Thunder gear up for national title defence
According to the players, the success story that is the Tecumseh Thunder begins at the top.
“Jamie Kell our manager — and he’s the president of the organization as well — has really taken his time to put together a good quality roster, whether it’s building players throughout the organization locally, or attracting them from outside,” Tecumseh outfielder Paul Lamantia said. “It starts with him from top down.”
That’s where it begins and Fredericton is where it continues, as the Thunder prepare to defend the Canadian Senior Men’s baseball title they won last year.
Pooled in the same group with Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland and New Brunswick, Tecumseh begins defence of its crown in the New Brunswick capital on Thursday at 9 a.m. against Newfoundland.
The Maritimes provinces have been good to the Thunder. Last year, Tecumseh beat Quebec 4-1 in the Canadian championship game at Miramichi, N.B. In 2014, the Thunder lost the Canadian title game to the Langley, B.C. Blaze in St. John’s, N.L.
The Thunder have picked up the baton of local men’s baseball supremacy and run with it, following the path first laid down by the Windsor Chiefs and continued by the Windsor Stars.
“It’s almost a paradigm shift from when the Stars were winning all those titles,” Lamantia said. “Now we’re doing it locally. It’s in our own backyard for a lot of us. You have good success and it just builds from there.
“More people want to come and join in on what’s happening.”
Today a Tecumseh resident, Lamantia played his youth baseball with the Windsor Selects.
“I’m kind of one of the outsiders,” Lamantia said. “There’s a core of 1992-aged players and they’re very proud of that. They call themselves the 92s. They’ve stuck together through the organization. They’ve come up all the way. They’re probably the nucleus of the team.”
Lamantia was convinced by good friend Kevin Mailloux to join the Thunder after playing four seasons of Inter County baseball in London.