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2005 Ontario ISC II Preseason Rankings

Monday, April 25th, 2005

‘Tis the season for rankings and here is the Ontario ISC II Preseason Rankings.

As the name suggests, this covers teams that are eligible for ISC II play. Without further adieu, here they are:

2005 Ontario ISC II Preseason Rankings

1. Smully’s Tavistock Merchants
Added power hitter/pitcher Mike Pinder and Shawn Brown to already strong lineup. How long will leadoff batter & sparkplug Dean Kaufman stay retired?

2 Harriston Mercury’s
With Ryan Dilgee & Terry Martin in Elora, there’s some holes to fill for last year’s ISC II Champs. Joe German is signed on to back up Scott Smith.

3 Micksburg Twins
Have to be considered top seed at ISC II Qualifier in Blackburn with Corey & Shawn Costello.

4 Norwich Razorbacks
Signed Todd Winkworth, Ben Blonde & Drew Winger to go with ace Tim Neill & added Cory Winkworth plus a couple of sticks from East coast, but losing shortstop Jeff Konigshofer.

5 Palermo Athletics
Biggest beneficiary of slightly looser ISC II restrictions, reclassified veteran club is loaded with senior experience, especially with NAFA Hall of Famer Gord Scott on the mound.

6 Kanata Team Easton
Most of the former Kemptville Thunder players landed here including ace Dan Konkle.

7 Port Elgin Blue Devils
With berth to ISC II ToC already in their back pocket, BDs will be heard from in Chippewa Falls.

8 Bridgeport Braves
With decision to open up ISC II by a small degree, Scharr brothers will keep this team in contention.

9 Elora Rage
Picked up several players from Breslau, including Don Harris, Kevin Pomfret, Terry Martin & Greg Scheele to go with Ryan Dilgee, who is playing here and not in Harriston.

10 Niagara Snappers
Full-time additions of pitcher Dan Duemo & DH Jarrod Burtt will solidify Snappers’ lineup and playing in ISC league provides solid experience.

Honourable mentions (alphabetical):
Alvinston Indians – Still looking for pitching to replace Drew Winger. Also lost Kyle Mitchell from ISC II roster, but veteran club is still competitive.

Aylmer Cardinals – Dan Beecroft & Ryan Cummings will keep Aylmer in every game.

Cobourg Stingers – Will be a threat to win the Blackburn qualifier with addition of Lyle Brown.

Glencoe Astros – If Shaun Winship is on form, Glencoe will be heard from in Innerkip. Added three starters from Shedden.

Hamilton Hawks – Apparently looking at ISC II for 2006, have added Newfoundland junior pitcher Lee Cose for selected weekends.

Highgate Rock – Added pitcher Jeremy Osbourne & catcher Bryan Depencier, but looks like Blonde is gone to Norwich for ISC II.

Jarvis Rock – Can hit with anyone. Big question: Is Dave “Farmer” Martin back?

Kingston Cowboys – Won Loughborough leage in 2004 and will be playing in Blackburn.

Mississauga Arrows – Could be tough if Chris McColl pitches full-time. Addition of Craig Walker & junior Drew Hathway for tournaments gives some pitching depth.

Stouffville Mennos – With Scott Evans they won Intermediate elims, but even without, they’re very good.

Posted in Ontario, Rankings, Teams | Comments Closed

Canada East ISC II Home League Program for 2005

Thursday, March 10th, 2005

Bob McGowan, ISC Canada East Commissioner, is inviting men’s intermediate fastball leagues in Ontario to join the 2005 ISC II Home League program to give their league’s representative a shot at qualifying for the 2006 ISC II Tournament of Champions to be played in Kitchener.

Nearly 5,000 fans watched the ISC II Championship Game in 2002 in Kitchener and there is no reason not to expect the same next year. The ISC may not be back in Ontario for another five years and for many players, 2006 may be the last time they can participate in such a fantastic event in front of friends and family.

