The season for the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers has come to an end earlier than many wanted, but that isn't stopping some from calling it a success.
The team lost in the first round of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) playoffs in four games to the Hamilton Cardinals. The Barnstormers lost 10-5 in Game 1, 10-9 in Game 2, and 15-4 in Game 4.
"We obviously wanted to go a little bit deeper, but being a second-year team, it was still a very successful season," said Harry Muir, Barnstormers' General Manager and Field Manager.
The team was able to improve on its first season in more ways than one. This included getting the first playoff win in team history.
In Game 3 of the best-of-five series, the Barnstormers managed a 7-6 victory in extra innings. After going down 6-4 in the top of the 11th inning, Spencer Morin hit a two-run double, followed by a walk-off single from Torrin Vaselnak.
"It turned out to be quite the ending. It was definitely exciting for the fans," laughed Muir.
The Barnstormers also finished the regular season with a record of 22-20. This was slightly better than the 20-22 record the team posted in its first season in 2024.
Muir believes these yearly improvements will pay dividends in the off-season.
"The success on the field does make it easier to recruit," he explained.
That being said, Muir is confident this version of the team can win the Dominico Cup.
"We're really focused on bringing back as many players as we can. We certainly don't want to be a revolving door team," he added.
There have been no contract talks with any of the players at this time. Muir said he plans to reach out in about a month, officially kicking off the off-season.