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Juniors enter round two
July 24, 2025 Four teams remain in the junior division of the North Dufferin Baseball League as second-round action gets underway. Innisfil Cardinals 2 advanced after defeating the Richmond Hill Phoenix in three games. After a 2-0 loss in the opener, the Cardinals bounced back with dominant 16-5 and 12-4 victories to move on. The Phoenix shut out the Cardinals in Game 1 behind strong pitching performances from Luca Cutrone, who allowed just two hits while striking out six, and Christian Fava, who added six more strikeouts. Fortunes reversed in Game 2, where Richmond Hill was mercied after 4 1/2 innings. Timely hitting from Innisfil drove in runs across all four innings. Game 3 followed a similar pattern, with Innisfil outhitting the Phoenix 18-4 to clinch the series. The Orillia Royals also needed three games to advance, facing off against the Barrie Baycats. Barrie took Game 1 with a 10-5 win, but Orillia responded with 11-5 and 14-4 victories to secure the series. In the opener, Barrie outhit Orillia 11-6. However, in the next two games, the Royals overcame early deficits with clutch hitting. Ben Barzo's home run and three additional runs in the fifth inning of Game 2 sealed the win. In Game 3, Orillia plated four runs in the bottom of the third to take a 4-2 lead, eventually mercying the Baycats in the sixth while outhitting them 13-6. The Creemore Padres and Innisfil Cardinals 1, who placed first and second respectively, received byes in the first round. Creemore will face Orillia in the next round. Notably, Orillia was one of only two teams to defeat Creemore during the regular season, though Creemore won the other two matchups. Creemore hosts Game 1 on Sunday at 1 p.m., followed by Game 2 in Orillia on July 29. If necessary, Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for July 30 and 31. The two Innisfil teams will square off in the other series. In regular season play, Innisfil 1 won two of the three meetings. The Cardinals' series begins this evening (Thurs.) at 7 p.m. Game 2 is set for Monday, with Games 3 and 4 scheduled for July 29 and 30 if needed. Each series is a best-of-three or first-to-four-points format. |
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Padres Clinch Top Spot in Junior Division July 14, 2025 The regular season for the Junior Division of the North Dufferin Baseball League wrapped up over the weekend with the Creemore Padres securing first place overall. Creemore capped off a dominant campaign with a record of 15 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie for 31 points - finishing a full ten points ahead of the second and third place teams. The division featured seven teams competing in an 18-game schedule, with the top six originally set to advance to the postseason. However, the Bradford Tigers, who were in sixth place, forfeited two games last week, resulting in their suspension and removal from league play. As a result, all remaining teams will now move on to the playoffs including the Richmond Hill Phoenix, who were sitting in seventh place. Beyond Creemore's commanding performance, the standings were tightly contested. Both Innisfil Cardinals teams finished with 21 points, while the Orillia Royals and Barrie Red Sox ended the season tied at 18 points. Creemore and Innisfil 1 have earned first-round byes. The opening playoff matchups will feature Innisfil 2 facing Richmond Hill and Orillia taking on Barrie. Schedules are being finalized with July 16 the earliest the series can start. |
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Knights win tournament
June 30, 2025 The New Lowell Knights took home first place in their Canada Day weekend tournament with a commanding 13-2 victory over the Dufferin-Simcoe Braves in the championship game. The Knights and Braves met in the championship game Sunday with New Lowell scoring four runs in the first inning followed by six in the second. In the third, they plated two more runs and tacked on another in the fifth for good measure. Dufferin-Simcoe scored one run in the second and a home run from Chad Purchase added another on the scoreboard. The consolation game followed a similar pattern, with the Barrie Angels outperforming the Mansfield Cubs in a 9-0 shutout. The eight-team tournament which started Friday evening was delayed Saturday morning when overnight rain soaked the diamond. Thanks to the hard work of the Knights' crew, all Saturday games were played and Sunday's schedule proceeded without a hitch. Tournament awards included Eric Lanoue of the Barrie Angels, who was named Best Pitcher after throwing a no-hitter over six innings with nine strikeouts in Sunday's game. Best Batter honours went to Chad Purchase of the Dufferin-Simcoe Braves, who went 5-for-9 with five runs scored including two home runs. Josh Hanley of the Knights was named Tournament MVP after going 4-for-9 with three runs scored including two home runs. Tournament Scores: Lisle 10 - Mansfield 2 |
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Knights Host Tournament June 27-29
