2005 FINAL LEAGUE STANDINGS

1. Durham (12-0)
2. St.Clair (9-3)
3. Mohawk (8-4)
4. Canadore (4-8)
5. Cambrian (4-8)
6. Seneca (3-9)
7. Conestoga (2-10)
(W-L)

CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Gold – St. Clair
Silver – Durham
Bronze – Mohawk

LAST WEEK IN THE OCAA
Conestoga started the 2006 campaign on the right foot as they swept a two game series against the Cambrian Golden Shield in Sudbury this past weekend. In game one of the set, Conestoga was quick out of the gate scoring 8 runs in the first two innings, eventually winning the game by a score of 9-5. In game two, the Condors needed extra innings to defeat the Golden Shield. Cambrian took a one run lead in the top of the eighth but were unable to get the win as Conestoga tied it up in the bottom half of the inning. In the bottom of the ninth, Conestoga eventually scored the winning run to head back to Kitchener with a 2-0 record. Freshmen Brittany Swartzentruber of Conestoga made an immediate impact for the Condors going 4-for-6 at the plate while scoring five runs in the series.

THIS WEEK IN THE OCAA
The rest of the teams in OCAA Women’s Fastball will kick off their 2006 season this week. Durham will celebrate a past winning streak while trying to begin another as they host the Cambrian Golden Shield this weekend. Meanwhile Canadore will host the St. Clair Saints (defending golf medallists) in North Bay. Seneca will head out on the road for a pair of games to begin their 2006 season as they travel to Kitchener to face the Conestoga Condors on Wednesday and then head to Hamilton to meet the Mohawk Mountaineers in their season opener on Friday.

2006 PREVIEW

Cambrian

2005 Regular Season Record: 4-8 (5th)
2005 Playoff Record: DNQ
Championships Won: n/a

At the beginning of the 2005 season, things were looking bright for the Cambrian Golden Shield as they opened the season winning 3 of 4 games. Things suddenly turned bleak for the Golden Shield as they went on to lose their next seven games, dropping them out of the OCAA playoff picture. Krista De Boer returns for the Golden Shield and will handle pitching duties for a second consecutive season. Last season, De Boer pitched in 75 of 76 innings for a 4.43 ERA. De Boer also pitched in both games of this weekend’s two game set. Stephanie Tambeau will lead the Golden Shield at the plate. Last season she hit for a .304 average and she is off to a quick start this year batting .500 in her first eight at bats. Freshmen Jordan Shelleby’s bat will also help the Golden Shield’s run production as she has already gone 4-for-6 at the plate while scoring 5 runs this past weekend. Cambrian will look for their first win this weekend as they are matched up against the Durham Lords for a two game series this weekend in Oshawa.

Canadore

2005 Regular Season Record: 4-8 (4th)
2005 Playoff Record: 0-2 (4th)
Championships Won: n/a

In 2006 the Canadore Panthers will be featuring a new coaching staff including Chris MacLeod, David Houle and Dave Cross. A familiar face to Canadore fans will be Leigh-Ann Taylor who will be returning for the Panthers for her third season. Taylor handled all of the pitching duties for the Panthers last season as she had a league leading 78 innings pitched. In her first season in the OCAA (2004), Taylor pitched a no-hitter to earn her first win in the OCAA. Other key veterans returning to the Panthers team include outfielders Stephanie Bourassa and Lindsay MacMillan, as well as infielder Amanda Brousseau. Recruitment will be the focus of the new coaching staff, trying to build the team into consistent Championship contenders. A key recruit for this year’s team is Amanda Allen. Allen will begin the year as Canadore’s starting catcher. Canadore will open their 2006 season in North Bay against the defending champion St. Clair Saints with a double header on September 16 starting at noon.

Conestoga

2005 Regular Season Record: 2-10 (7th)
2005 Playoff Record: DNQ
Championships Won: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996

The Conestoga Condors will be heading towards a youth movement for the 2006 season. With only three returning players from 2005, the Conestoga lineup will almost be entirely made up of new faces. Freshmen pitchers Pamela Paterson and Laura Matheson will join third year starter Jenn French to make up the Condors pitching staff. Other key freshmen to look out for include utility player Brittany Swartzentruber and 3rd basemen Brittany Snider. Critical to the success of the 2006 campaign will be the emergence of the young leadership. The Condors hope to build off their double-header sweep over the Golden Shield this past weekend, as their home opener will take place on September 13 at 5:00pm against the Seneca Sting.

