2016 Oakville A's Preview
4/18/2016by Marc Walton

Key Arrivals:

 

Kyle Westwater: Kyle returns for the 2016 season after a brief departure from the game in 2015. Kyle finished his rookie campaign with the Oakville A’s hitting .375 with a double, a triple, 11 RBI, and eight runs scored in just 64 at-bats. Kyle, a catcher by trade, will provide infield depth and bring a potent bat back to an already dangerous lineup.

 

Nicolas Burnell: Nic enters his first season with the Oakville A’s senior team after spending the 2015 season with the Brantford Red Sox of the Intercounty Baseball League. Nic is a middle infielder who can play both positions up the middle, as well as provide depth at third base.

 

Denver Carter: Denver Carter, an Oakville A’s Jr. graduate, enters his rookie campaign with the senior A’s. Carter is a member of the University of Guelph Baseball program where he finished the 2015 season throwing 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts and two saves to earn himself the Reliever of the Year award. Denver will provide much needed help in the rotation, as well as the bullpen as he can both start and close games.

 

Nathan Lewko: Nathan is a member of the Northwood University Timberwolves out of Midland Michigan, as well as a recent graduate of the Ontario Terriers 18U baseball program. Nathan is a 6’2” RHP that will provide depth to the A’s pitching staff, as well as the corner infield positions. Coming from the Terriers baseball program, Nathan knows what it takes to win and be a successful baseball team/teammate, and will look help the A’s reach their goal of a championship.

 

Returning Rookies:

 

Rookie of The Year Alex Kupchak returns for his second year after posting excellent numbers during his rookie campaign. "Kup" finished ’15 slashing .345/.403/.534 with a team high five home runs, 23 RBI, 25 runs scored, while clubbing seven doubles to earn himself ROY honors.

 

Brad Hill entered his first season with the A’s in 2015, and immediately began making an impact hitting at the top of the lineup. However, injuries to his hamstrings slowed him down as he was forced to miss time with two separate stints on the DL. Despite the injuries, Hill still slashed an impressive .357/.455/.393 with two doubles, 15 RBI, 15 runs scored, and four stolen bases in just 20 games played. Hill, back healthy, will look to build on a successful rookie season with the A’s as they make their push to a league championship.

 

Catcher Pat Griffin, brother of former A’s catcher Matt Griffin, is back for his second season with the A’s as he will look to guide the pitching staff through the long C.O.B.A. season. Griff suffered a hand injury to his glove hand late in the season, which forced him to miss the Elimnations and part of the regular season. Now healthy, Pat is hungry to handle an improved A's pitching staff.

 

RHP Matt Reagan and LHP Michael Vanderlaan are both returning for the ’16 season. Reagan, an SP and OF, had a successful rookie season that saw him finish 4-3 with 44 stirkeouts and a 4.50 ERA in 72 innings pitched, while also slashing .367/.473/.367 in 22 games as an outfielder. Big Lefty Michael Vanderlaan will look to build on his 2015 season where he finished with a 5-6 record with 45 strikeouts and a 4.15 ERA in 56.1 innings pitched. Both players will be crucial to the teams success as they are cemented into a rotation looking to go deep in both the Eliminations and the playoffs.

 

The Oakville A’s enter the 2016 season looking to build on a successful turnaround ’15 season that saw the A’s finish with a 13-15 record, good enough for second in the Ken Johnson Division. The A’s started last year going 5-2 in their first seven games, however they hit a rough patch dropping their next six games. The A’s suffered injuries to some key players during the season which forced the A’s to scramble at times to fill the holes. The A’s saw some success in tournament play, most notably the Vaughan tournament where they entered on short notice as well with a short bench. With just 10 players committed, the A’s went 4-1 in the tournament with four pitchers forced to throw complete games during their victories. However, with no pitching left, the A’s fell to the Etobicoke rangers in game five, ending their Cinderella run.

 

With a healthy squad entering the 2016 season, as well as additions to the roster, the A’s are better equipped to handle any injuries or missed time as they have players to fill any hole on the diamond. On paper, the A’s look like a team that is primed to make a run at a league championship as well as a deep run in the Eliminations tournament. If everything clicks and everyone commits, Oakville will be a team to be feared. How far they go will depend on how bad they want it.

 

Go A’s!