OBA player of the year honors went to Joe Kuin, above, Joel Pierce and Tecumseh Thunder taking the top awards

By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Joel Pierce threw his final pro pitch for the rookie-class Helena Brewers in the Pioneer League in 2012.

Now, some guys come home from pro ball so bitter at being released they never pick up a bat or a ball again.

Pierce may have been bitter at being released by the Milwaukee Brewers, but he quickly became better.

He improved to earn a spot with the Les Capitales de Quebec of the independent Can-Am League in 2014. And he is still dominating.

Joe Kuin of the Peterborough Chemong Family Dental Tigers won the Baseball Ontario player of the year peewee and down, while Pierce of the Tecumseh Thunder earned player of the year bantam and up at annual general meeting at the Horseshoe Valley Resort near Barrie 

The Thunder won its third straight OBA senior elimination title in August and later that month made it back-to-back national championships. Besides Pierce winning both player of the year, he also won the Fergie Jenkins pitcher of the year, while the Thunder earned OBA’s team of the year honors.

As for Kuin, the Barrie Red Sox picked him up after beating the Mississauga North Tigers 9-3 in Windsor to advance to the nationals along with the Brampton Royals in London, Ont.

Kuin singled and homered as Barrie opened with a 5-3 win over Nova Scotia, had a pair of hits in a 10-9 loss to London, managed two more in a 4-3 loss to Quebec, hit a solo homer and a single in a 9-8 loss to Saskatchewan and was hitless in a 10-4 loss to Alberta. Kuin also pitched two scoreless against Alberta striking out three.        

He led all hitters in the tourney batting .571 (8-for-14) with two solo homers and four stolen bases.

Kuin became the first Peterborough Baseball Association player to ever win at peewee and below. With the Peterborough Tigers, OBA AA champs under coach Ryan Hagerman. On the season, Kuin hit over .600 with 25 home runs and 75 RBIs. 

Normally a third baseman, he played everywhere and at the eliminations he had three wins batted over .700. In the championship game he was 3-for-3 with two doubles, a triple and three RBIs. That earned him an invite to the nationals from Barrie.

The team of the year often heads to Windsor -- to the Windsor Stars or the Windsor Selects or the Windsor Chiefs, but for manager Jamie Kell it was the Thunder’s first award in 20 years.  

Pierce went 12-0 on the season with a 1.32 earned-run average and won the opening game of the Ontario tournament as well as the championship final. 

At the nationals in Fredericton, he worked seven innings in the opener allowing four runs -- two earned -- striking out eight in a 5-4 win against Newfoundland and again started the final giving up three unearned runs in 5 2/3 innings. Billy (Hoover) Hurley (Mississauga) recorded the final four outs for a 4-3 win over Strathroy. Hurley saved the gold medal -- just as he did beating BC as a bantam.

Curtis Lamkin (Lakeshore) and Mitch Delaney (Lasalle, Ont.) homered for Tecumseh, while Taylor Castrillo (Sarnia) and AJ Reed (London) each homered for Strathroy.   

A seventh-round pick by the Brewers in 2010, Milwaukee sent Pierce to the Rookie-class Arizona League entry where he was 0-4 record and a 9.00 ERA. He fanned 27 and walked 12 in 27 innings. The next year he was at Helena were he had an 0-1 record with a 7.36 ERA walking 17 and striking out 22 in 25 2/3 innings.

2016 Award Winners
Fergie Jenkins Pitcher Of The Year Pee Wee & Down _ Cole Iantomasi, Whitby, EOBA
Fergie Jenkins Pitcher Of The Year Bantam & Up _ Joel Pierce, Windsor, SPBA
Player Of The Year Pee Wee & Down _ Joe Kuin, Peterborough, EOBA
Player Of The Year Bantam & Up _ Joel Pierce, Windsor, SPBA

Team Of The Year _ Tecumseh Thunder, SPBA
Association Of The Year, York-Simcoe. 

Coach Of The Year PeeWee & Down _ Ron Burke, Mississauga, COBA
Coach Of The Year Bantam & Up _ Domenic Mirabelli, Woodbridge, YSBA
   
Jack Middlemass Award Volunteer Of The Year _ Barb Henry, Flesherton, WOBA
Barrie Salt Award Director Of The Year _ Justin Snively, LDBA
   
President’s Award _ Lisa Turbitt, Burlington, COBA
   
Dick Willis Junior Umpire Of The Year _ Kieran Sweetman, Markham, YSBA
Dick Willis Senior Umpire Of The Year _ Bob Lamb,  Orillia, YSBA
Don Gilbert Umpire Of The Year _ Ben Mercier,  Welland, NDBA
   

Hello Mr. President: The wise owl, David Huctwith (Mississauga) returns as president of Baseball Ontario. He was vice-president from 1994-1999 and from 2005 until now..

The first vice-president is Ed Quinlan (Cambridge) and the second vice-president is Allan Ebert (Sarnia).

The rep directors are Jeffrey Albaum (Richmond Hill), Dirk Drieberg (Vaughan), Cathy Lamarucciola (Vaughan), Glenn Ostrosser (Stoney Creek), Brent Peltola (Woodstock) and Justin Snively (London).
 
The Select Directors are David Black, Patrick McConnell and Ted Williams

Lifetime member: Howie Birnie, who has  run Leaside baseball and maintained the shrine known as Talbot Park was made a lifetime member by the OBA. Jim Lutton (Oshawa) and Ron Pegg (Flesherton) made the presentation.

Former OBA players of the year:
Year Junior and Senior Players of the Year
1994 Chris Green Mike Kusiewicz
1995 Paul Brown Shawn Pearson
1996 Dan Hansen Doug Vandecaveye
1997 Scott Thorman Jason Mandryk
1998 Bradley Gould Patrick Nailer

1999 Chris Emanuele Tanner Watson
2000 Derek Lowe BJ Richardson
2001 Dan Zehr Chris Robinson
2002 Kate Psota Jamie Romak
2003 Ian Choy Cherie Piper

2004 Trevor Barton Davey Wallace
2005 Cain Monaghan Kevin Long
2006 Tanner Nivins Greg Densem
2007 McCalla Sturgeon Robert Cooper
2008 Geoffrey Seto Larry Balkwill

2009 Nicholas Dimpfel Ryan Zimmer
2010 Josh Naylor Jake Lumley
2011 Connor May Byron Reichstein
2012 Jason Stott Matt Smith
2013 Noah Naylor Justin Gideon

2014 Noah Roberts Zachary Fascia
2015 Colin Mandarich Jake Brennan
2016 Joe Kuin Joel Pierce