The Carleton Ravens baseball team is looking to make waves in its debut season in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference.
Having previously competed in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association (CCBA), which ceased operations after the 2018 season, the Ravens made the transition into the OUA in time for the 2019-20 season.
The rival University of Ottawa Gee-Gees also joined the Ravens in the move to the OUA.
“I think it’s really exciting for the team to take a new step. The competition is expected to be a lot better in this league.”
– said Tess Forman, Second-year pitcher.
Already, the Ravens have experienced some growing pains in their new league. On Sept. 15, they lost by a 22-1 score to the McMaster University Marauders. After finishing the 2018-19 season with a 12-4 record, the Ravens sit below .500 going 4-5 so far this season.
Ravens head coach Andre Robidoux said that his team still has plenty to learn about the framework of OUA baseball.
“The structure of the games is completely different,” said Robidoux. “What they do is, they do nine-inning games for the first game of the day, and then the second game is seven [innings]. CCBA was always seven innings [for both games].”
“Setting up your pitchers and stuff like that, I found that the strategy, against the opponents—it was a learning curve,” added Robidoux.
Even as the team continues to find its way, many of its individual players have already kicked into high gear.
Second-baseman Justin Emond leads the Ravens with a .500 batting average through six games and 28 at-bats. Third-baseman Ryan Burnside leads the team with three home runs and 16 runs batted-in.
“Our biggest bat, Ryan Burnside, he’s a guy that is definitely gonna help us on the offence. He’s always been one of the best players in the league.” – Andre Robidoux, Ravens head coach
On the pitching side, both Forman and Robidoux identified Troy Clarke as a standout for the Ravens this season. Clarke’s 1.93 earned run average (ERA) and 16 strikeouts both rank as the best on the team.
“Of course, Troy, he’s been on the team for a really long time,” said Forman. “He pitched a complete game [against Ryerson on Sept. 7, a 1-0 win], which was really awesome.”
“The OUA has this guy on Instagram, the Canadian Baseball Guru, and he’s got predictions on who the top pitchers in the OUA are,” said Robidoux. “Troy’s ranked right up there, so he’ll be able to stabilize this young team.”
The Ravens still have five different opponents to face in the regular season before the playoffs begin on Oct. 11. The team is already looking forward to the challenges the rest of the season will present, said Robidoux.
“I think this year’s gonna be fun,” said Robidoux. “The way that the tournament is structured, I think we have a really good shot at winning it this year. We always do.”
Feature image provided.
