Orillia Legion Minor Baseball (OLMB) is set to host tryouts for the 2023 season next week.
Starting Monday, Sept. 19, players of all age groups will have the opportunity to showcase their skills for an opportunity to make a rep team next spring.
Ed Novosky, director of rep baseball for OLMB, wants to see house-league players attend tryouts with the goal of making the leap to the competitive level.
“We have put together a solid team of coaches and I believe Orillia can be very competitive in 2023,” he said. “We have a fun program for players who want to take their game to the next level.”
Novosky says there is a lot of talent at the house-league level that could contribute to the Royals’ success in 2023 at the rep level.
“There are always those players that show skills above the average player on their team,” he said. “We want to nurture their growth by offering a platform where they can continue to learn and have fun with other players at their skill level.”
Novosky coached the 13U rep team this summer. The team finished 13-5 and finished in second place in its league. The Royals finished their season with a Pegg Cup tournament championship at the CNE in Toronto.
“It was a really amazing experience for the kids to go down there and persevere through some tough games to get to where they were,” he said. “The season was a big success.”
Despite the successes of 2022, Novosky is worried about the future of Royals baseball.
“There is a fair decline in competitive players coming in and wanting to play on the rep teams,” he said. “For a couple of the age groups, it was really a struggle having enough players to even facilitate a team.”
He hopes to see the rep program revitalized with full teams for the 2023 season.
More information, including how to register for tryouts, can be found here.
