The Mid Island Pirates tryouts for seniors, juniors, and bantams are complete. Expectations are for all three teams to contend for a championship this upcoming season. (Mid Island Pirates Facebook)

By Dan Marshall

Pirates Tryouts

Mid Island Pirates finish tryouts, prep for 2020 baseball season

Jan 16, 2020 | 6:44 PM

NANAIMO – Winter weather doesn’t conjure up visions of baseball, but by mid January the Mid Island Pirates had already finished their tryouts for the 2020 season.

Co owner/GM Brandon Dornan said they saw about 75 players over two days of sessions at the Arbutus Meadows indoor facility on Jan. 5 and Jan. 11.

“Within those two sessions we had the bantam kids in the first part and then we brought in our junior and senior aged athletes in the back half.”

Dornan believes all three levels of the Pirates program will be strong in 2020, but it’s the senior Pirates that garner the most attention and interest.

They finished first in the BCPBL’s regular season in 2019 and the vast majority of that roster is returning.

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Two of the returnees that will be a huge part of the club’s future success are all-stars Aaron Marsh and Connor Caskanette.

“Both of them are in talks with big US schools right now. They’re candidates for the national team and great leaders and role models and leaders in the community.”

Between the senior, junior and bantam squads there will be nearly 60 high level athletes playing under the Pirates umbrella.

For the rest of January the coaches will make decisions on who makes the final rosters, but some players are already working on skills in the Pirates indoor training facility in Nanaimo as often as four times a week.

Once the official rosters are announced in February things will ramp up for on and off field sessions.

Exhibition games start in March and all three Pirates teams will play in a preseason Seattle tournament. League play will get underway in late March or early April.

Dornan is very excited for what is his first year at the helm of the Pirates.

He and the other Co owner/GM Larson Bauck took over from Doug Rogers in September.

“Myself and Larson took over during our fall ball program. It’s been really good so far. The parents and Nanaimo Minor Baseball have really welcomed us.”

Dornan said an alumni all star game and honourary Mike Rogers golf tournament are two new events that will be highlights on the upcoming Pirates calendar.

The Pirates play the bulk of their games at Serauxmen Stadium, which Dornan has called one of a kind.

“We’ve had the luxury of playing at parks all over Canada and you’re pretty hard pressed to find anything with the history and the scale of Serauxmen. People really look forward to coming and playing on it.”

dan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On twitter: @danmarshall77