Holland College veteran infielder Dillon Doucette says the team is looking to build off last year’s national final appearance. The Hurricanes are in Oshawa, Ont., for the nationals today.
The Holland College Hurricanes baseball team is travelling to Oshawa, Ont., for the Canadian College National Invitational Baseball Championship, hosted by the Durham College Lords.
The tournament is set to begin today, with the playoffs set for Saturday.
The ‘Canes first game is set for today at 8 p.m. against the Fanshawe College Falcons from London, Ont. The Falcons were the OCAA silver medalists this year.
The ‘Canes will then play two games on Friday, the first at 10 a.m. against the John Abbott College Islanders from Montreal, Que., and their second taking place at 8 p.m. against the host Lords.
The Islanders lost in the RSEQ semifinals, as did the Lords in the OCAA; the Lords lost to the eventual OCAA champions from the St. Clair College.
The Hurricanes expect to see Brady Arsenault start Game 1 on the mound while Logan Dowe and Colby Lyle are probable starters for Games 2 and 3.
The other two teams at the tournament are the St. Clair College Saints of Windsor, Ont., and the Humber College Hawks of Toronto, Ont.
Veteran infielder Dillon Doucette is ready to take advantage of the opportunity to play against the CCAA’s best.
“We look forward to the challenge ahead of us as we hope to build off of last season’s national final appearance,’’ Doucette said. “We have had great preparation up to this point so now it’s just a matter of executing our game plan and being ready when called upon.”
If necessary, a tiebreaker will be played at 10 a.m. on Saturday before two semifinals at 1 p.m. and eventually the national championship game at 6 p.m. to end the tournament.
The Hurricanes completed a 14-1 season at the regional level and enter the championship coming off of a national silver medal in 2015.
“We’re excited once again to compete for a national championship,’’ said third-year head coach Andrew MacNevin. “Our team is very grateful for this opportunity and we look to build quick momentum early on and utilize our roster depth to go deep into this tournament.’’
