Nothing is new regarding the Coquitlam Reds' basic philosophy entering another B.C. Premier Baseball League season.
Win.
Second in the 13-team regular-season race last season and, after, runner-up to the playoff-champion Langley Blaze, the ever-contending Reds make it no secret they plan to -- at the very least -- duplicate their feats, if not surpass them.
"As always, [we] expect to field a competitive team that will challenge for the league and provincial titles," Reds head coach Kyle Williams told The Tri-City News. "We feel we have one of the top hitting teams in the league and enough pitching to be competitive every day."
Williams believes one of the keys to the team's success this season will be leadership, which he feels he has plenty of in the form of captains Tyler Yorko, Brett Snowball and Darren Honeysett, all of whom were chosen by their teammates.
"Darren will be the type to lead by example, while Brett is more likely the guy to call a team meeting and say what needs to be said," Williams said. "Tyler communicates well with me on issues affecting the team."
Performance wise, Williams is looking to Jeff Heidema as the ace of the Reds' pitching rotation. Middle infielders Honeysett and Yorko are expected to give the squad plenty of pop batting one-two, with Max Hollingworth, Mitchell Jackman and Brian Nicholas slotted to follow with lots of punch in the heart of the hitting order.
Grade 10's Austin MacDonald is also being counted on to contribute well, both as a pitcher and hitter.
After finishing just two games back of the Nanaimo Pirates for the 2011 PBL pennant and falling to Langley in the championship of the final-four playoff tournament, the Reds will be among a mittful of teams vying for top billing this go-round.
"Langley always sets the bar [high] and is number one until someone knocks them off," Williams said. "North Shore looks like they have a good team, too. Okanagan, Abbotsford, the Victoria Mariners and Nanaimo should all be okay [but] we'll have a better idea at the end of this month."
REDS OFF TO 2-1 START
After racing out of the gate with a pair of victories, the Reds got tripped Tuesday by the North Shore Twins.
The Reds dropped their first contest of the new campaign, falling 3-1 in a PBL battle in North Vancouver. The loss comes after the Reds kicked off the 2012 season via a doubleheader sweep -- 7-4 and 5-2 -- last Sunday over the Cardinals in Abbotsford.
Against the Twins, Reds pitcher Austin MacDonald threw five-and-two-thirds solid innings, surrendering all three runs but only one of which was earned.
Mitchell Jackman smacked two hits, including a double, in a losing effort, while Adyan Smith knocked in the Reds' lone run via a sacrifice fly.
In Abby, the Reds came from behind in both outings to post the twinbill victory.
In the opener, the Reds trailed 4-1 early before rallying with five runs in the fifth inning, capped off by Jeff Heidema's two-run double. MacDonald finished three-for-four at the dish.
Brett Snowball pitched the win, with Curtis Taylor coming on in relief to throw three solid innings and earn his first PBL save.
In the nightcap, Mark Trimble went the distance on the mound, scattering six hits and striking out four.
Down 1-0 in the third, the Reds rallied behind a series of walks to eventually take the lead and never again trailed.
Up 4-1 in the fifth, the Cards cut the Reds' lead to two before Trimble did well to get out of a bases-loaded jam, fanning an Abby hitter looking at a 3-2 fastball.
Taylor Lawrence executed a suicide squeeze to perfection in the final inning for the game's final run.
HOME OPENER RAINED OUT
The Reds' PBL home opener versus the White Rock Tritons on Thursday was washed out after sunny skies turned to dark ones and opened up at Mundy Park.
The game has been rescheduled for next Thursday (April 19) at Mundy, 6:30 p.m.
