“There has been competition the first 10 days of workouts and intra-squad games at the Junior National Team camp in Ajax, Ont., but nothing like the sixth inning of Saturday. Lefty Reece Usselman was pitching in the sixth inning. RF Jacob Zibin pulled an inside pitch over the left field fence at Pan Am Field for a home run. Zibin touched first, looked in at the mound and pulled at the words CANADA across his chest. There is competition for jobs that will lead to decision-day on Wednesday and then there is competition that will last all season ... and maybe next. You see Usselman (Langley, BC) pitches for the Langley Blaze. And Zibin (Langley, BC) is his Blaze teammate in the British Columbia Premier League.

It was one piece of the puzzle in a game that ended in a 5-5 tie.”

RHP Micah Bucknam (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Ty Doucette (Dartmouth, N.S.) impressed at the recent 35th annual Area Code Games.

Leaving Florida, the Ontario Blue Jays wondered what would happen when they reached Marietta, Ga. After all, they were entering the 368-team 2021 Perfect Game World Wood Bat 2022 Grads 17U National championship at the TOP Chops East Cobb Complex. Mike Steed’s travelling road show went 4-1 to finish second in pool play.

Myles Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.), an infielder with the Ontario Blue Jays, has a good chance of becoming the third Naylor brother - joining Josh and Noah (Bo) - to be drafted by a major league team. The youngest Naylor brother will be eligible for the 2023 MLB draft.

“It wasn’t your typical brother and sister summer vacation. In the end, it all worked out for the best. As soon as Len and Julie Woods heard Ontario was headed into another lockdown in early April, they flew their daughter Emily Woods, 19, who had completed her first year at York University, and younger brother Jordan Woods to Florida. After all, a young man has to pitch. So lefty Jordan Woods (Oakville, Ont.) of the Ontario Terriers and sister Emily embarked on their own two-person vacation. They did experience some problems. Emily is studying for an honours BA but few professors prepared her for the course structure. Emily was too young to rent a car in Florida and too young to check into most hotels for that matter.”

“Down 6-0 before they hit the bat rack, it seemed like the opening night of the 2021 season might an indicator of a long, long year for the Calgary Cardinals.

Aren Nelson threw the first pitch in Alberta roughly around 8:30 a.m. on June 13 at Glen Hansen Field. It did not go real well. Facing the Calgary Longhorns he allowed six unearned runs.

The Cardinals had their own six-run rally in the third to cut the Longhorns lead to 8-6. A three-run rally in the fifth provided the margin of victory in an 11-10 win as Cardinals scored an opening night win over the Longhorns in Wild Rose country in a match-up of the two longest-standing members of the league.”