June 2, 2021

Official Intercounty Baseball League News Release

CAMBRIDGE - The Intercounty Baseball League has a number of familiar faces on the WBSC Team Canada Roster this week as Team Canada attempts to qualify for the Olympics.

Four IBL Alumni are suiting up for Canada in Florida, including John Axford, Chris Leroux, Connor Panas, and JD Osborne.

Axford (Port Dover, Ont.), one of the most prolific IBL alumni on the roster, suited up for the Brantford Red Sox before signing with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009. Spending the last 10 years in the Majors, he last played in the big leagues for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018.

Chris Leroux (Mississauga, Ont.) is not far removed from the IBL, playing in the 2019 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In six games played, Leroux recorded a 0.67 ERA with 15 strikeouts and 3 walks. Drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the ninth round of the 2002 MLB June Amateur Draft from St. Joseph SS (Mississauga, Ont.) and the Florida Marlins in the seventh round of the 2005 MLB June Amateur Draft from Winthrop University (Rock Hill, SC), he spent six years in the majors.

Connor Panas (Toronto, Ont.) spent two seasons with the Burlington Bandits in 2012 and 2013 recording a .298 average with five doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 24 RBIs. The five-year professional reached as high as triple-A during the 2019 season with the San eeigo Padres.

JD Osborne played one season with the Burlington Bandits in 2014, recording a .300 average over three games. Currently playing for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, he is enjoying his fourth season of professional ball.

The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is the top-level baseball league in Canada, boasting ex-major league professional and elite NCAA college baseball players. The 2021 season will mark the IBL’s 102nd in operation. The IBL is one of the longest

continuously operated baseball leagues in the world and serves as a valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff. More than 40 IBL players have advanced to Major League Baseball or returned to the IBL following their MLB careers. The league is comprised of teams from Barrie, Brantford, Kitchener, London, Toronto, Guelph, Welland, and Hamilton.