UNB Baseball

Baseball Cougars find a way to get it done

They operate on a shoe-string budget. In fact, the players have to pay to play. Otherwise, they'd go broke.

Putting a brief in the newspaper announcing tryouts is the extent of the recruiting process. The coach says he won't beg players to come out.

But if there's been such a thing as a sure bet in Atlantic university athletics over the past decade, the University of New Brunswick baseball Cougars are it.

The Cougars are in their ninth year of existence. When they head to Ottawa for the nationals Thursday as champions of the Atlantic Intercollegiate Baseball Conference, it will mark the eighth time they've done so. The only time they didn't go, nobody went because rains washed out the conference playdowns. In 2003, they won a national championship at the tournament in Montreal, only the third team in UNB sports history to accomplish the feat.

Those other two teams - the 1980 soccer Red Shirts and 1998 hockey Varsity Reds - are full-fledged varsity sports with all the financial and recruiting perks that go with such programs. The baseball Cougars are basically a hit and miss operation each fall, operating under the auspices of the rec department at the school and banking on guys like head coach Mark Clark to make a seven-week commitment each and every September to make it work. They some do some fund-raising during the off-season and if they're lucky enough to secure a sponsor, so much the better. If costs exceed the budget, the players need to contribute.

For whatever reason, it's proven to be a magical formula and it's the reason why Clark keeps coming back every year. Actually, he's been a part of the Cougars program right from the get-go, signing up as an assistant when Chris 'Bubba' MacPherson decided to field a team wearing UNB colours in 1998. MacPherson ran it for two years, winning a silver medal the second year, before the cancer that would take his life in 2000 forced him to the sidelines.

Clark, former executive director of New Brunswick Special Olympics and now a consultant with Access Technical Solutions, has been the head guy ever since, and all he's done is lead them to the nationals every year. Along with that golden year in 2003 in which UNB defeated Laval 3-0 in the final, the Cougars have garnered a couple of silver medals under Clark's watch including a heart-breaking 15-inning loss to Laval in the national final in 2001 in Ottawa. To this day, Clark says it's the best game he's ever been involved with.

Even when he hasn't got a full complement at his disposal, Clark has been able to find a way. Take the current edition. Cougars needed to win their last game of the regular season against Saint Mary's, in Moncton no, less to even make the playoff round. Four out of the six conference teams make it, and at 7-9, UNB was able to take the fourth and final spot.

But since then, they've been unstoppable. They defeated a Dalhousie Tigers team that went 12-4 during the regular season in two straight games, both played in Halifax. And last weekend, they had to make the long trek to Sydney, N.S. to play the Cape Breton Capers and lo and behold, didn't they win twice there to claim the conference title.

Whatever it takes, apparently.

"Yeah, I guess it's all about the head coach," says Clark with a chuckle. "Actually, I've been telling these guys all along that we've got the potential to be a very good team. Maybe it's finally sunk in. We've always been able to hit, but there was a stretch when we went a little cold offensively. But then our pitching and defence took over. And here we are. We've got seven first year guys on this team and it might have taken them a little time to gell as a team. But we've been on the road for quite a while now, and there's nothing like hanging around each other on the road for a team to come together."

Why so much success year after year?

Clark says part of it can be traced to the quality of coaching at the minor levels and by extension, the various elite programs operating in the Fredericton baseball system. Case in point, this year both the junior and senior Royals won provincial titles. The upstart jr. Vikings represented the province at this year's nationals as did the midget AAA Royals.

A lot of these guys make their way to UNB in the fall, hence, giving Clark the depth of player pool that results in championships every season. This year's Cougars roster includes four players from each of the junior Royals and Vikings.

His third baseman, Brad Lawson, played some with the senior Royals. Another, catcher Corey Hughes, played with the midget Royals.

Factor in some of the guys coming to UNB from outside the region - there are a couple from the Miramichi area who played junior ball and three more from P.E.I. who either played junior or intermediate - and there's never a shortage of players.

