CREDIT: COURTESY OF DUSAN KARICH
Dusan Karich (pictured), pitcher for the Fanshawe Falcons men's baseball team, is preparing with his teammates for the upcoming season starting Sept. 9.

The Fanshawe Falcons are preparing for the varsity baseball season starting Sept. 9. Try-outs began on Aug. 16, and the team has high expectations, according to Fanshawe Falcons men’s baseball head coach Brian Harvey.

“Opening day is always an exciting time to host our first doubleheader because it is the first game to get a good feel as to what type of team we are, what we are capable of, and where we compete against other teams,” Harvey said.

Fanshawe Falcons pitcher Dusan Karich said the team has some improvements to showcase this season compared to the last.


“We fell short going into the finals last season, which was a big deal for us,” Karich said. “But that only gave us fuel and motivation to keep going and improve for this season.”

The men won bronze in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) provincial championships last season, but this year, Karich said they are aiming higher than that.

“We had powerful offense last season, but pitching was a little bit lacklustre because some players were trying to cover a lot more innings than they could handle,” Karich said. “We also had some injuries on the team. That is why we have been constantly training in our individual techniques.”

Harvey stated that all coaches want the team to be organized and responsible with their training times because they also want them to succeed academically.

“It just means that our team is successful in every way because we are going into our 10th year of winning something and keeping the program going,” Harvey said. “Keeping things going with dedicated students for that long means we are doing the right things.”

Try-outs will be held for two and a half weeks which Harvey said will give newcomers a chance to get a good feel of the game and what is expected.

“We have gotten eight OCAA medals in nine years,” Harvey said. “Being competitive and ensuring we are all on the same page as a coaching staff and team will take us further this year.”

Karich said that the team is most looking forward to going up against St. Clair College, who knocked them out of the finals last season.

“The match against St. Clair stopped us from getting into the finals last time,” Karich said. “That is why we got third place, but this season will be different.”

Karich said that during last year’s winter practices, they introduced the team’s work ethic to the newcomers. He added that some newcomers were a little overwhelmed with the work ethic and the heavy workload of playing college baseball.

“You are significantly more busy when you are part of a college team, but if you are willing to make it, the outcome, satisfaction and recognition would be worth it,” Karich said. “There is a lot of work to be done to maintain or even upgrade your playing level as a newcomer to compete on the level of an OCAA Championship.”

Karich said the Falcons will prove they are a dangerous team thirsty for a championship victory this season.