Remember who you are and where you come from; otherwise, you don't know where you are going. 
                                                                                    

Karolina Kurkova

Although they were now very young (12 players were at or under the age of 21) and inexperienced, the new-look Metros had their numbers back up to 19, and began the preparations for competing in their 27th C.O.M.B.L. season.  But both Mother Nature and especially the "injury-bug" struck...and struck hard, forcing the Metros to make more roster changes later in the season.  In the meantime, the Metros were ready to "let the games begin"!  But the season got stuck in the mud...literally. 

As mentioned, the weather during the month and a half from mid-April to the end of May was the worst ever witnessed in the team's long history.  Every team in the league was hit hard by the carnage left behind by the heavy rains that fell on 31 of 40 days during this period.  It got so bad that on two different occasions in May, the City of St. Catharines closed all the parks (baseball, softball, soccer...all of them) for 5 days, to allow the playing fields to dry out.  All told, the Metros scheduled 15 practices or games during this 6 week stretch (7 practices and 8 games) and were on the field just 4 times!  In other words, 73% of everything the team tried to do was to no avail.  Like we said, that is unprecedented.

The month of May ended with two more rainouts and a lackluster doubleheader at home, against the Etobicoke Rangers.  In game 1, the Metros scored 3 late runs but early control problems from the pitching staff left the deficit at one run too many, and they lost 6-5.  In game 2, a couple of early errors saw the home team trailing again, but this time the rally was enough to tie...but that's all.  The Metros had the winning run at 2nd base with nobody out in the 7th but couldn't bring him home, as the game ended up 4-4.  That second game was significant for another reason, as Metros' starter, Dustin Turner, went 4 innings and allowed 0 runs and 2 hits, while striking out 6.  Of significance was that it would be the last game the Metros' "ace" would pitch in 2011...if not the rest of his career!  More on that in a bit.  The month of May ended with Niagara holding an unimpressive record of  1-2-1.  But June was just around the corner, and things promised to get better...or would they? 

The next 2 1/2 weeks of the Metros' 2011 season (from June 1 to June 17) will henceforth be known as, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly".  What a roller-coaster ride!  Here's a small sampling of what we mean...

The Good - On June 2, Metros' pitcher Rob Nixon, returns home from school (having recently been crowned a 2nd-team All-American at Adelphi University) and takes the mound for a home game against the Oakville A's.  He proceeds to pitch a 9-inning complete game 7-hitter, with 12 K's, and allows no earned runs, as the Metros won 10-4.  Four days later, righthander Geoff Strong matches Nixon, as he goes 6 innings and allows 0 runs and just 2 hits (with 12 strikeouts), as Niagara knocks off Glanbrook 9-4.  The back-to-back wins puts Niagara over the .500 mark, at 3-2-1.  

The Bad - Over the next 2 weeks the Metros learned that they had lost 4!! (four) pitchers from their staff.  As alluded to earlier, Dustin Turner (who had had on-again, off-again elbow troubles since College) announced that he had done some serious damage to that elbow during the Etobicoke game on May 28th.  He had no choice but to "shut it down" for the year...and maybe beyond.  Then T.J. Tavender, who had given the Metros a nice inning of relief during the win in Brampton, reported that his shoulder had been in pain since that night.  His doctor said that he had suffered a significant injury, and was to rest and rehab the shoulder for at least 6 weeks.  Four days later, youngster Geordan Dennahower, who had tossed two nice innings of relief in the Glanbrook game, said that his arm was sore and was under orders from his doctor to stop throwing for at least a month.  Finally, on June 9th, as mentioned earlier, the Metros did, in fact, lose Rob Nixon for the rest of the year.  Although we've listed the story under the "Bad" category (due to the effect of his loss to the Metros) it really was a fantastic story, that the Metros were proud to have played a small part in.  The 22 year-old Welland native (and former Metros star in 2008) was taken in the 46th round of the MLB first-year player draft, by the Cleveland Indians.  He left on June 13th, heading for Mahoning Valley in the New York Penn League, and leaving his one outstanding start the prior week as his only Metros' appearance of the year.

The Ugly - Four straight losses...all of which could be classified as "ugly", rounded out the middle part of June.  Here are some of the lowlights:  a 6-0 loss in Mississauga, as the Twins scored all their runs in the first 3 innings and coasted home.  Niagara managed just 4 hits in the game, and spoiled a scoreless 3-inning relief outing by Brandon Beattie.  Two nights later, the game that will go down in infamy as "The Nightmare at Community Park"...a 20-15 loss to the Erindale Cardinals.  We'll talk about Evan Baglieri's record-setting game shortly, but before that we have to report that during this embarrassing loss, Niagara pitchers combined to allow 19 hits and 13 walks...while the defense committed 6 errors, to hand Erindale 8 unearned runs.  Not done yet...on June 12th the team mailed in a 9-3 loss to the Glanbrook Grizzlies.  This time, Niagara made all their mistakes in the 3rd inning...leading to 7 runs (4 unearned), as the Grizz avenged their earlier loss.  Finally, the Milton Red Sox came to town on June 16th, and again Niagara looked terrible, as they trailed 11-1 through 6 innings, before making the final score a more respectable 11-5.  

