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All-around success for Okanagan College baseball at halfway point

“A lot of guys are feeling really confident right now”
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(Photo - Okanagan College Baseball - Facebook)

It’s already the halfway point of the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) season and the Okanagan College Coyotes have taken the league by storm.

Through 16 games, the team is first in the league with a 13-3 record.

Coyotes Head Coach Geoff White spoke to Capital News about his team’s success.

“We’ve definitely pitched really well at times, that’s a big part of it,” said White. “Offensively, we’ve had lots of different guys contribute each game. We’ve also defended really well, something that has gotten overlooked a little bit. We’ve made plays when we’ve needed to.”

The team has scored 136 runs, an average of 8.5 a game, and has only allowed 56. In nine of the 16 games, the team has scored more than 10 runs.

“A lot of guys are feeling really confident right now,” said White. “We’ve done a really good job of playing team baseball, manufacturing runs, running the bases really well, and just have had some really good overall team at-bats. We’ve also done a really good job of two-out and two-strike hitting.”

White has also been really impressed by the fact that it seems to be a different player stepping up for the team every game.

“Everyone contributing has been a big thing,” said White. “We’ve had lots of guys jump into the lineup and had some big games. A different guy or two each game has had a big game.”

The team chemistry is also a big factor in the team’s success so far this season.

“They definitely love to hang around and play and practice together and it’s been a really good atmosphere,” said White.

The Coyotes have had home-field advantage in the first half, as 14 of the 16 games were played at their home, Elks Stadium. In the second half, 12 of 16 games are on the road.

“It’ll be interesting to see how we handle that,” said White. “I’m not really too concerned about it. We’ve always focused on what we do on our side and go out there and play.”

This weekend, they’ll make their way to Vancouver Island to take on the newest team in the league, the Victoria Golden Tide. The Golden Tide sits third in the league with a record of 6-5.

The two teams will play four games over three days, starting on Friday, April 29, with first pitch at 6 p.m. That will be followed by two games on Saturday (April 30) at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The weekend will finish with a 12 p.m. first pitch on Sunday.

The team is working their way towards the CCBC championship weekend in Lethbridge in late May.

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@cunninghamjordy
jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.com

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Jordy Cunningham

About the Author: Jordy Cunningham

Hailing from Ladner, B.C., I have been passionate about sports, especially baseball, since I was young. In 2018, I graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with a Bachelor of Journalism degree
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