A parade of lefties to the plate

P.E.I. Juniors feature a mainly left-handed batting lineup entering new N.B. league season

If you’re a left-handed pitcher you might get a call from the teams in the New Brunswick Junior Baseball League when facing the P.E.I. Junior Islanders.

That’s because of 21 potential hitters, 15 bat from the left side, so Islanders head coach Dave MacIsaac expects the teams to throw as many southpaws at the Islanders as possible. And on the other side, all of the Juniors pitchers are right-handers.

“It’s a funny kind of team. We’re predominately lefthanded. But our left-handed hitters have seen a steady diet of lefties so they should be used to it,” said MacIsaac. “Usually the teams don’t have an overabundance of lefties. They save them for us. There’s a difference. I don’t think there would be a platoon situation in the major league if there wasn’t a difference.

The theory will be put to test Saturday as the Juniors host the Chatham Junior Ironmen in a doubleheader beginning

at noon at Memorial Field in Charlottetown.

Porter Smith or Brett Hicken start in Game 1, depending on the schedule of Hicken who pitches Saturday morning, while Spencer Horne starts Game 2.

It’s the reality of junior baseball that some of the players, generally 16 to 21-years-old, work regular jobs on the weekends for spending money so lineups are adjusted.

Still there are games to play and MacIsaac, despite losing pitchers Bradley Arsenault and Colin Arsenault (8-4 combined last season) to graduation, is optimistic about the team which lost in the first round of the playoffs last year.

“I think we’ll have a pretty strong, deep lineup. Pretty much everyone is back. Our ace is Spencer Horne. We have a couple of big middle hitters in Darcy Affleck and Kyle Pinkson and we can balance (the lefties) with (right-handed hitters) Dominique Ryan and Logan Gallant,” said MacIssac.

As far as Chatham is concerned, MacIsaac is looking at getting a good start against last year’s regular season champs no doubt angry after a firstround playoff loss to eventual champ Metro Mudcats from Moncton, N.B. - the Islanders doubleheader opponent Monday in Moncton.

“I’m not 100 per cent sure they (Chatham) have a lot of changes. They have a really good all-around player in Blake Gallagher, their shortstop. And (when he’s pitching) I think he throws harder than anyone else in the league.”

Gallagher went 5-0 last season from the mound and batted .389 with two home runs and 19 RBIs in 21 games.

Either Hicken or Smith start in Game 1 against Metro at noon, depending on who starts Saturday, while Matt Barlow starts Game 2 versus the Mudcats.

The Juniors represent P.E.I. at the national men’s under-21 baseball championship in August in Gatineau, Que.