Heck, the most valuable player in the senior league this past season - pitcher-infielder Josh Collins with the senior Royals - hasn't been able to suit up with the Cougars this fall because of his practice teaching at Leo Hayes, but as a full-fledged student at UNB, he's eligibile and is listed on the Cougars roster. There's an outside chance that he'll be with the team in Ottawa, says Clark. Same situation with infielder Andrew Rinzler, who played with the senior league's Moncton Mets and was a member of their national championship team this summer. He's at UNB and could have suited up with the Cougars if he had so chosen.

"There's a lot of good players around," says Clark. "Every year, we get 50 guys or so coming out to our tryouts. When we won in 2003, we had 25 guys on the roster. That's a lot. When you win a national title, it's not a problem. But when you lose, then you tend to hear things (complaints) from guys who want to play. And you can understand that. No matter how mnay players you have, you've got your core group of guys who are going to play. That's one of the reasons we decided to pare it down this year. And part of it is the cost. When you do as much travelling as we've done (like going to the nationals every year), it's going to cost."

But when you win consistently, it's addictive.

"It doesn't matter what sport it is. When you win a national title, it means something," says Clark. "The year we won, it was huge. UNB held a big reception for us at the Aitken Centre. We got a lot of press. It was a lot of fun. It's almost been five years, but for guys like Robbie Jeffrey and Matt Beckwith who were part of that team, they still talk about it. Matt Cheney (of the sr. Moncton Mets) played five years here and now he's back with us helping out the pitchers. (Assistant coaches) Mike (Keating) and Brent (Hallett) have been great helping out. These guys have been around the game for a long time."

Clark says the combination of the short season and the time of year - it's playoff season in the major leagues - are part of the lure. "It's a great time of year," says Clark. "I know, for instance, when we're on the road, the first thing the guys tend to do when they get back to the hotel is to turn on the ball game. Because it's the playoffs.

"It's not like hockey that goes on, it seems, for eight months," he says. "For us, it's basically seven weeks. Sure, some of the guys who might have played all summer long aren't really that keen in coming out. That's fine. I don't call players. It's entirely up to them if they want to come out with us."

For those who do, they're finding a competitive brand of ball.

"There's a lot more balance with the six teams in our conference now," says Clark. "St. FX has a team now. And I'd like to see a couple of more teams get in. Heck, with guys like Sorensen and Turgeon, St. Thomas could have had a pretty good team this year."

UNB Baseball Team Off to Nationals

For the 8th time in their 9 years of existence, the UNB Men’s Baseball Team has won the Atlantic Conference Championship, the only hiccup coming last year when no playoff games were played and the league decided the regular season best record would be the representative.
UNB traveled to Cape Breton University on Saturday and won both games of a double header by scores of 12-9 and 11-1 sweeping the best of three series.
In game 1, UNB starting pitcher Jake Waugh, struggle throughout the game but managed 7 innings, giving up 9 runs on 12 hits while striking out 1. He dodged a bullet in the bottom of the seventh after CBU scored 2 runs to tie the game then loaded the bases with no outs. He induced Kyle Bursey to ground out on a fielder’s choice to third, then a come backer to the mound, to home then two first to end the inning. UNB then scored 3 runs in the top of the eighth and Ryan Corey came in to nail down the save. UNB fell behind in the first inning by a score of 2-0, came back to tie in the 2nd but promptly gave up 2 more runs in the bottom half of the inning. In the 3rd, Brad Lawson cashed in 3 runs with a line drive home run to left field. UNB never trailed again in the game. UNB scored 4 runs in the 5th when Phil Brown reached base on an error, Lawson was intentionally walked, Nick Cameron singled, Waugh single and Jacob Smith cashed in 2 with a double. After the game was tied in the 7th, Andrew MacLaggan lead off with a single, Lawson was intentionally walked, Jared Doyle was hit by a pitch then Cameron was hit as well forcing in the go ahead run, An error on a hard hit ball to short by Jake Waugh cashed in two more.
Ryan Corey, who earned the win, faced 5 batters giving up 1 single, hit one batter and struck out 1.
Jamie Williams from CBU took the loss picking up for Adam Shubinette. Jamie Williams had a single and home run for CBU
In game 2, UNB jumped out to an early lead and coasted from the 1st inning on posting an 11-1 score in the mercy-shortened game.
Ryan MacDonald earned the win going 5 innings, giving up 1 run on 6 hits, striking out 4 and walking 4. UNB scored a run in each of the first three innings, 4 in the fourth and 4 in the fifth to win the Championship. Tim Burns took the loss for CBU.
Andrew MacLaggan, Jacob Smith and Brad Lawson each had 2 singles, Phil Brown had a double, a single and was hit by a pitch, Ryan Corey and Jake Waugh each had singles and Mark MacNevin chipped in with a double.
UNB will be traveling this coming weekend to Ottawa to attend the CIBA-ABIC National Championship October 20-22.

