Cubs returning to the diamond Monday

April 23, 2014 · 0 Comments

The Mansfield Cubs will be trying to improve their record this season when the North Dufferin Baseball League gets underway in May. The Cubs had a good showing last year, but ran into trouble in the middle when they hit a mid-season slump that dropped their record to the negative side. Even then, they weren’t losing by a big margin – they were getting squeezed out in a couple of bad innings in each game. The team roster lists 25 players who have signed up for 2014 and that includes many returning players who were on the squad last season. George Linger and Jess Ragazzon will again being doing coaching duties. The NDBL has 15 teams on the schedule for this season which includes the return of an Orangeville team. Orangeville didn’t field a squad last year after coming up short when trying to fill the roster. They are back this season with a new name – the Giants. The entire League will be looking to shut down the defending champion Bolton Brewers who have won the League title for five consecutive years and have made it clear they will be going for number six this season. The Cubs’ season will get underway with a road game on Monday, May 5, when they travel to Orangeville to take on the Giants at Princess of Wales Park. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Their home opener is scheduled for Sunday, May 11, when they will host the Orillia Majors at the diamond in Mansfield. The game is scheduled underway at 2 p.m. If the season is anything like last year, the farm behind left field can expect to receive quite a few balls that are knocked over the fence during play.

By Brian Lockhart