FREDERICTON, N.B. - The Charlottetown Gaudet's Auto Body Islanders have been granted a one-year leave of absence from the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League, but their players are eligible to play in the four-team league this season.
Baseball New Brunswick has confirmed that, league president Tom O'Reilly of Saint John said Monday.
The team closest to P.E.I. - the reigning champion Moncton Fisher Cats - have first dibs on players, followed by the Chatham Miramichi Honda Ironmen, Saint John Alpines and Fredericton Peterbilt DQ Royals.
Fisher Cats general manager Jody Cole said he planned to contact two P.E.I. veterans, Jordan Stevenson and Brody McDonald, on Monday night.
Stevenson led the league with seven wins, was chosen all-star right-handed pitcher and hit .390 - third in the batting race. McDonald, a crafty lefty, had a 2.05 earned run average - also third overall.
Cole said any Islanders added would also be eligible to play for the Fisher Cats at the 2018 senior nationals in August in Victoria, B.C.
"As long as they're registered in our league, they're eligible to play in nationals," Cole said. "It's no different than (Jeff) Watkin in Chatham last year. He's from Ontario, but he's registered to play in New Brunswick so he's eligible to play for New Brunswick."
That said, Cole said Island players "can't just stay in P.E.I. and then sign with us for nationals. But Charlottetown is still part of our league. Until they fold or tell us they're not coming back to our league for sure, those players aren't considered imports."
The Islanders had a 4-14 record in mid-July last summer, but won eight of their final 14 games before being swept 3-0 by the Fisher Cats in the first round.
Charlottetown struggled to get players out most of the season and, in fact, had to add head coach Keith Craswell to the lineup as a player on five occasions.
O'Reilly said all four teams have inquired about the availability of Islanders, so he's asked Craswell to "canvas his players to find out who definitely wants to come to play in New Brunswick this summer."
Any player added would have to play 10 regular season games to be eligible for league playoffs, O'Reilly said.
The five teams played each other eight times. The revised 32-game schedule will see Moncton-Chatham and Fredericton-Saint John play an extra home-and-home series against each other.
The Fisher Cats have already secured two imports in Steven Johnson, a right-handed pitcher who can also hit, and returning all-star outfielder Lance VanNoy, who hit .375 with 19 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
The 27-year-old Johnson, who hails from Chico, Calif., played the past two seasons in Austria.
The schedule starts Victoria Day weekend with a pair of 2 p.m. contests. The Royals visit the Alpines on May 19, then the Fisher Cats host the Ironmen the next afternoon.
Written by Bill Hallihan of The Daily Gleaner
