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The St. Catharines Metros are very pleased to announce
that Tim Collins will be back for his 3rd season with the club, in 2009. The 27 year old infielder has played at the
highest levels of baseball in Ontario for more than 10 years. The Peterborough native played all of his minor ball in
that city until 1999, when he capped off his minor career with an OBA Midget "AA" Championship. In 2000, he became the
starting shortstop with Team Ontario, a position that he held for 2 years. In 2004, the opportunity presented itself,
to go to Austria for the summer and play in the Austrian Elite League, one of the top baseball leagues in Europe. Tim,
batting in the middle of the Kufstein Vikings lineup, helped his team win the Austrian National Championship. This
performance opened some eyes in Europe, and before he knew it, (in part because Tim's dad has dual citizenship) Tim became
a regular starter with the British National Team. In September '07, Tim had perhaps his best experience in his baseball
career...representing Great Britain at the European Baseball Championships in Barcelona, Spain. In the week-long event,
Tim went 5 for 22 (.227) with 2 Runs, 1 RBI and 2 Stolen Bases. He posted a very solid .370 On Base Pct. for the Brits,
who had their best finish ever at the Championships...winning the silver medal. After playing a couple of seasons (2005
and 2006) for the Peterbourough River Dogs of the E.O.B.A.,Tim's job brought him to the Niagara area, where he landed with
the Metros. Needless to say, the coaching staff has been very impressed with Tim's vast array of skills. In his
first year, he led the Metros in 9 categories, including Games, At Bats, Hits, Stolen Bases, and Runs, while in 2008,
he continued his fine play adding 38 hits and 24 runs, to go with his .304 BA. And that's not to mention his outstanding
defensive work in the middle infield positions. Welcome back, Tim...the Metros are confident that 2009 will be your
best year yet!
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