On June 18th, the turning point in the Metros' season happened.  The team was scheduled to play a doubleheader at home against the red-hot Brampton Battlecats (who had won 4 of their previous 5 games to take the Andrews Division lead) and instead of the regular pre-game batting practice ritual, the Metros held their first full practice of the season.  Whether this fact played a part in the outcome of these 2 pivotal games, no one can say, but the Metros played inspired ball, and rallied from way down...twice...to win 14-11, and 8-7.  In game 1, Niagara found themselves down 9-3 after 3 innings, before scoring 5, 5, and 1 in each of the last 3 innings.  Game 2 saw a similar outcome, as the Metros trailed 6-2 in the 5th...only to come back with 3 in the bottom of the 5th and 3 in the 6th, before hanging on to an 8-7 win.  As the scores would indicate, the club was hitting at a record-setting pace, with Baglieri continuing his torrid assault on C.O.M.B.L. pitchers.  In the twinbill, "Bags" collected 6 more RBI's on a single, 3 doubles, and a massive HR that hit the top of the "batter's eye" in straight away CF.  But it wasn't just Baglieri that was doing the damage.  Teenagers Taylor Anderson (4 hits), Anthony Vacca (3 RBI's), and Ricky Ferri (2 hits) were "starting to figure it out", as well.  Throw in 2 HR's (including a Grand Slam) by veteran Andrew Sorochan, and all the pistons seemed to be firing on offense.  On June 20, Niagara produced a well-played, albeit losing 5-3 effort against the Oakville A's in Oakville.  The team seemed to be playing better, and thoughts of "being competitive" were starting to creep into the heads of many of the young Metros' players.  But how would the youngsters fare at the Provincial level in a tournament format?  They would find out later that week in Strathroy. 

But when they returned to C.O.M.B.L. play, some of the same issues that the team had faced earlier in the season resurfaced.  With recent season-threatening injuries to Neil Campbell (leg) and Justin Parro (shoulder), Metros' GM Mark Walters realized he needed to shore up some more holes in the roster.  Enter another youngster, Kamil Oubayan, who had just returned from an extended run to the JUCO World Series in Texas, as a member of the Erie Community College Kats.  Oubayan just happened to be attending the game (a 7-6 win over Burlington at Community Park) on June 30th, which is the final day for teams to sign players to their rosters.  At 11:15, a scant 45 minutes before the official deadline, the Metros signed the 19 year-old infielder, and their roster was now set.  But, set roster or not, Niagara's inconsistency was the only thing that was consistent, as they dropped an ugly July 3rd doubleheader on the road versus Glanbrook by scores of 12-5 and 6-3.  Then, after leading throughout the game Niagara committed two late errors leading to 4 unearned runs, as the good guys lost a tough one, 6-5 to Erindale.  Another ugly 12-10 loss against the Mississauga Twins on July 12 had them wondering which Metros team would show up for the 7th Annual "Hap" Walters Tournament, later that week.  As it turned out, they would get a look at both versions.  

So, with their expectations firmly in check, the young Metros headed down the highway to Windsor to play in (for many of them) their first Elimination Tournament.  And much to the team's credit, they played one of their best series of games all season long...when it mattered the most...and came away with a 2-2 record and some re-established self-respect.  Game 1, like at the Strathroy tourney six weeks earlier, was the "Geoff Strong Show".  The 23 year-old righthander shut out the powerful and veteran-laiden East York Bulldogs 1-0, holding them to 4 singles in the process.  The Metros' ace struck out 4 and walked none, allowing just one Bulldog to reach 3rd base in the contest.  The Metros combined their only 2 hits (from Chris Pickles and Ricky Ferri) with an East York error, before Anthony Vacca's bases-loaded walk scored the only run of the game. 

