After spending many years wallowing in mediocrity, the Carleton Ravens men’s baseball team is now making its mark on the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association (CIBA).
For the first time in over 15 years, the Ravens will have a chance to bring home a championship ring when they travel to Moncton, N.B. for the CIBA national championship Oct. 21-23.
The men qualified for the competition by sweeping a three-game series with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Oct. 8.
The program’s improvement over the years has been “incredible,” according to team captain Blake Enzel.
“For [my] first time as a Raven, not only did we have a winning record, but we won more games this year than the previous two combined,” the veteran catcher said. “We’re going to the national championship . . . an idea that was once a pipe dream.”
Enzel credited a solid pitching staff as the catalyst for the impressive campaign.
“We have an incredibly deep pitching rotation. Our ace, Charlie Crabb, is almost unhittable when he’s on his A-game,” Enzel said.
Crabb’s talents were on full display over the weekend, as he gave up just a single run en route to a 3-1 victory in the opening game of the series.
In what Enzel called an “incredibly intense” game two, the Ravens’ bats came out to play. Outfielder Evan Hammond got things started in the first inning, hitting a two-run homer to put the Ravens on top early. With the score tied at two in the bottom of the sixth, shortstop Steve Renaud broke the game open with a clutch double, driving in two runs in the process.
On the back of that hit, the Ravens went on to win 5-3.
The fact that the win came at the expense of their rival, the Gee-Gees, is sweet, Enzel said, but it’s not the most thrilling aspect of things.
“It’s always nice to beat your cross-town rival,” he said. “But to be honest, we’ve taken so many steps this year to resurrecting Carleton baseball towards becoming relevant again. It’s incredibly exciting.”
Before Enzel and company travel to New Brunswick for the big tournament, they will take on the Concordia University Stingers in a bid to claim the CIBA Northern Division title Oct. 15.
Regardless of the outcome from this three-game series, the Ravens have earned their ticket to Moncton by virtue of the victory over Ottawa.
But that ticket will be an expensive one.
Without varsity status, the team doesn’t receive full funding from the university to cover things such as travel expenses. Enzel said they will do their best in the coming weeks to raise the necessary funds for the long trip to the East Coast.
“Getting to Moncton is going to cost our team a lot of money,” he said. “We’re planning a big fundraiser before we leave, so anyone interested in supporting the baseball Ravens should stay tuned for the date.”
Enzel also said this edition of the Ravens shouldn’t be a one-hit wonder. A young foundation has been laid for the team to be competitive in the future, he said.
“This team has been adding pieces since I’ve started,” Enzel said. “It’s very likely that there will only be one graduating player, so returning the majority of a talented team sets us up for a repeat of this year’s success.”
– See more at: http://charlatan.ca/2011/10/ravens-baseball-team-headed-nationals/#sthash.k2Q08bA9.dpuf
Semi-finalists at Nationals