East Nepean Eagles hold their own against the world’s best

The East Nepean Eagles came home from South Carolina winless, but they certainly represented Barrhaven and the surrounding well respectfully against some of the best 15-16-yearold baseball players in the world.

The Canadian champion Eagles opened up the Senior League World Series in Easley, South Carolina on the short end of an 11-1 score against Haarlem, Netherlands.

The game was called after five innings due to the tournament’s mercy rule.

“It was a tough game,” said Eagles coach Matt Beelen. “There were a lot of nerves for the boys.”

Starting pitcher Charlie McDougall walked the first two batters and hit the third to load the bases before he locked in and got into a groove. He gave up a sacrifice fly and a triple before getting out of the jam with a pair of strike outs.

Haarlem, the European/ African champions, scored three runs on just one hit. They added two more runs on a pair of singles and a walk. Catcher Justin Morris threw out a base runner at second who was trying to steal, and McDougall got the next batter to hit a can-ofcorn fly ball to right. But by this point, the Eagles were in a 5-0 hole in the second inning.

“Once we settled into the game we were fine,” said Beelen. “We need to adjust to the higher velocity pitching, and we need our pitchers to settle in and get rid of the nerves.”

After the second inning, McDougall was strong in the third and fourth innings, retiring the side in order both innings.

The Canadian champion Eagles did not get a base runner until shortstop Reid Maika got a two-out base hit in the fourth inning. Maika advanced to third on a single by first baseman Nolan Beelen but was thrown out at home to end the inning.

Haarlem’s bats came to life again in the fifth, as they scored six times off McDougall and reliever David Kelly.

Trailing 11-0 in the bottom of the fifth, the Eagles got on the board. Owen McBane reached on an error.

With Cam White running for McBane, Thomas White and Jeff Luo followed with singles to drive in the Eagles’ run. Thomas White was thrown out at home trying to score on an Evan Campbell ground ball, and Jacob Elyea flew out to centre field to end the inning.

With the Eagles trailing by 10 runs after five innings, the game was called by mercy rule.

While it was not the result he was hoping for, Eagles coach Matt Beelen praised the effort and resilience of his team.

“Charlie (McDougall) had a tough start to the game but then settled down and pitched great,” he said. “There was a great catch by Evan Campbell in centre field, and we got hits by Reid Maika, Nolan Beelen, Thomas White and Jeff Luo.”

In their second game, the Eagles took on the Latin American champions from Matamoros, Mexico. Facing elimination, the Eagles played a better game, but fell short losing 5-1 against the team many consider the second best in the world.

The Eagles opened the scoring in the top of the first with an unearned run. Justin Morris reached on an error, went to second on Reid Maika’s single, and then Nolan Beelen loaded the bases with a fielder’s choice. Morris scored from third on a balk.

The Mexican team tied the score in the first, and then scored two in the second, one in the third and one in the sixth to win 5-1. They had baserunners in every inning, and outhit the Eagles 11-6.

Despite the loss, it was a much better showing for the local team against one of the best Senior League teams in the world.

“I think the nerves were calmed a little and they played more like themselves in the second game,” coach Matt Beelen said. “They were definitely more comfortable. We made a few changes to try and slow things down for them and it seemed to work.”

The Mexican team lost to the Caribbean champion from Curacao by two runs in the semi-finals. Curacao then beat the US champions from Cherry Hill, New Jersey 14-1 in the final to win the World championship.

The Eagles were by far the youngest team at the tournament, as they played the season with only two

16-year-olds on their roster. Of their 13 players, 11 were 15 years old, and they will be back for next season. They are already focusing on getting back to the 2024 Senior League World Series.

“They are looking to get bigger and stronger and try and get back here,” Coach Beelen said. “It won’t be easy to win again but that’s the goal for sure. And if we do get back the goal will be to win a game for sure.”

While the experience was incredible, the tournament also served as an indicator for the players of where they are and where they need to be to compete internationally.

“The big takeaways are that the boys were able to see baseball played at a level that we just don’t see in Canada. The boys realize that they can take their game to another level. As good as we are, there are really good ball players around the world. It was good for them to see that level and see where we can improve. The big thing is those other teams were huge compared to us. We need to get bigger and stronger to increase velocity and hit higher velocity pitching.”