June 22, 2025 The 2025 New Lowell Knights baseball tournament showcases eight teams in the three day event from June 27 to 29. The Knights are joined by the Owen Sound Baysox, Dufferin-Simcoe Braves, Creemore Padres, Lisle Astros, Barrie Angels, Orillia Majors, and Mansfield Cubs. Opening action begins on Friday night with a game at both the New Lowell and Lisle diamonds. Friday, June 27 Saturday, June 28 Sunday, June 29 2025 New Lowell Knights Tournament Schedule (PDF) |
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2025 All-Star Game Cancelled June 10, 2025 The North Dufferin Baseball League has cancelled the 2025 All-Star Games originally scheduled for July 5, due to the inability to secure a host for both the senior and junior division matchups. The All-Star Games have long been a highlight of the league's summer schedule, offering a showcase of player talent, sportsmanship and baseball excellence. Despite efforts to explore alternative arrangements, the league executive determined the cancellation was the most viable option this year. This marks the first cancellation of the All-Star Game since 2001, excluding years impacted by extraordinary circumstances - namely, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The games were also rained out in 2013. "We understand the disappointment this may bring to players, coaches, and fans," said president Jarrett Vanderpost. "The All-Star Games are a cherished tradition, and this decision was not made lightly. We look forward to continuing the tradition next season." |
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Larmer wins big at NDBL Awards
March 10, 2025 The North Dufferin Baseball League celebrated and recognized the outstanding accomplishments of players and teams from the 2024 season at its annual awards presentation held on Sunday, March 9, 2025. The big winner of the event was Jack Larmer from the Barrie Baycats in the junior division. Larmer won multiple awards, including best batter (.556 average), best on base percentage (.647), and most home runs at seven, the highest since 2006. He was also named the most valuable player for the division. In the senior division, Ben Sterritt of the Bolton Brewers was recognized as the best batter (548 average) and had the best on base percentage (.667). Sterritt's teammate, Brett Chater, scored the most runs with 36 and was named the MVP of the senior division. Bryan Post of the Owen Sound Baysox won his second consecutive home run title with seven homers while his teammate Trevor Smith was named best pitcher. Their coaches, a father-son duo of Don and Ryan Bartley won the coach of the year award. Brett Beardsall of the Orillia Majors was voted best catcher and the most sportsmanlike award went to Emerson Pendleton of the Mansfield Cubs. Josh McBride of the Creemore Padres received the best pitcher award in the junior division and his teammate Anson Dupuis was voted the most sportsmanlike player. A highlight of the event was the presentation of the prestigious President's Award to Pete Kinghan for his years of service and dedication to baseball in the NDBL. Kinghan's remarkable career includes coaching the Creemore Braves juniors, the Creemore Braves senior team, and the New Lowell Knights. Over the course of 40 years, he has won 17 league championships, three provincial titles, and served 24 years as league statistician with two stints as president in 2003 and 2014. Kinghan is the eleventh person to receive such an award since it was created in 1984. After the awards, the league membership met to begin planning for the 2025 season. Current plans have a 22-game schedule for the 12 senior teams and a 17-game schedule for the eight junior teams. |
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Death of Ron Pegg
January 22, 2025 The following message is issued by the North Dufferin Baseball League Executive upon learning of the death of Ron Pegg: "The Executive of the North Dufferin Baseball League is saddened to learn of the death of Ron Pegg who died yesterday. "Ron was a passionate individual for the sport of baseball in the Province of Ontario serving on executive positions in the York Simcoe Baseball Association (YSBA) and the Ontario Baseball Association (OBA) for decades. In fact, his tenure with the OBA had him and his wife, Cathy, working from the "office" inside their Flesherton area home. "His passion continued with the founding of Flesherton Minor Baseball and the Western Ontario Baseball Association, and the OBA newsletter, "Baseball Bits" started in 1979. "Ron also contributed extensively in our league coaching both senior and junior teams in Flesherton, with a number of the junior teams winning championships in the 1990s. He also served on the executive, joining as vice president in 1997 and serving as president in 1998. His wisdom and support of the NDBL was immeasurable with our affiliation with the YSBA and our autonomy. "As a result of his tireless efforts to promote the sport, he was a life member of both the OBA and YSBA in addition to being inducted into the OBA Hall of Fame in 2016 in the Builder Category. "On behalf of the league we extend condolences to his wife Cathy, his children Jamie, Rob, and Stacey, and his family and friends." |