In game 2, the Metros found themselves up against the Markham Mariners, whom they had edged in a close game during the Strathroy Tourney.  Niagara knew the Mariners would throw one of their twin aces, Brad Binns or Steve Horsley and indeed, drew righthander Horsley.  Niagara countered with young Brian Kusey, who had handcuffed Markham six weeks earlier.  And in one of the best games all year, the two teams matched the same score that they produced in Strathroy.  But unfortunately the 4-3 decision went to the Mariners this time.  Although he allowed 10 hits, Kusey scattered them well, and in fact, he held a 3-1 lead into the 5th inning.  But Markham scored two in the 5th, and one in the 6th to eke out the close decision.  Jono Marcheterre collected 2 hits, while Taylor Anderson came up with a big (at the time) 2-out, 2-run single in the 3rd, to put Niagara ahead. 

With their backs against the wall, the Metros now had the unenviable task of going into Lacasse Park in Tecumseh, to take on the Thunder.  Over the past 10 years or so, beating the Tecumseh Thunder at Lacasse was nearly impossible as the Metros knew first hand...having been victimized 3 times themselves over that span.  But one of the positives of having such a young and inexperienced team, is the fact that the kids didn't know that...or if they did, they didn't seem to care.  Either way, Niagara came out and scored 8 runs in the first inning en route to a 12-5 win.  The Metros pounded out 17 hits, including 2 HR's and a double by Andrew Sorochan, 4 singles by Ricky Ferri, a HR, double and 4 RBI's by Evan Baglieri, and a double and 2 singles by Taylor Anderson.  Meanwhile on the mound, Chris Pickles continued to frustrate the Thunder by giving up 9 hits (many of them being hard hit liners) but only 4 runs, as he tossed the complete-game victory.  The win over Tecumseh moved Niagara into Sunday's "round of eight"...the first time the Metros had made it to Sunday since 2008. 

There would be no miracles this time, however.  The Metros took the field against the Newmarket Hawks (eventual semi-finalists) and the Hawks (who went into the weekend ranked 3rd) ended the Metros' weekend with a hard-fought 8-5 victory. Manager Hedden elected to start Jonathan Paul, who had not made a start in Senior ball since 2007.  Hoping to recapture some magic from J.P.'s remarkable 2003 to '07 years, Hedden figured that his best shot was with his former ace who, despite suffering with arm issues for 5 years, said that he would "give it a go".  J.P. made the call look brilliant as he went 3 2/3 innings and allowed just 2 hits while striking out 4, but 2 costly errors led to 3 unearned runs...an obstacle that neither Jon nor the Metros could overcome.  Dan Proctor had a pair of hits in this one, while Paul tried to help his own cause with a 2-run double, and despite scoring 3 late runs, the Niagara Metros came up short. 

While the team was disappointed with the fact that they didn't advance any further, in retrospect they were very happy with their tournament.  Coming into the weekend as the 18th-ranked team, Niagara finished in a tie for 9th (beating 2 very strong teams in the process), and as mentioned made it to Sunday for the first time in 3 years.  Hedden and Walters were pleased that they had exceeded expectations, and had given themselves a solid foundation on which to build in future Elimination Tournaments.  Next up, it was back to the C.O.M.B.L. to finish up the regular season. 

There has always been a bit of a letdown after the Elims.  The build-up and excitement of playing a tournament at that level is a tough thing to come back down to earth from.  And the 2011 Metros were no different from many of their predesessors in that respect.  Niagara lost their first 3 games after their return to the C.O.M.B.L. wars...6-5 to Glanbrook, 5-4 to Etobicoke, and 10-5 to Burlington.  While the team wasn't playing very well, there were some highlights.  In the Glanbrook game, Baglieri crushed his 13th home run of the season, tying the All-Time Metros record set by Hall-of-Famer Frank Keltos in 1992.  With the same hit he collected his 60th RBI, extending his own record in that category (the previous record of 55 by Keltos having been broken during Elims).  In the Etobicoke game, Ricky Ferri (who had been red-hot at the top of the Metros batting order for over a month) collected 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs, and 2 SB's.  His hits improved his BA to .350, his walks improved his provincial leading total to 34, his runs put him at 40 (tied for the Ontario lead) and his stolen bases gave him 20, to also take over the lead in the province.  He would later be rewarded with recognition and awards for his efforts.  In the Burlington game, Anthony Vacca collected 2 RBI's to put him over the 30 mark...the first Metros' rookie to reach that milestone since Ronnie French in 1994.  Niagara finally broke out of their mini-slump with an 11-7 win over the Brants in game 2 of a home-and-home set.  Geoff Strong won his 4th, while Brandon Beattie (who had been very consistent in the closer's role for 6 weeks) picked up his 4th save.  After a doubleheader split with Milton in the old Campbellville ballpark, and an exciting come-from-behind victory over the Oakville A's in Oakville, the Metros' regular season was over.  They finished up with a final mark of 11-16-1, and although the team had incurred many ups and downs during the year, the team seemed ready to move on to the playoffs.  

