GUELPH, Ont. – The 2022 OUA baseball season is almost here. The Guelph Gryphons will begin their campaign with a doubleheader at home on Saturday (Sept. 3) against the Waterloo Warriors. The team's 2021 season came to a close following a hard-fought game against the McMaster Marauders in the OUA Regional Qualifier Semifinals which saw the Gryphons on the wrong end of a 10-8 score line.
Gryphon head coach, Dean Mariani
The 2022 season will see the OUA split into 3 division this year with the Gryphons competing for divisional bragging rights with Laurier, Waterloo, Western, and Windsor. The Gryphons will host the 2022 OUA Regional Qualifiers (October 7-8), with the season culminating in Waterloo for the 2022 OUA Baseball Championships (October 16).
"This roster reminds me a lot of the 2019 roster that won nationals," says
Dean Mariani, who enters his 5th season as head coach of the Gryphon baseball team. Mariani, a former U of G infielder who played for the Gryphons from 2010-2013, was the head coach of the Gryphon squad in 2019 that captured a national title, as the Gryphons came out on top of the inaugural edition of the
Canadian University National Invitational Baseball Tournament. The tournament was held in Ajax, Ontario and took place from Oct. 18-20, 2019. The six-team field featured teams from Atlantic Canada (Acadia), Quebec (Concordia and McGill) and Ontario (Guelph, Laurier, and McMaster), with the Gryphons defeating the Laurier Golden Hawks by a score of 2-1 in the gold medal game. "This year's team has an ideal balance between veteran players, who know how to lead, to go along with some young talent that should compete for spots and help us win some ball games," adds Mariani. "On the pitching side, there is a lot of talent, and it will be interesting to see how guys slot in to round out the staff. And offensively, I don't think our lineup has ever been stronger." See below for a full breakdown of the 2022 Gryphons baseball roster.
Gryphon Pitchers
The Gryphons top two pitchers from a season ago are back.
Bennett Moore, a 6'6" right-hander from Goderich, Ontario, returns for his second season as a Gryphon after the human kinetics major transferred to the University of Guelph after starting his collegiate career in the junior college ranks south of the border.
Veteran left-hander Pete Zytner also returns for his senior season, a left-handed pitcher, who has already established himself as one of the top pitchers in the conference since he first arrived on U of G campus back in the fall of 2016. Zytner completed his undergraduate degree in biological engineering, and is now in the final year of his Masters in biological engineering. Zytner is one of three co-captains for the Gryphon baseball team this year alongside teammates
Braedon Walsh and
Ashton Patterson.
Perhaps the most interesting storyline of the 2022 baseball season will involve Gryphons standout 3rd baseman,
Sam Brown, who will do his best Shohei Ohtani impersonation in 2022 with Brown set to transition into the Gryphons pitching rotation while also holding down regular duties as an every day positional player for the Gryphs. The final 2 spots in the Gryphon rotation are up for grabs and will feature a competitive battle between a couple of returning players in
Ryan Cooper and
Daniel Meron. Additionally, new recruits
Ethan Yabrov and
Elliot Johnstone could also contribute right away. Finally, sidearmer and neuroscience major,
David Bruinsma is back as the Gryphons closer this season, with Bruinsma now in his fourth-year academically at U of G.
Gryphon Catchers
After a strong season with the Kitchener Panthers of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL), starting catcher
Robbie Gauthier is back behind the dish for the Gryphons in 2022. The management economics and finance major from Oakville, Ontario will provide a strong presence behind the plate, while also contributing with the bat. Incoming rookie,
Scott Rodrigue, a Whitby, Ontario native and mechanical engineering major, will provide depth at the position and has turned some heads during training camp where he has showcased tremendous promise offensively.
Gryphon Infielders
After an impressive 2021 season at second base,
Braedon Walsh is expected to move to short stop. The Barrie, Ontario native takes over for projected starter
Nick Jaeggin, who is currently sidelined due to injury.
Taking over the second base duties for Walsh will be third-year management major Aidan Mendoza. Anchoring third base is one of the top corner infielders in the conference in
Sam Brown, who had a strong freshman year in 2021 and projects to bat 3rd in the Gryphon lineup. Finally, at first base, 6'4" veteran slugger
Arthur Kowara returns, and should split infield and designated hitter duties with rookie
Owen Vickers. Both Kowara and Vickers are Toronto natives who come from the Ontario Blue Jays system and will provide head coach
Dean Mariani with power from both sides of the plate (Kowara - right, Vickers - left).
Gryphon Outfielders
Once again patrolling centre field for the Gryphons is team captain,
Ashton Patterson, a Kitchener native and mechanical engineering major who returns for his fifth year (academically) as a Gryphon. Patterson possesses tremendous speed and is one of the most reliable leadoff hitters in the conference. In right field,
Owen Ellis returns for his third season as a Gryphon, with Ellis being one of three Gryphons to suit up for the IBL's Guelph Royals during the summer (alongside
Ashton Patterson and
Arthur Kowara). In left field, new recruit
Jaylen Wood arrives at the University of Guelph after having transferred from the JUCO ranks, and provides the Gryphons with some additional speed in the field and in the lineup.
The Gryphons season opener on Saturday (Sept. 3) versus Waterloo will be played at Larry Pearson Park. But the remainder of the 2022 OUA baseball season will once again see the Gryphons play their home games out of Hastings Stadium. The Gryphons will play at total of 18 regular season games before beginning their pursuit of an OUA title in October.
