THE North Shore Twins B.C. Premier Baseball League team had two very distinct phases during the 2012 season.
In the opening act the Twins scuffled through the regular season, barely squeaking into the playoffs in the eighth and final spot. Act 2, however, saw the squad get scorching hot at just the right time, shutting out the No. 1ranked Langley Blaze to make the final four and riding a nine-game winning streak all the way to the championship final before finally losing to the Okanagan Athletics.
Many of the players from that team are back for the 2013 campaign - the regular season kicks off with their home opener Tuesday - and the coaching staff is hoping it doesn't take them so long to hit top speed this time around.
"The funny thing is, last year as a coaching staff we knew that that playoff team that finally showed up was the team that we had the entire year but it just took them a while to find themselves," Twins pitching coach Brooks McNiven told the North Shore News on the phone from Kamloops on Friday where the team was taking part in the Best of the West tournament. "We're hoping that there was a big learning experience last year during the playoffs and the guys that are returning this year know what they're capable of and expect to play like that all year."
The team ultimately hopes to end up back in the championship game but they may need to use different tactics to get there. Last year's team relied heavily on a pitching staff anchored by ace Kyle Olver and solid No. 2 starter Jordan Kellof, both of whom have moved on to post-secondary programs. This year the batters may play a much larger role in swinging scorelines in the team's favour, said McNiven.
"I think this year we're going to be more heavily reliant on our offence," he said. "Last year we were a very pitching-focused team and this year I think it might be a little different. We have a lot of guys that can hit, a lot of guys with power that can drive the ball out of the yard. That will be our strength this year."
Big hitting third baseman Lachlan Fontaine leads the way. The Sutherland secondary student famously racked up three home runs and 11 runs batted in during two games played on a single day in last year's playoffs, pushing the team to the final. This year he's getting a lot of interest from scouts and will likely be picked in the Major League Baseball draft.
Joining Fontaine in the middle of the order will be Riley MacDonald, returning as the team's starting catcher, and talented centre fielder Tristan Graham who missed last season because of injury.
"We're expecting big things out of those three in the middle of the lineup," McNiven said.
On the mound the Twins are looking to Clark Grisbrook to come up aces following a solid season last year behind Olver and Kellof.
"He was a quality starter for us last year, pitched very well pretty much the entire year," said McNiven. "The team needs him to do his thing and do what he did last year."
Imports Brandon Chernoff from Whalley and Bradley Smith from Vancouver should also join the rotation along with Leo Metcalf who pitched out of the bullpen last season.
Backing up the pitching staff will be a defence anchored by a strong outfield. The infield may take a bit of time to gel, said McNiven, following the departure of shortstop Louis Boyd who was a defensive stalwart and team leader last season.
"It's tough to replace a player like that," said McNiven. "He gave it everything he had every day."
Adding it all up, McNiven thinks the team has the ability to hang with the best in the league all season.
"I would expect that playoff team (from last season) to show up and that we will be a very strong contender. I'd be surprised if we were squeaking into the playoffs again but it's a long season and we'll see what happens."
The Twins kick off the regular season by hosting the Coquitlam Reds Tuesday night starting at 6: 30 p.m. at Parkgate Park.
