 35 - 14 Overall Record / 21 - 2 Record in LDBA League Action
- 555 Runs for & 253 runs against
- .419 Team Avg. / .555 On Base % / 337 Walks / 56 HBP /
- 370 Stolen Bases
- 264 1/3 IP / 368 K’s
A huge Thank You to the Sponsors - the Parents who put in countless hours - the Coaching Staff who pushed this team to succeed beyond expectations - and the players for giving 100% all year long. It was an amazing season with a fantastic group of players who have a very bright future. Who knows what next year can bring - it starts again in January 2017 - keep an eye on the Website and we will see you soon!
Coach Ryan