Barrie’s semi-professional baseball team will begin its quest for back-to-back championships on Thursday, when the Baycats play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
No, not those Toronto Maple Leafs.
While hockey’s Maple Leafs fight for their playoff lives in the second round of the NHL postseason, the similarly-named baseball squad plays, alongside Barrie, in the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL).
The IBL, which has existed since 1919, is comprised of nine teams, all located in southern Ontario. The Barrie Baycats have played in the IBL since 2001 and won the league championship last season, which was the eighth title in franchise history.
Ahead of Thursday night’s game at Athletic Kulture Stadium in Midhurst, Ont., the Baycats will hold a special ceremony honouring last year’s championship team.
The first 100 fans to arrive at the ballpark will also receive a free commemorative t-shirt.
The Maple Leafs will be looking to bounce back from a loss in their first game of the season, as they fell to the Kitchener Panthers by a score of 6-5 on Sunday.
However, Toronto made headlines across the country as the game featured the debut of Ayami Sato, a 35-year-old Japanese pitcher who became the first woman to play in a Canadian men’s professional league.
Sato pitched two perfect innings, featuring one strikeout, before leaving the game.
First pitch in Thursday night’s game is scheduled for 7:35 p.m., while gates to the ballpark open at 6:30 p.m.
Over the weekend, the Baycats will head south to take on the Welland Jackfish on Saturday, before returning to Barrie to host the Guelph Royals next Thursday.