There is no initial cost to affiliate your league with the program. Each league will operate under its own unique rules. As of August 5, each league will qualify a representative team to advance to the ISC II Ontario Cup to be held August 26-28, in Hillsburgh. The tournament format will be double knockout.

Involvement in the program, which started in 2003, can help your league:
generate greater league publicity
place increased importance on the regular season schedule
provide increased competition for league teams in contention for the berth
provide a good marketing tool to retain junior and intermediate players who do not have ISC aspirations but would like to play on a larger stage like ISC II.
See where it stacks up against other Ontario intermediate leagues

Previous champions included the Norwich Razorbacks of the Tri-County league in 2003, who went on to finish tied for 5th at the 2004 ISC II Tournament of Champions in Fargo, ND, and Port Elgin Blue Devils, of the Blue Water league, who will compete in this year’s ToC in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

The entry fee for the Ontario Cup will be $175 per team. A payment to cover the entry fee will be due on July 15. If a league decides not to send a team by August 15, the entry fee will be returned.

A reminder that only eligible players are allowed to participate. Teams will be allowed two pickups from within their league and can replace any ineligible players with players from within their league. All rosters must be approved by their individual leagues and are subject to final approval by Ontario ISC personnel.

To affiliate your league with the 2005 ISC II Home League program, please contact Bob McGowan at 519.941.6767 (home) or 905.672.7473 (office) or jbob99@allstream.net (email).

Entries in the 2005 ISC II Ontario Cup will be limited to 16, including the host team. Berths will be provided on a first reply basis. We have already heard from several leagues, so don’t delay in confirming your affiliation with the Canada East ISC II Home League Program.

Posted in General, Leagues, Ontario | Comments Closed

Lots of ISC-II at GHFL.ca

Saturday, February 19th, 2005

From ISC II Commissioner, Blair Setford:

With the launch of GHFL.ca, in no small part due to the tremendous contributions of Jim Flanagan, I am hoping to duplicate, albeit on a smaller scale, the success of Fastpitchwest.com. Our focus will be on fastball in the hotbed of Ontario, particularly the ISC II brand of ball.

Most of the press in the game goes to the big boys – the teams and players that compete on the ISC World Tournament stage, at the Pan-Am Games and the quadrennial ISF World Series. And it should.

To borrow from the PGA – These guys are good. Nothing beats seeing the game of fastball played by the best players in the world. It’s a shame that we’ve never been able to successfully translate that poetry on grass to the television screens across North America. (More on that in a future guest column.)

But for every team competing at the ISC World Tournament, there are probably five, maybe 10, maybe 25 or even 50 teams that don’t have budgets the size of small Caribbean islands who play for the love of the game and the purity of the competition.

It was for these guys that the ISC II division was started a few years back and it’s where my passion for the game comes from. These players are the unheralded stalwarts of the game who are keeping it alive in all four corners of North America.

And, yes, these guys are good, too. They can run and hit and catch and make plays that will take your breath away. Only it’s not every play, and the imperfections in the game make one appreciate the gems sometimes a little more.

So, what can you expect at GHFL.ca? First you’ll get coverage of the Golden Horseshoe Fastball League. Beyond that, we’ll provide regular updates on the Ontario Top 10 Intermediate Teams, polls on the best hitters and pitchers, the best bats, the top parks to play in and much, much more.

Rumours and rankings are your thing? Log into the GHFL.ca forums and talk all you want about who’s the best and why. If you’ve got a hot scoop, pass it along.

We’re going to experiment with posting video and audio clips during the year along with still pix. Now, unless Maddy and Jim move to Toronto in the next three months, we’re not going to have anything along the lines of the beautiful galleries of photos that Maddy regularly graces us with, but we’ll try to post some new stuff every couple of weeks.