2006 UNB Baseball Team

The 2006 UNB Baseball Team

UNB Baseball Team Sweeps DAL

4th place finishers in the Atlantic Conference UNB Baseball traveled to Halifax on Saturday for the start of a 3 game series against first place Dal. UNB swept defeating Dal by scores of 10-3 and followed that up with a 7-5 victory in Game 2.
In Game 1 there was no score until the 5TH. UNB had gone hitless to that point. Jacob Smith led off with a walk; Corey Hughes bunted him over and reached on error. Andrew MacLaggan then walked, Brad Lawson drove Smith in with an RBI single, Ryan Corey had sac fly scoring Hughes. Jake Waugh then reached on error. Phil Brown had an RBI single, which ended Dal’s starting pitcher Barrett Bellefontaine’s day. Jared Doyle welcomed Duncan Maclellan with a 2 RBI double and Sky Perley and Jacob Smith each added RBI singles for a total 8 run inning that brought 12 batters to the plate.
Dal answered back in bottom of inning with 3 runs of their own. But in the top of the 6th, UNB doused that fire with 2 more runs when Lawson led off being hit by a pitch, he stole second, went to third on a throwing error to the catcher, and Waugh drove him in on a fielders choice. Brown singled, and Doyle drove Waugh in with a RBI single. That changed the pitchers again, putting Lee Spares on the mound, who finished up for them. Final score….10-3.
Jake Waugh went all 7 innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits on 1 earned run, walked 3, hit 1, and struck out 1
In Game 2, Dal scored 3 in the 1st off Alex English with 3 singles and 2 doubles. He walked 2 and hit a batter in the 2nd, which brought winning pitcher Ryan MacDonald to the mound in the 3rd. UNB made it a 3-2 game in the 3rd when Nick Cameron led off with a single, but was thrown out at 2nd on an attempted steal. Jacob Smith walked then stole 2nd, Andrew MacLaggan then singled, Phil Brown reached on and error which scored Smith, and Ryan Corey drove in MacLaggan with an rbi single.
In the 5th, UNB took the lead when Lawson reached on error. Corey Hughes stole 2nd as the pinch runner, and Doyle came up with a 2 run home run. With UNB leading 4-3 until the 7th when we added 3 insurance runs. Brown and Ryan Corey each singled and both stole second. Doyle drew the walk, Waugh’s squeeze was unsuccessful, but he did reach 1st on the Fielders Choice. Cameron then drove in Corey and Doyle with a single and Waugh scored on a throwing error to the catcher.
Dal made attempt to come back in the bottom of the 7th starting with a leadoff walk, followed by a fielding error, and another to load the bases with no one out. Jake Waugh, who pitched game 1, came to the mound again and walked a run in, but the next batter hit into the double play, scoring another. Then an unassisted play at 1st base ended the game. Final…. UNB 7, Dal 5.
English pitches 2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, waked 2 and hit 1 batter.
Ryan MacDonald took the win pitching 4 innings, giving up 2 runs, I earned, on 4 hits, struck out 1 and walked 3.
Jake Waugh earned the save. 1 inning and 1 walk.
UNB will play for the Atlantic Conference Championship next Saturday October 14th against Cape Breton University. Games 1 and 2 will be in Sydney with Game 3 if necessary back in Fredericton On Sunday October 15th.
CBU advanced by beating ABU by scores of 3-0 and 2-1.
The winner will represent the Atlantic Conference at the CIBA-ABIC National Championships in Ottawa October 19th through the 26th.