Durham

2005 Regular Season Record: 12-0 (1st)
2005 Playoff Record: 1-1 (Silver)
Championships Won: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004

After finishing the regular season with a 12-0 record in 2005, the Durham Lords looked poised to win their 4th consecutive/13th overall OCAA Women’s Fastball Championship. On a rainy day in Hamilton, the Durham’s Championship streak was ended as the St. Clair Saints upset the Lords by the score of 7-2 in the Gold Medal Game. This September, Coach Jim Nemish hopes to lead the Lords back to Championship Gold as he enters his 18th year as Durham’s head coach.

The Lords with look to their youth to retain the OCAA Championship. With only six returning players, the majority of the Lord’s lineup will be freshmen. A key addition to the Lord’s pitching staff includes freshmen Danielle Smith. Over this past weekend, Smith picked up her first college in eight innings against Rochester, NY. Key returning veterans in the field includes Karen McWilliams, Vanessa Chaborek, Sheena Viner and Kara Hayes. The Lords will open their season on Friday, September 15 at 6:00pm against the Cambrian Golden Shield at home. The team will celebrate their 56-game conference-winning streak that came to an end at last season’s championship.

Mohawk

2005 Regular Season Record: 8-4 (3rd)
2005 Playoff Record: 1-1 (Bronze)
Championships Won: 2001

The 2006 Mountaineers, led by fifth-year head coach Brian Weller, are well on their way towards another successful season, building upon last year’s bronze medal. Mohawk looks to the continued leadership of returning starters Dana Steckle, Jenny Koschanow, and Katie Westoby for leadership and success. All three players have shown consistent development and demonstrated the leadership abilities to be major contributors in 2006.

Armed and dangerous would be one way to describe the 2006 Mohawk Mountaineers pitching staff. Ace Katie Westoby pitched in five games last season earned a 4-1 record with a 1.45 ERA. Next to Westoby is Jenn Koschanow. In her OCAA debut last season, Koschanow tied the OCAA record with 16 strikeouts in a single game. Opposing batters will find it tough to get any run production against the Mountaineers pitching staff. Mohawk will kick off their season against the Seneca Sting at home on September 16 at 5:30pm.

St. Clair

2005 Regular Season Record: 9-3 (2nd)
2005 Playoff Record: 2-0 (Gold)
Championships Won: 2005

St. Clair enters the 2006 season as the defending OCAA Champions. After winning their first ever Fastball Championship, the St. Clair Saints will be the favourites to take home the title in 2006 with the majority of their team returning. Last year’s OCAA Player of the Year Lindsay Verkoeyen will look to lead the squad to back-to-back titles. Other key returning players include: Lauren Smith (League Top Pitcher and Rookie of the Year), Melissa Galamb (Championship MVP) and Jackelyn Desjardins (OCAA League All-Star). Although veterans will make up most of the Saints lineup, look for some youth to make an impact this season as the team has added some depth to the pitching staff with the addition of pitcher Candice Gatecliffe. The road to the Championships will start in North Bay for the Saints. Canadore will host St. Clair on Saturday September 16 beginning at 12:00pm. St. Clair will host the OCAA Championships from October 20-21.

Seneca

2005 Regular Season Record: 3-9 (6th)
2005 Playoff Record: DNQ
Championships Won: 1981, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1999

After earning medals in six consecutive seasons from 1999-2004, Seneca had high hopes entering 2005. Things were bleak from the start of the season for the Sting as they began the season with a record of 1-4. In 2006, if Seneca hopes to be in contention for the Championships come time in October, the Sting must get off to a better start than they did last season. Fourth year starter Stephanie Ozog handled most of the pitching duties in 2005 throwing in 11 of 12 games. The Sting will need a youthful pitching staff to take over the reigns to have any success in 2006. Rick Finlay will bring a wealth of experience to the Seneca squad as he returns for his 19th year of the head coach of the Sting. Seneca will open their 2006 season September 13th on the road against the Conestoga Condors.