Lastly, tell us what you’d like to see on GHFL.ca. More polls? More rankings? More outside-Ontario material? More tournament coverage? More league coverage? GHFL.ca is literally in its infancy and the direction it takes as it grows is going to be determined by you, the readers. Please voice your opinion. We’ll be listening.

Cheers,

Blair Setford
GHFL.ca

Posted in Ontario, Websites | Comments Closed

Final Ontario Top 10 Intermediate Rankings

Tuesday, October 5th, 2004

Congratulations to the Harriston Mercury’s tournament team finishing on top of the year-end Ontario Top 10 Intermediate Rankings. With nearly all leagues having finished their 2004 season and/or reported their results, this the final Ontario Top 10 Intermediate Ranking for 2004.

As always, current ranking is listed first, followed by previous ranking in brackets. Thanks to everyone for their comments, whether you agreed or disagreed, the list has always been about getting people talking about the Intermediate (ISC II) game.

Best regards,
Blair Setford
ISC II Commissioner

1 (7) Harriston Mercury’s – The tournament team won the ISC II Tournament of Champions, and was third at the Intermediate eliminations – going to Chippewa Falls as two-time defending ISC II champs.

2 (5) Tavistock Merchants – Finalist at the ISC II ToC and finalist in South Perth playoffs to Sebringville, and have automatic berth to Chippewa Falls.

3 (9) Port Elgin Blue Devils – Won the Eastern Canadian B; won the Ontario ISC II Challenge Cup and will be going to Chippewa Falls next year.

4 (-) Woodstock Kelsey’s – Won the Tri-County league playoff, sweeping Norwich Razorbacks.

5 (-) Micksburg Twins – Won Upper Ottawa Valley league and several tournaments in Eastern Ontario – will they play ISC II next year?

6 (4) Norwich Razorbacks – Finished tied for 5th at ISC II ToC, finalist to Woodstock Kelsey’s in Tri-County league.

7 (-) Glencoe Astros – Won the St. Thomas league championship.

8 (-) Hamilton Hawks – Won the Golden Horseshoe and Waterdown league championships and a Top 10 finish at NAFA A Major.

9 (2) Kemptville Thunder – Top-ranked team for much of the season, went 3-2 at ISC II ToC.

10 (3) Alvinston Indians – Finalist in St. Thomas league championship after disappointing ISC II ToC.

Honourable mentions:
Aurora Leghorns – In the Oshawa league finals after eliminating the very tough Toronto Champion Indians.

Aylmer Cardinals – Top 10 finish at NAFA AA.

Bridgeport Braves – Third in the South Perth league.

Claremont Rebels – In the Oshawa league finals.

Fisherville A’s – Finished second in NAFA A Major.

Ingersoll Centennials – Finalist to Port Elgin at the Ontario ISC II Challenge Cup.

Niagara Snappers – Finalist in Golden Horseshoe and third at Ontario ISC II Challenge Cup.

Stouffville Mennos – Won the Intermediate eliminations, but had tough weekend at the Eastern Canadian A. Lost to Claremont in Oshawa league playoffs.

New to the Top 10
4 Woodstock Kelsey’s
5 Micksburg Twins
7 Glencoe Astros
8 Hamilton Hawks

Dropping out of the Top 10
1 Stouffville Mennos
6 St. Mary’s Gunners
8 Highgate Rock
10 Niagara Snappers

Congratulations to various league champions:
Caledonia Sox – Won the Erie league
Kanata Team Easton – Won the Kemptville league
Kingston Cowboys – Won the Loughborough league
Kitchener Phoenix – Won the Kitchener Fastball League
Vasey Countrymen – Won the Simcoe Rural league
Mississauga Chiefs – Won the Mississauga league
Niagara Falls Central Collision – Won the Niagara Falls league
Owen Sound Crunch – Won the Blue Water league
Sebringville Sting – Won the South Perth league
Seeley’s Bay – Won the North Leeds league

Posted in Ontario, Rankings, Teams | Comments Closed

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