Little action moves closer to behind plate
Thunder’s starting pitching so good that reliever plays catcher to get game action
Jesse Carriere could be a dual threat for the Tecumseh Thunder at this weekend’s Ontario senior baseball elimination tournament.
The 25-year-old had been the team’s closer since joining the Thunder in 2015, but this season, instead of putting it over the plate, he’s moved behind the plate as one of the squad’s catchers.
“I caught in college most of my life,” said Carriere, who attends Notre Dame College in Ohio. “After school, I took two years off and came back and (Tecumseh) already had like three catchers. I didn’t want to be the fourth catcher.”
He served as the team’s closer, but saw little action a year ago when the Thunder captured its third straight provincial title.
“Our starting pitching, especially at last year’s elimination, I only needed to come into one game and I was the only (reliever) to come into a game,” said Carriere, who watched Thunder starters allow just nine runs in seven games a year ago.
Strathroy will host this year’s tournament, but games will be held in St. Thomas and London. Thunder manager Jamie Kell is hoping to use Carriere as the closer again, but he also hopes to do some catching.
“I think I missed the hitting most and at catcher you’re still conditioning your arm to throw,” the five-foot-11, 190-pound Carriere said. “Honestly, the way I look at it, I just want to win. So whatever’s needed.”
Tecumseh will open play Friday at 10 a.m. against Sarnia. Two other area teams are also set to compete. The Windsor Stars open against Pickering at 1 p.m., while Windsor Athletic Association faces Bolton at 11:45 a.m. in the double-knockout tournament.
Tecumseh’s quest for a fourth straight title will be a little more challenging with Paul Lamantia and Ryan LaPensee having retired.
“Having those bats out of the lineup is one of the big challenges along with the leadership they bring,” Kell said.
Tecumseh will still be dominant on the mound with starters Joel Pierce, Brandon Lindquist, Shane Courtney, junior graduate Webber Snow along with Connor Soulliere, Alex Murphy, Eric Carducci, Ben Baltrusiunas and Matt Van Buskirk.
“It has been probably the biggest year of struggling to get a consistent package of players out at a game,” Kell said. “No doubt, when we get a full lineup out there and every position filled and starters in that tournament, these guys have a switch that a lot of guys don’t have.”
The senior tournament is one of four championships being staged across the province starting Friday, including the Riverside Minor Baseball Association hosting the 18-team peewee elimination tournament.
Riverside opens play at 5 p.m. against Oakville at Riverside Baseball Park, while the Windsor Stars will face Guelph at Tecumseh’s Carling Park at 2 p.m.
The Windsor Junior Selects are in Oshawa looking to defend the club’s Ontario junior elimination title. Windsor opens play in the 22-team tournament against St. Thomas at 12:30 p.m., while the Tecumseh Thunder will face Brantford at 12:30 p.m.
The 22-team bantam elimination tournament is in Mississauga. The Windsor Selects open play at 1 p.m. against Toronto, while Riverside will meet Scarborough at 1 p.m.
The Tecumseh Thunder won the midget elimination tournament last month. jpparker@postmedia.com twitter.com/winstarparker