I need to recognize the junior players for what they did in the '20-21 seasons. They not only provided themselves a place to play but also gave many of the our key seniors time to stay in baseball shape. 

Well before the 2020 season started COBA officials were deep in meetings trying to create some sort of season. After missing many deadlines they finally decided a much shortened 16 game season starting August 10 was the way to go. It would be a season like no other. The four teams who opted to play were Brampton, Erindale, Oakville and Burlington, playing each other five times. All four teams were made up of mostly junior players, with the regulars taking the season off. Each of the players had to meet certain health stipulations set out by COBA and Baseball Ontario before being allowed on the field. The regulars who decided it was safe to play were, Victor, B'Mac, Yannik, Dawson, Keegan and Pinner played a game or two before bowing out. 

I did have a parent or two try to impress me with their kids play. I guess they thought I was someone important with a camera. They were so wrong.

I will display photos from both seasons and their year-end stats. In 2020 the Royals finished the season with a very respectable 10-4-2 record beating the Brants of Burlington 8-3 for the unofficial COBA title.

For many of the juniors this was their chance to show they could play with the big boys. They learned much from this season and showed everyone and themselves they could not only compete but win at this level. They showed respect, but didn't back down from any challenge. I didn't see any of the juniors trying to show off or try doing more than necessary trying to impress the coaching staff, they stayed within themselves. They played as a team. 10-4-2 is very respectable for a junior laden team playing against players many years their senior.. It shows what can happen when the team is burdened with excessive pitching. They easily won the Championship game because Burlington simply ran out of pitchers and we still had pitchers to spare if anyone got into trouble. We didn't give up a run until the 5th inning but the game was out of hand by then.

Some of the Junior players that graduated to the senior Royals in 2022 were: Sam Lebel, Alex Emerson, Cam Hibbs, Aidan Murphy, Jayden Jeminson and Logan Janes.  Each one of these players will play an impactful role in the teams future. I'd love to see these guys push the regulars to where they feel uncomfortable about their place on the team, forcing them to play better, and in turn making the Royals a better team.