Team Finishes Top 5 In Province of Ontario  
Monday September 12th, 2022

In what was a remarkable run for a Vikings squad that was reduced to a roster of just 10 players the Vaughan Vikings ended their season in dramatic and successful fashion.  It started with their first game where the entire story could have been easily different with a match up against Chatham.  With the team down 8-2 and 11-4 the Vikings would not give up.  With dramatic homeruns by Joshua Samuels and Adom DeFrancesca the Vikings fought all the way back to within one run going into the 7th inning.  In a long affair after three hours the Vikings would take a 14-11 lead in the top of the 7th with hits by Ilyan Lalani, Chris Newman, Lucas Reingold and again by Josh Samuels.  It really turned the lights out on the competition - literally.  Do to the length of the game the lights would go out causing the teams to have to come back the next morning to complete the bottom of the 7th.  Jordan Taube would be asked to clean up a difficult situation with nobody out and runners on 1st and 3rd.  It took a little work but with the bases loaded and one out he would induce a 1-2-3 double play to end the game.  "Amazing!" was what you could hear from the fans as they walked out of the stadium.

The Vikings would take that momentum and run right into the next game against the Mississauga Majors (08) a team that they have played numerous times in the past.  Losing to them in the Brampton tournament at the start of the season, beating them in the Eliminations, losing again to them at the EBLO Championships and coming back and beating them here in the OBA Championships.  The Vikings continued with Jordan Taube and he didn't skip a beat getting to the 6th inning having allowed just one run.  "He kept them off balance the entire game, it was a masterpiece."  commented one scout at the game.  The bats remained hot as well as the Vikings jumped out right away with 4 runs in the first inning.  Greg Conliffe closed things down and with that the Vikings were 2-0 out of the gate with a 10-1 victory.

Next up was the Windsor Stars.  A roudy bunch but perhaps the best game of the season in terms the quality of play.  Ilyan Lalani would pitch his best game of the season holding them to just 1 run over 6 innings.  Meanwhile the Stars countered with a even strong pitching performance of their won supported by a number of double plays that would lead to a 1-0 loss for the Vikings.  "Guys played great - couldn't be prouder," commented Manager Mark Cotgrave.  OBA Hall of Famer Howie Bernie was on hand for the game and also commented that it was the "best game he had seen so far in the Championship." 

Not to be deterred the Vikings would face off against the East York Bulldogs as they reached the Sunday mark of the tournament.  Here the Vikings gave the ball to Mikhail Veltman and after a shaky start with 2 runs in the 1st inning settled the ship and pitched 4 more scoreless innings.  In the past the Vikings had handled the Bulldogs fine with blow out victories in the past, but here it was close.  The decisive blow being a double of the left field fence that was a couple feet from goiung over by Jordan Taube that changed the tide and put the Vikings in the lead.  Again, it would be Greg Conliffe in relief to close the door and get the Vikings to round five.

Here the roster size finally got to the Vikings.  With having depeated all their pitching the writing was on the wall.  Still they continued to fight as best they could but having been matched up against the eventual winners of the Championships - Hamilton Cardinals the outcome was forseeable.  The Vikings took the loss 11-1 but even with the final outcome completed the team would see a standing ovation come from the  faithful croud for a Championship well played and a successful 2022 season highlighted by notable accomplishments.

2022 YSBA Champions
Top 8 Elimination Finish (28 teams)
Top 5 OBA Championships (13 teams)
Divisional Winner EBLO Season 

- VV Reporter
  

Team Will Represent YSBA At Upcoming OBA Championships Over Labour Day Weekend
Saturday August 27th, 2022

In what some might consider a stunning turn of events the Vaughan Vikings completed the upset over this years Eliminations Finalists Barrie Baycats with a 10-4 victory in the final game of the 4 game double elimination series on August 24th.  The Vikings completed the tournament by having to play Barrie a third and decisive game with everything on the line.  "It was a real challange for us as a group to play such stiff competition so many times and find a way to top Barrie two out of three times." commented on coach.

