Verge: OCAA players scrambling to find new teams after three baseball programs scrapped

Some players from the Centennial College Colts are looking for a team after their baseball program was scrapped as part of the school’s budget cuts. Photo: Centennial College Athletics

April 1, 2025

By Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

The inbox of Durham College’s head baseball coach has been especially flooded over the past couple of months.

Players from three Ontario Colleges Athletic Association baseball programs — Centennial College, George Brown and Seneca — that were scrapped have reached out to Scott Cawker looking for a new place to finish out their collegiate career.

He’s had at least 10 players reach out, Cawker said, since the cuts were made a couple of months ago, due to financial constraints brought about by a cap on international students.

Although ultimately it could better his squad, and the competition in the league with the stronger players filtering into the remaining teams, it’s still an unfortunate situation, Cawker said.

“You feel like the vulture that’s picking away at a program that’s just deceased,” Cawker said.

Riley Briggs was one of the players impacted by the cuts. The former Centennial College outfielder, who had one year of eligibility remaining, was planning to return to the college and hopefully help bring home a medal to Centennial.

It’s disappointing not only from an individual standpoint, but looking at the league, and the even bigger picture, the sport in the province, Briggs said.

“Ontario baseball was really taking a step [forward] and this is a big step back,” Briggs said.

“The league is not going to be the same.”

Durham College is one of seven remaining teams in the once 10 team league. Although they survived the cuts and will still be in the league for the 2025-26 season, they’ve also faced their own challenges.

They were going to get new uniforms this year, but that’s no longer in the budget, Cawker said. They’ll also likely be playing more games closer to home and minimizing travel where possible.

And they’re not alone in that.

“I’ve talked to a lot of the coaches and AD’s [athletic directors] in the league, and every school is feeling the pinch,” he said.

Before the cuts, they played each team twice, equating to 18 games, and had playoffs where six of the 10 teams were involved. With now only seven teams remaining, a new schedule has been proposed. The new layout will have them play each of the teams three times instead of two, maintaining an 18-game schedule for the season. The playoff schedule is still to be determined.

Despite the changes in numbers, the league will still be just as competitive moving forward, said Kyle Pelly, executive director, Ontario Colleges Athletic Association in an emailed statement.

“We are committed to maintaining a high level of play and ensuring the continued success of baseball and other sports within our conference moving forward,” Pelly said.

George Brown College has informed the Canadian Baseball Network via email that they will re-evaluate the program during the next OCAA commitment cycle, with the earliest possible return of the team being the 2028-29 season. It’s a two year suspension at Centennial College. Seneca did not respond to the CBN’s request for an interview, and it’s unclear how long their program will be suspended for, or if it is indefinitely.

It’s a huge loss for baseball in Toronto, Cawker said, and disheartening to see the home of the Toronto Blue Jays lose three of their collegiate teams.

“I’ve been very disappointed all along with a city like Toronto being a major league city, they don’t seem to have a major league vibe for baseball,” Cawker said,

“It’s kind of sad as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I’m sincerely hoping the programs are only suspended, I hope they're not gone forever now.”