And those playoffs opened on Thursday August 17th, as the league opted for a neutral site 2-weekend, double knockout tourney to decide their 2011 Playoff Champions.  It was a slightly different format from the previous year, because the C.O.M.B.L. playoff field was one team short...the Mississauga Twins having won their way to play at Nationals the same week.  On August 17th the Metros began their quest.  And in one of the most entertaining, and well-played games of the entire year, the team's 2-year nemesis, the Glanbrook Grizzlies, scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th and final inning to erase a 5-3 defecit, and send the Metros to defeat by a 6-5 count.  This all after Niagara scored 3 themselves in the top of the 7th to erase a 3-2 Glanbrook lead.  The winning run slid in under the Baglieri tag at the plate, after a 2-out single by winning pitcher Mike Grilli.  Suffering such a devastating loss would normally deflate most teams.  But the Metros came out 2 days later and played inspired ball, to come-from-behind and edge the Burlington Brants 5-4 (behind Brian Kusey's 4th win), before advancing to Sunday. And with Chris Pickles earning his 4th win as well, the Metros handed the Brampton Battlecats a 7-5 loss, ending the 'Cat's season.  Evan Baglieri, who had been walked intentionally 6 times in the first two playoff games, finally got a pitch to hit, versus Brampton, and deposited it beyond the trees in leftfield at Burlington's Nelson Park, for his 15th HR and 66th RBI.  Those would be the unbelievable numbers "Bags" would finish the season with.  Niagara was into the "Final 4"!

Joining the Metros in the "Final 4" were the always very tough crews from Milton, Glanbrook, and Oakville...all of whom had played very good ball the previous weekend.  Niagara met the Milton Red Sox in game 1, and once again, both teams played a great game.  In a fantastic pitching matchup, Milton's Ian Zettle bested Niagara's ace Geoff Strong, 2-1.  Zettle allowed just 5 hits and 1 walk, while Strong gave up 7 hits and 0 walks.  Geoff's 7 strikeouts brought his season total to 101, and he became only the 2nd Metros' pitcher to eclipse the 100 K mark, in the team's 27-year history.  The only other time that has happened was in 1986, when Chris Denison turned the trick with 104.  The loss versus the Red Sox put the good guys in the unenviable position of having to win 4 in a row over the next day and a half.  It didn't happen.  The young Metros played a poor final game of the year (while the Oakville A's were firing on all cylinders) and were hammered 10-0.  The long season was officially over.  The Milton Red Sox went on to win the title, as they defeated Glanbrook in the semis, and then a tired Oakville club in game two of the finals 8-0.    

Looking back on the roller-coaster ride that was the 2011 Metros season, the management and players feel relatively satisfied.  It was a season in which the team overachieved almost from game 1 to game 44.  In what was a rebuilding year for a team that featured no less than 10 junior-aged players as regular contributors, the Metros competed all year long.  They won the Strathroy Tourney in June, made it to Sunday (for the first time in 4 years) at the Elimination Tourney in early August, and made it the the Final Four in the C.O.M.B.L. Playoffs.  It should also be mentioned here, that Metros' manager Kerry Hedden did an amazing job moulding these young players, from different backgrounds and systems, into one cohesive team.  The kids were eager to learn, but it was Hedden who worked with them (making sure they played the game the right way), and then got them to perform like players much more seasoned than they were.  Kerry's 11th year was his best year, as manager of the Metros.  By the way, the team's  final record of 20 wins, 23 losses, was the first sub-.500 record in the team's history.  But with the foundation of teaching laid, along with the experience that the players picked up along the way, 2011 also looks like a great place to start for a young team that should only improve over the next few years.

In the end, Evan Baglieri was awarded the league's M.V.P. trophy.  It was a great choice, as we've documented in this piece.  His record-setting numbers really were mind boggling...a .411 Batting average (.470 in league play, to win the league batting title, as well), while leading the team in doubles, HR's, total bases, RBI's, On Base Pct., and Slugging Pct.  He also threw out 11 of 29 potential base-stealers during the year...a 38% success rate.  Ricky Ferri had a great year too, and was voted by league managers as the league's Rookie of the Year, having batted .340, while leading the league in Runs, Walks, and Stolen Bases and playing great defence in CF.  In fact, the Metros finished with two .400 hitters (Baglieri, as well as rookie Taylor Anderson, who hit .407), and three (Ferri, Jono Marcheterre and Anthony Vacca) that broke the coveted .300 mark.  Ferri, Anderson and Baglieri were all named to the Year-end Johnson Division All-Star team.  In addition, the team's 27 home runs was the most they had hit in one season since the last year of aluminum bat baseball in 2000, when they crushed 34. Here are all of the final offensive numbers for the 2011 Niagara Metros: