Stingers Bantam News

2012 Pre-Season

The 1997 Bantam AAA Stingers have begun off-season work in preparation of defending the team's first-place finish in the TBA last year. The team is doing conditioning/strength training and baseball practices at the Variety Village from January through April, and will further hone hitting skills with batting time and instruction at Competitive Edge. A solid group of returning players will be joined by three exceptional newcomers on the field in 2012. There is room for an additional player or two who wants to play on a competitive ball team that puts a strong emphasis on fun and fundamentals. Please contact coach Greg Dennis for more information.

2012 Season

Tuesday night home games and Sunday practices will be held at Neilson Park in Scarborough. Additional practices will be scheduled during the week. The team will play in several tournament, including the New Era Cap Classic in Buffalo, July 27-29, and will begin its quest for the TBA title beginning May 1.

2011 Season Highlights

Minor Bantams Win 14U Tournament in Michigan
Canada invaded the United States on the sweltering August long weekend and captured another tournament championship for the Scarborough Stingers.

The Stingers AAA Minor Bantam baseball team took home the trophies in the 14U Battle of Bats Tournament in Almont, Michigan, winning the honour with a 10-8 comeback victory over Lansing in the championship game.

The win crowned a day of exciting baseball as the Stingers played three great games on Sunday, all in blistering 32C (90F) temperatures. Even without three key players, the Stingers got maximum effort from everyone of the 10 teammates who made the trek south of the border. The pitching was excellent all weekend and the defence superb. At the plate and on the basepaths, the Stingers combined small ball with big hits to conquer the competition. Every player had at least three hits, they all scored runs and everyone knocked in a run.

The final day began early Sunday morning. The Stingers advanced to the semi-finals after beating the host Michigan Young Guns 7-6 with a winning rally in the bottom of the 7th inning. Then in the semi-final game, and with the midday sun chasing spectators into the shade, Stingers ace Ozzy Tanfield cooled the hot bats from Clio, MI, pitching an impressive complete game performance and leading the visitors to a hard-fought 4-1 victory.

The final game followed immediately. Lansing had beaten the Stingers in extra innings the day before in round-robin play and this deciding game would be close too. The American team took an early lead before the Stingers rallied for three runs in the fourth to go up by a run. After Lansing tied it up, the Stingers broke out for four runs in the top of the sixth, capped by a two-run, two-out double by Mason Debassige. That would be the difference as the Stingers hung on to snuff a late Lansing rally and win by a pair of runs.

Kudos to the boys for a total team-first effort from beginning to end. And thanks to the parents for withstanding the heat to cheer on the guys all weekend.

• Anyone with questions about the 2012 Bantam team or the Stingers program should contact Greg at 647-281-4403 or gdennis@scarborougstingers.com.
  
  Greg Dennis is a Level 2 certified coach with more than a decade of experience in the Toronto Baseball Association. Four of Greg’s former players have received post-secondary baseball scholarships. A number of his Stingers players have also played or are currently playing in the Premier Baseball League of Ontario and on the perennially powerful Birchmount Collegiate high school baseball team. Greg is also the President of the Scarborough Stingers Baseball Club.

• And finally, some headlines from Red Sox nation for Coach Greg (just because we can...)