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44 Sports Oakville Beaver Adam Foster Andrew Filler SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2008 Andrew Muncaster Chris Ruediger Christian Simone Darrell Nunns David Venturi Whitecaps prepared to play for national crown By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF A team of Oakville little leaguers is taking a page from the Boy Scouts. From the day the Oakville Whitecaps' 14 players and three coaches found out they would host the Canadian Senior Little League Championship, they have adopted the Scouts' motto. If nothing else, when they take the field "At the end of today (Friday), they will be pre- the day, we're pared. just playing ball. The players, between the ages It's just that the of 14-16, began training indoors stakes are a little in the winter, stepping up their workouts from once a week to higher." twice. They brought in a personal trainer to design a workout regi- Oakville Whitecaps men for them to improve their fit- pitcher Sonu Lall ness. They sought out the best competition they could find at tournaments in the United States. They set up a batting cage in the backyard of manager Don Nunns. They even consulted with a sports psychologist to help them calm their nerves on the field. So, following an afternoon batting practice session on Tuesday, catcher Andrew Muncaster's sentiments were understandable. "I just want the thing to start," he said. He'll get his wish today when the Whitecaps face the Ontario representative at 7:30 p.m. at River Oaks Park, the venue for all tournament games. Games start earlier in the day with Atlantic playing Quebec at noon and British Columbia versus the Prairies at 3 p.m. The round robin continues until next Wednesday, the semifinals will be played Thursday, Aug. 7 and the championship game is Friday, Aug. 8 at 2 p.m. The winner of the tournament will advance to represent Canada at the Senior Little League World Series in Bangor, Maine. "You want to represent your town," Muncaster said, "but it's always in the back of your head that if you win, you'll be representing Canada." The players didn't need help in recognizing the unique opportunity they have ahead of them. "You only get to do it once," said centrefielder Darrell Nunns. "You'll never get to do something like this again." It was with that in mind that the players, parents and coaches bought into the commitment required to prepare for the tournament. And that started with a gruelling workout plan. Don Nunns said the workouts were "a lot more intense." Some players have lost as much as 25 pounds since beginning the program in February. "I'm in the best shape I've ever been in," said Adam Foster, who is often called on for pinch-running duties. "I'm running the bases constantly and it really prepared us for where we are now." Jonathan Delposo added, "We have a lot more stamina. Playing the field, running, it's way easier when you're in good physical shape. It's just one more thing Canadian Senior Little League Championship schedule DATE Today Today Today Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow Sunday Sunday Sunday Monday Monday Monday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Friday, Aug. 8 TIME 12 p.m. 3 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 12 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 12 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 12 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 9 a.m. 12 p.m. 3 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:05 p.m. 2 p.m. TEAMS ROUND Team Atlantic vs. Team Quebec Round 1 Team British Columbia vs. Team Prairies Round 1 Oakville Whitecaps vs. Team Ontario Round 1 Team Atlantic vs. Team British Columbia Round 2 Team Quebec vs. Team Ontario Round 2 Oakville Whitecaps vs. Team Prairies Round 2 Team Ontario vs. Team Prairies Round 3 Oakville Whitecaps vs. Team Atlantic Round 3 Team British Columbia vs. Team Quebec Round 3 Team British Columbia vs. Team Ontario Round 4 Oakville Whitecaps vs. Team Quebec Round 4 Team Atlantic vs. Team Prairies Round 4 Oakville Whitecaps vs. Team British Columbia Round 5 Team Prairies vs. Team Quebec Round 5 Team Ontario vs. Team Atlantic Round 5 Third Place vs. Fourth Place Page Playoff First Place vs. Second Place Page Playoff Winner of 3rd/4th game vs. Loser of 1st/2nd Semifinal Winner of 1st/2nd vs. Winner of Thurs. game Championship * All games will be played at River Oaks Park you don't have to worry about." Nunns said that improved conditioning has paid off, citing a tournament in Buffalo where the team played in extremely hot conditions. The team has also brought in outside instructors to help the team. Nunns had a former pitcher from the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League come in to give pointers to the pitchers. Then there's the backyard batting cage -- parents and the coaching staff pitched in to buy it -- to help the players at the plate. "We wanted to give them every opportunity to reach their potential and give them a glimpse of what it takes to perform at the highest level," Nunns said. And just because Oakville is the host team doesn't mean it is going into the tournament with an inferiority complex as it readies itself to play the five regional champs. Delposo played on a team at a younger level that went to the provincial semifinals, where it lost 7-4 to the team that went on to represent Ontario at the nationals. He says this year's Oakville squad is much better. "If we get good pitching, we have a chance to compete," said Nunns. "If the pitching holds and the defence holds, there's not a team out there we can't beat." Having done everything it can to get ready, all the host squad can do is go out and play to the best of its ability. "It didn't hit me until a couple of weeks ago, how big this is," said pitcher Sonu Lall. "But at the end of the day, we're just playing ball. It's just that the stakes are a little higher." Jonathan Del Pozo Kyle Paterson Matt Schwann Ryan Tobias Sukhwinder Lall Will Brandis Will Cox Only $3,700.00 per team! PLUS $625.00 in bar vouchers! www.icesports.com 905-845-6989