Sign up for the battlefordsNOW newsletter

NSRBL Season Preview: Lloyd Twins want bounce back after finals loss

May 17, 2016 | 5:00 PM

After a run of six consecutive championships, the Lloydminster Twins were finally dethroned in the NSRBL finals by their rival Border City Blue Jays. A pedestrian 8-5 record in the regular season turned around in the playoffs as the Twins swept their first two series against Unity and Meadow Lake.

In the finals however, the Twins met their match as the Blue Jays defeated them 2-1 and 5-3 to take the NSRBL crown away.

“They had a pretty good team, really good pitching staff,” Manager Steve Barbour said. “They’ve lost a few players for this year and we have as well, so it’s probably going to shape up a little bit differently this year.”

Barbour said he felt his team was just as strong as they had been in previous years when they won so many titles, but the Blue Jays brought their game to another level. He added an injury to Kevin Payne, who had been one of their most consistent contributors over the years, didn’t help their cause.

The strength of the Twins may be dwindling in the coming years, as Barbour said the main core of players who have been around for so long are starting to get older.

“We’ve always had a really good core to the team, but it’s starting to sort of fade away. Troy Winterhalt and Payne have been around for about a decade now. Some other guys have moved on to different things as well,” he said. “Pitching wise we have a few regulars but we’re lacking a bit in relief pitching. It would be nice to have some guys coming in to close the game.”

Winterhalt has driven in 61 runs since the 2010 season, posting a batting average of over .300 in each season. While Payne was in limited action last year, he still managed to hit two home runs which tied him for second in the league.

Returning players for the Twins this season include: Barbour, Owen Hill, Brett and Cole Kustaski, Troy Winterhalt, Shawn Coulter, Patrick Petman, Quinton Steinley, Eric Healey, Tracis Kusch, Riley Currie, Kevin Payne, Adrian Gutierrez, Brian Brewer and Warren Stang.

Lloydminster begins their quest to regain the NSRBL championship tomorrow, May 18 when they have a rematch of last year’s final against the Border City Blue Jays.

 

Email: cjnbsports@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @craig_beauch