UNB Baseball Team manages playoff birth

What has been described as a disappointing and frustrating season, the UNB Baseball Team won a key game Sunday in Moncton against the St. Mary’s Huskies that propelled them into the playoffs..
UNB traveled to Moncton on Sunday, Oct. 1 to meet SMU Huskies there for the completion of a rain suspended game which began on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Beazley field in Dartmouth. The two teams met halfway at Kiwanis Park, as determined by the league officials, to complete the game.
It was to be the final game of the regular season schedule for UNB with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance. The Huskies were the team that UNB must knock out of the final spot for a playoff berth In the four innings of play prior to the rain suspension over a week ago in Dartmouth, the score was tied 1-1. Ryan MacDonald, the starter for UNB, had pitched those four innings giving up only 1 run in the first inning. UNB tied the game in the top of the third when Nick Cameron hit a sac fly to left field, scoring Phil Brown, who had reached base with a leadoff walk in the inning.
Duncan Cronk, starting pitcher for SMU, had given up only 2 hits in four innings, coming off the bats of Jake Waugh and Phil Brown.
Now moving ahead a week to Moncton, we start exactly where we left off, and UNB wasted no time in making a statement. Ryan Corey cracked a leadoff double off the wall in right center off of Cronk, who was back on the mound for the Huskies. Brad Lawson then laid down a sac bunt to move Corey to third, and Nick Cameron drove him home with another sacrifice fly. And so it remained, UNB with a one run lead until the bottom of the seventh, when things got a little scary for UNB.
With Ryan MacDonald unable to make the trip to Moncton on Sunday, coach Mark Clark had given the ball to Steve Somerville to finish this one out on the mound for UNB. St. Mary’s were hitless through 5 and 6, but with one out in the bottom of seven they managed three consecutive singles to load the bases, and the heart of the order coming up! Number three hitter, Craig MacKenzie, then grounded out driving in the tying run and forcing extra innings, and the cleanup man popped out to right field.
The score remained tied at 2 until the top of the ninth when UNB came to bat with the top of the order and leadoff hitter Andrew MacLaggan coming to the plate. Cronk walked MacLaggan, Phil Brown then gave himself up and bunted him into scoring position, bringing Ryan Corey to the plate. With two strikes on him and behind in the count, Corey launched what appeared to be a no doubter over the right field wall. A no doubter it was, problem being, about two feet foul, which in hindsight made little difference as Corey followed that up with a line drive to the gap to score the go ahead, and eventual winning run! For added insurance, Brad Lawson then drew a walk and Cameron put up two more ribbies when he drove both Corey and Lawson home with a single to the gap! Jared Doyle was hit by a pitch and Andrew MacNeill drew a walk to load the bases and that was the end for losing pitcher Duncan Cronk! Richard Hilgart took over for the final two outs, but not before Cameron scored as a result of a throwing error to the catcher on an attempted pickoff. Somerville finished the job by shutting the door in the bottom of the ninth, and earning the pitching win for UNB. Final score, UNB 6 and SMU 2.

The Atlantic Conference semi finals will be a best of three scheduled for next weekend, with the matchups yet to be determined.

At Thompson Field on Saturday, Ryan Corey threw a complete game 3 hit shutout to gain the win on the mound for UNB. And he helped himself offensively with a 2 for 2 performance at the plate with 2 RBI. Also for UNB, Andrew MacLaggan went 3 for 3 with a run scored! Leftie Steve Aube takes the loss on the mound for ABU going the distance, giving up 7 hits and only 2 earned runs. Jake Waugh and Jacob Smith single and scored a run.

In game 2, Nathan Dempster picks up the complete game win for ABU, giving up 4 hits, walking 3, hit 1 batter, and he struck out 1 batter. Tough luck loss on the mound for UNB's Jake Waugh who scattered 7 hits through 7 innings. Waugh walked only 2 and struck out 6, and gave up no earned runs. Serge Vautour had 3 singles for ABU and Steve Bampton had 2 singles, 2 rbi's and a run scored. Andrew MacLaggan, Nick Cameron, Brad Lawson and Phil Brown all singled for UNB