Fredericton opens Canadian senior baseball championship tomorrow in Brandon

B5

By Sean Hatchard
Times & Transcript Staff

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Craig Betts and Steve Desjardins will take off their Moncton Mets uniforms this week and replace them with Fredericton Royals colours.

Not an easy thing to do, considering the teams are rivals in the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League. Not to mention that they're in the middle of a semifinal playoff series, with Fredericton way up 3-0.

But as the Royals leave for the Canadian senior baseball championship in Brandon, Man. today, they'll bring along the Mets duo as well as Chatham O'Donaghues Ironmen catcher Jon Saunders and infielder/pitcher Ryan Barry as pickup players for the tournament.

"We'll just put all that stuff aside. We'll be focused on winning the tournament," Desjardins, a veteran left-handed pitcher, said this week.

"They are guys that you hate when you're playing against them, but you love them when you're on their side," added Betts, a speedy outfielder.

Betts should know.

When he won with Moncton at the 2006 national tournament -- in Brandon, of all places -- the Mets picked up five Royals players, who would go on to become key contributors to Moncton's first ever Canadian championship team.

"We took five of their guys (Dave Barr, Josh Collins, Chris Sorensen, John Burns and Brooks Saunders) out west last time and they were all good guys," said Betts. "There were no problems there, and I expect us to fit in well with them this time."

The New Brunswick league is on a break while Fredericton is at the national championship. The playoffs will resume Aug. 28.

The Royals open the 10-team tournament tomorrow at noon against defending champion Quebec.

Fredericton, which has won the New Brunswick league championship in each of the past two seasons, is coming off an 0-4 performance at last year's national tournament in Quebec City. The Royals were heavy on pickups and substitutions last year, but have supplemented their roster with just the four pickups this time.

"I expect them to play their guys first and that's okay. They've been very up front about that," said Betts, who hit .302 with 26 hits and 16 stolen bases as a leadoff hitter for the Mets during the regular season.

"I'm flattered to be asked to join them, and I'll do whatever they ask of me. If they need me to pinch hit, I'll pinch hit, if they need me to go out for an inning as a defensive specialist, I'll do that, too. If they're doing well with their own guys, I won't disrupt that."

Desjardins, an all-star last season, went 2-3 with a 4.36 earned run average for Moncton this season. The 27-year-old will be in the pitching mix for Fredericton, either as a starter or coming out of the bullpen. Desjardins did not accompany the Mets to the 2006 tournament because of an arm injury, but did play in the 2004 event in Moncton.

Betts said Chatham's Saunders and Barry are two valuable additions to the team. Both bring big bats and national tournament experience.

"Jon's been there almost every year, and he definitely knows what to expect," he said. "Ryan is a little younger, but I understand he's been to midget and junior national championships, so the big stage won't bother him either."

Outstanding pitching, solid defence and timely hitting are vital in the tournament, which could see teams play seven games over four days.

The Royals are in Pool B along with Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and host Brandon, with the third-place finisher in Pool A meeting the second-place finisher in Pool B -- and vice versa -- on Saturday night.

Survivors go on to face the first-place finisher in each division on Sunday. Losers of those semifinals play in the bronze medal game at 5:30 p.m. with the winners advancing to the golden game at 9 p.m.