Black Sox open OBA's on Friday

At 6 p.m. Friday night the Cambrian Mazda Black Sox will be at the point they build for every season.

That's when they will open the 2006 Ontario Baseball Association Midget 'AA' Championship in Sarnia. The locals are going in as two-time defending champions at the 'A' level and boast plenty of experience at the provincial level with six players who have won OBA titles.

The Black Sox feature three players making the trip who have already won back-to-back OBA titles at the midget level in J.J. Bergamin, Joey Lesage, and Kyle Sayers. Andrew Toni, Kyle Leonard, and Kyle Diotte all won OBA titles with the Black Sox Bantam team last season.

The Black Sox will be without three players when the tournament opens on Friday. Pitcher Tyler Binkley is away at school getting settled in at Seward County College, while pitcher Bryce Grimard and catcher Justin Soltys are too old to compete in the tournament.

Catcher Wyatt Curry will miss the Black Sox opening game on Friday against Brantford due to a football game with Sault High in the Michigan Sault on Friday night, but he will join the team on Saturday morning.

Heading into the tournament, the Black Sox have spent their final practices working on all aspects of their game, something coach Ryan Johns said could always be worked on.

"It's going to sound weird but all levels of our game," said Johns. "We're going to have to go over everything from baserunning, to fielding, to pitching, to throwing, to hitting. We're going over everything just to make sure everyone is prepared.

"Things that pop up quite frequently, we've had the opportunity to finetune," Johns added. "Everybody understands what we want and expect and they're right on cue."

"We have a good hitting team," said Black Sox veteran Kyle Sayers. "Our pitching had come a long way and our defense is great."

Johns, who participated in the OBA championships as a player, is looking forward to being a part of the tournament as a coach.

"It's a huge change," Johns said. "As a player you get excited just to be there. Now as a coach it's the whole strategy part of it hoping to put the right people in at the right time, put the right starting pitcher in and the right defensive lineup in. It's a big difference, but it's exciting."

The atmosphere of the team has been one of a tight knit group, which is important heading into the weekend.

"They're all focused and prepared," said Johns. "They know what's at stake and they know the hard work they put in. When it all comes down to it, we prepare for the OBA's."

"I've been playing with the same core group of guys since I started," said Bergamin. "All of these guys are great ballplayers. We've really bonded since we've been playing so long together. We're great friends. The rookies have been fitting in well. We've got a good core group."

The Black Sox opponent on Saturday depends on the outcome of their game against Brantford on Friday. The double-elimination tournament runs throughout the weekend and will wrap up on Sunday afternoon.