The Vikings started the tournament with their first match up again the Newmarket Hawks.  After giving up two runs in the top of the first inning the Vikings would take over  coming back with three runs in the bottom of the 1st inning after a booming triple by Josh Samuels that would actually lead to him scoring on a ball that got away slightly from the infield allowing to Samuels to scamper home.  From there the Vikings continued the moment with another 7 runs in the 2nd inning and cruised to a 10-3 victory.   All leading up to the Vikings many encounters with the Baycats.

The first game the two teams would face off with was to see how would get a by right into the championship round.  The Vikings are purposefully kept leftander Jordan Taube away from the Baycats througout the season with the anticipation of something that would match the importance of this game.   It would seem that it worked.  Taube would throw a complete game 7 inning masterpiece allowing 4 runs (3 earned) and see the Vikings run away with a 11-4 victory.  The bats remained hot with 11 hits, two of which Taube would have himself along with two more from Jack Scott and three more from Chris Newman.  

From there the Vikings would wait to see if the Baycats would be back again after having to face off against the Markham Mariners and as fate would have it the would.  Leading to a situation where the Baycats would have to beat the Vikings twice if they were to take their first YSBA Championship in many years (the Vikings were the defending champions from 2021).  It looked great for the Vikings at first with them holding an 8-2 lead going into the 6th after another masterful performance from Mikhail Veltman over 5 innings.  Yet, the Baycats were a determained group.  They would storm back on the Vikings with 6 runs in the 6th too tie the game - later winning it in walk off fashion in the 7th giving the Vikings much to ponder with one final game remaining.

Thus the Vikings had to regroup and handed the ball over to Marcus Simone.  Simone still remembered for is fantastic pitching performance in the US was asked to see if he could duplicate something similar against the strong bats of Barrie.   He didn't disappoint.  Simone would pitch into the 6th inning having only given up one run before the Baycats started to get to the righthander for another three runs.  Yet, the Vikings held first again as they had build up a 7-1 lead with big games from Stephen DeRose (1-1, RBI), Mikhail Veltman (1-1) and Adom DeFrancesca (3-3, 2RBI).  On this occation the Vikings would bend but not break.  They added additional runs in the 6th inning to push the score to 10-4 and with Ilyan Lalani on the mound to strike out the final batter the Vikings would hold onto top spot in the YSBA for another season.  They now will be the sole representative from the Region in the OBA Championships held over labour day.

- VV Reporter 

Cotgrave Regime Seeing Final Product Of 3 Year Program
Tuesday August 9th, 2022

The Vaughan Vikings are all systems go right now and the coaching staff couldn't be more impressed.  Since returning from Sandusky Ohio the Vikings have posted a impressive 10-3 record scoring more than 10 runs in half their wins.  The team reached the top 8 in the highly coveted Eliminations tournament, beat the mighty North Toronto A's along the way (team that won the Eliminations) and in all likelihood will be on their way to the EBLO Championship tournament now with a record 15-3 in league play.  Long gone are the days for this team to try and just get by.  "They have taken their game to the next level, and its been fun to watch.  You can just see not only in the confidence, but in their understanding of what they need to do to be successful.  It doesn't work out every game, but this team believes it can win every time it steps out on the ball field." commented Manager Mark Cotgrave.

Still ahead are a number of challanges that await this team.  First, the Vikings are about to embark on a 4 game road trip to Ottawa on August 13th and 14th.  Ottawa puts together a strong program and the Vikings are also set to meet up with the Seaway Surge baseball program for additional games on the trip.  "These types of trips are great.  They add to the team chemistry and also allow for the players to just focus on their game - there are little distractions."

After that the Vikings have the YSBA qualifier to see who will go to the OBA Championships.  Then the weekend after that the EBLO Championship where the top four teams (best in each division) will face off to see who will get the crown.  "So there is lots left to try and accomplish and this group has never looked more ready."  

- VV Reporter