By Bob Ellliott

Canadian Baseball Network

KANATA _ The best 15U players in Canada gathered for the Ray Carter Cup at Oshawa’s Kinsmen Stadium in August.

They came from one coast like RHP Boston Warkentin (Delta, BC) and 1B David Bernstein (West Vancouver, BC) to the other in OF Dekon Randell-Snow (St. John’s, NL) and RHP Alexander French (Mount Pearl, NL).

Yet, when the time came for the gold medal match among grade 10 students and 15U players, Ontario started RHP Carson Lumley. He should not have been listed as a 15U pitcher, rather he was a 15-Way Under. Lumley was a grade niner. He went out in front of a jammed Kinsmen Stadium and worked six innings. Lumley was a pick up by the Ontario elimination champion Brampton Royals by coach Stan Wilson from the London Badgers.

Lumley allowed one unearned run on four hits and two walks. He struck out seven in his 85-pitch outing against Saskatchewan, leaving with the game with the score deadlocked at 1-1. Saskatchewan, which knocked off Quebec in the semi-final, scored in the top of the eighth and Ontario rebounded with a pair of runs.

“It was fun, intense,” said Carson Lumley.

Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, Ont.) led off with a triple to right and scored on a Nelson Mercado (Brampton, Ont.) single. One out later, Will Droll (Thunder Bay, Ont.) pinch ran, Nikko Khananisho (Vaughn, Ont.) singled and then Jake Heaton (Georgetown, Ont.) walked it off with a single to centre.

And Lumley could be a contender to start the gold medal game come August at Okotoks, Alta. After all, he’ll be the same age as everyone. Carson Lumley was front and centre accepting the Fergie Jenkins pitcher of the year (bantam and up) at the Baseball Ontario awards banquet at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata. We read a sign that said “Tech Capital of Canada” although the wireless did not work for 23 hours.

The 6-foot-2, 160-pound Carson Lumley is a chip off the old block, the son of former Detroit Tigers minor leaguer Mike Lumley (London, Ont.) who runs the London Badgers program, the University of Western Mustangs and operates The Batter’s Box facility.

In Oshawa, he also started against BC working three innings allowing two runs on three hits and one walk. He struck out three giving him 10 in nine innings.

Mike was drafted in the fifth round from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich. in the 1988 draft. Mike pitched at class-A Fayetteville, class-A Lakeland, double-A London and triple-A Toledo. What has Carson, the pitcher/son learned from Mike, the coach/dad, who pitched six seasons in the Detroit Tigers organization?

“To work hard, not get angry and keep your composure,” said Carson.

And what has Mike passed on ... father to son: “I hate losing, (Carson) has a good knack of pitching to a hitter’s weakness.”

Carson hopes to make Tournament 12 next year at the Rogers Centre and to make the Canadian Junior National Team. Carson’s favourite player to watch is his big brother Mitch. There is an 11-year difference in age so Carson has seen many of Mitch’s games whether it be with the Badgers, the St.Thomas Tomcats, Ilderton Red Army or college games at Lake Michigan or Saginaw Valley State.

Carson never served as a Badger bat boy growing up. He’d come to games at Labatt Park or where ever, but he’d be off with friends playing wiffle ball somewhere. He’d watch a play or two and ask dad about it on the way home.

The nationals are nothing new to Carson Lumley. He does not plan any beach vacations in August. London has hosted the peewee and midget nationals so Carson sees many of the games. With Badger teams in the finals he can’t help but to be emotionally invested. He’d helped during games playing music or announcing bilingually when Quebec played.

In 2017, he won the national peewee title as a pick up for the North York Blues in Repentigny, Que. He went 2-0 beating Quebec (one earned run, 10 strikeouts in five innings) and beating Alberta (one run, seven strikeouts in four innings). He also hit .565 (13-for-23) for coach Jason Chee-Aloy with two doubles, a triple, two homers and 12 RBIs).

This summer he won gold in Oshawa, but admitted the toughest hitter he faced this season was Ontariro Terriers Tyson Gomm (Mississauga, Ont.), whho was picked up by the hhost Oshawa Legionairres.

Next year the Ray Carter Cup is at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks, Alta.

And the year after that ...

“The midget nationals are in London,” said Carson, “I hope to make that.”

Brett Taalbot was a Mississauga Majors pick up.

2018 Award Winners:

Player Of The Year (Pee Wee & Down) _ Brett Talbot, Kitchener.

Player Of The Year (Bantam & Up) _ Carter Arbuthnot, Oshawa.

Fergie Jenkins Pitcher Of The Year (Pee Wee & Down) _ Nathan Kirouac, Barrie.

Fergie Jenkins Pitcher Of The Year (Bantam & Up) _ Carson Lumley, London.

Coach Of The Year (PeeWee and down) _ Adam Crowley, Peterborough.

Coach Of The Year (Bantam and up) is Moe Lawrence (Oshawa, Ont.)

Coach Of The Year (Bantam and up) _ Moe Lawrence, Oshawa.

Team Of The Year _ Mississauga Majors 13U

Barrie Salt Award Director Of The Year _ Dirk Drieberg, Vaughan.

Jack Middlemass Award Volunteer Of The Year _ Perry Brock, Thornhill.

President’s Award _ Justin Ayles, Brampton.

George Spalding Memorial award, Association Of The Year _ EOBA

Dick Willis Junior Umpire Of The Year _ Jim McIntyre, Cambridge.

Dick Willis Senior Umpire Of The Year _ Paul Chapley, Markham

Don Gilbert Umpire Of The Year _ Stephen Gomes, Windsor.

Honourary Member _ Randy Pickle and Don McKnight.

Former Windsor Selects C Joe Siddall (Windsor, Ont.) receives a standing ovation at the Baseball Ontario awards banquet. Jim Lutton Studios.

2018 Hall of Fame

Joe Siddall, Player/coach/broadcaster (Windsor, Ont.)

Chatham Coloured All-Stars, Team (Chatham, Ont.)

AJ Walsh, Builder (Lindsay, Ont.)

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, Tyrell Schofield-Sam

2017 Carson Lumley, Josh Arce

2018 Brett Talbot, Carter Arbuthnot

Bold denotes major leaguer

Elliott: OBA honours Arbuthnot, Kirouac, Lumley, Talbot