The Nanaimo Pirates know there’s a lot of work to do this season, but they’re excited to get going.
The Hub City Paving Pirates are preparing to play their home opener this Sunday (April 24) at Serauxmen Stadium against the White Rock Tritons.
“It’s universal around baseball – the home opener’s something special,” said Doug Rogers, Pirates manager. “So we want to put our best team on the field and show what we’ve got, do all the right things.”
The Pirates started the B.C. Premier Baseball League season last weekend, winning one of four.
“We’re a young team, so it’s going to take a while to come together. There’s lots of ways we can improve,” said Matt Skingle, Pirates first baseman.
He said guys are buying into team concepts, understanding and embracing their various roles.
“It’s a learning experience. You’ve got to learn to lose to be able to win, and we’re going through that right now…” Rogers said. “We want to start to slowly build and let them hit their stride and then who knows what they can do?”
Here’s a look at the 2016 Pirates:
HITTING
Last season, the Pirates led the premier league in most offensive categories, but this year small ball will be more important.
“This year we won’t rely on putting the ball off the wall every time … We just need to take opportunities when we get them,” said Garrett Goodall, Pirates pitcher and outfielder.
Skingle will provide power from the cleanup spot in the lineup, with Goodall, Shane Rogers and rookie Colin Borrelli as other middle-of-the-order guys. Chris Vlaj is the likely leadoff hitter.
“Once we get [guys] firing, actually, from one to nine, it’s not a bad hitting lineup,” Doug Rogers said.
PITCHING
Goodall and fellow veteran Sam Baker will be the centrepieces of the pitching staff this year. The Pirates play one of the league’s best teams, the North Shore Twins, on the road Saturday, but Rogers said he’ll try to save one of his top arms for the next day’s home opener.
Will Drewry will be the team’s No. 3 starter, and other pitching arms include Alex Jinda, Finn Martin, Ryan Stich and Borrelli.
“I think we’ve got a pretty good pitching staff,” Goodall said. “Everyone’s throwing strikes, so that’s basically all you really need, is to throw strikes and trust your defence to play behind you.”
DEFENCE
Fielding has been a problem area for the Pirates early on as errors have already proven costly in games. Rogers said he considers himself a defensive coach and will stay on his guys to be better defensively.
“It’s close to my heart and I get pretty [frustrated] when my teams don’t play good defence,” he said. “I expect that that will improve as the year goes on and we’re only going to succeed if it does.”
It’s important for a few reasons, he said. While a two-run double, for example, might seem like the turning point in a game, maybe it was an error or two that put men on base and made that double costly. And defence is also important because errors mean more pitches to get out of innings, and the Pirates, relatively thin on pitching, can’t afford to go to their bullpen too early and often.
Shane Rogers will be a defensive leader from the shortstop position, with Wyatt Strachan seeing time there, too. Players will be competing for innings at second base, as Noah Banman, Strachan, Keegan Kelly and Tanner Barthelette are all in the mix. Skingle will play at first, backed up by Borrelli and Drewry, and Martin, Thomas Leaf and Shane Rogers will man the hot corner.
Vlaj will catch most games, backed up by Strachan.
Goodall will play centre field, with Jinda in left and Stich in right, and Strachan and Drewry are other outfielders.
GAME ON
The Pirates will put some pressure on themselves for their first home game, as they want to do well in their ballpark in front of their family, friends and fans.
“It’s my favourite time of the year, definitely, the home opener,” said Skingle. “We’ll get a big crowd out and hopefully we’ll pick up two wins.”
The Pirates and Tritons play at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sunday (April 24) at Serauxmen Stadium. Admission is $5 for the doubleheader.
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