ALVINSTON INDIANS

History

The Alvinston Indians

 

-Formed in 1995, after the folding of the Town and Country League in the Sarnia-Lambton region. The team joined the most competitive league in their area, the St. Thomas and District Fastball League.  After years of being known as the Alvinston Aces, they went back to their roots, and renamed the local team the Alvinston Indians, after the success of the old Alvinston Indians team, which was named to the Lambton County Hall of Fame this past year (2003).  Joe Triest, and Paul “Chico” McCart were the spear headers of this reforming of the Alvinston Indians Men’s Fastball Club.

 

-After a tough first year in the league in 1995, and an improved season in 1996, the Indians made a push in 1997, and upset the Melbourne McKellar Mercs dynasty, in the playoffs to win their first St. Thomas and District Fastball League Championship.

 

-Also in 1997, the Alvinston Indians won their first Ontario Championship.  They captured the “D” Provincial Championship, and began to start their own dynasty.  Also in 1997, they won the Melbourne tournament, and were still alive on Sunday in most tournaments.

 

-In 1998, the Indians repeated.  With the additions of Mike Black, Greg Huston, and starting pitcher Doug Charlton, they improved yet again as a team.  They became back to back champions in the St. Thomas and District Fastball League, and defeated an impressive St. Thomas team in a five game marathon series.

 

-The Indians made the jump, to the “B” level in the Provincial Championships, and with the pitching workhorse Doug Charlton, he almost led the Indians to an Ontario Championship, falling short to the Mitchell Mets in the championship, and the Indians settled as Finalists.  Doug Charlton was named Most Valuable Pitcher of the tournament.

 

-In 1999, the Alvinston Indians were the first team ever in their area, to represent Lambton County at the North American Level.  They qualified for the North American “AA” Fastpitch Association Championship in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in which they qualified, by winning the League Championship in 1998.  Unfortunately, the Indians finished with a record of 0-3, however they got a taste of fastball at the North American level.

 

-The season of 1999, had many accomplishments as well.  They Indians repeated yet again and three-peated as the St. Thomas and District Fastball League and Playoff Champions.  They defeated powerful senior level pitcher Rob Schweyer, and the Pt. Stanley Pirates in a five game series.

-The Alvinston Indians also made the jump to the Provincial “A” Championships, and hosted this tournament in Alvinston.  The Alvinston Indians came all the way back on the loser’s side, and rode their hot bats and the arm of Doug Charlton to their first Ontario Provincial “A” Championship.  In 1999, the Alvinston Indians finished with an impressive 48-19 record, and established themselves as a premier team in Ontario.

-Having established themselves as an elite team in Ontario, and having one perhaps the highest accolade in Intermediate Men’s Fastball, a Provincial “A” Championship, numerous players retired and called it a career.  The Indians said goodbye to long time first baseman Mark Hall, centre-fielder Brad McVicar, catcher Rob McKellar, left-fielder Jeff Cumming, and leadoff hitter and right-fielder Dale Hall, all mainstays in the Indians lineup since 1995.

-So, in 2000, the Indians were forced to rebuild.  Manager and third baseman Paul McCart worked many long hours to keep the team going.  Altho the dynasty was over, the team was not.  After starting the season 4-8, they rebounded and finished the season on a 14-2 run, and finished second in the League with an 18-10 record.  In the playoffs, the Indians fell short losing in the finals this time to the Port Stanley Pirates. 

-All was not lost in the 2000 season.  With the Indians capturing the league title in 1999, that qualified them to compete yet again in the NAFA (North American Fastball Association) Championships.  With ace pitcher Doug Charlton unable to attend, the Indians went to Fargo, North Dakota, with an 11 man roster, and competed in the single “A” division.  The Indians rode the pitching of Sarnia pitcher Brett Neal, who led the Indians to a 5-2 record, and a fifth place finish in North America.  Brett Neal was named to the All-World team as a pitcher.  It was the success of this makeshift team that kept the team together, and in 2001 the Indians returned to the top on the Ontario stage.

-In 2001, Mark Hall returned to his familiar spot at first base, and the Indians made the additions of shortstop Scott McAuley, catcher Scott Smith, pitcher Brad Young, and Murray McLean, Ran Pazitka, and Marc Greenwood, returned after being a part of the 2000 team.  With the addition of Brad Young, the Indians for the first time had a powerful pitching staff of Ace Doug Charlton, Brad Young, and Brett Neal.  The Indians posted an impressive record of 55-22, winning the Melbourne tournament, Owen Sound Tournament, and finished in the top four in two other tournaments. 

-The Indians fell short in League however, as they did win the League Championship with a 23-5 record, but fell short and finished as finalists in the St. Thomas and District Fastball League, bowing out to Union.

-2001 was a season which saw the Indians represent for the first time on a Canadian level.  In Innerkip, at the All-Ontario Eliminations, the Indians were poised to finish well in this tournament, for the first time in their longevity.  They did just that, winning their first game, losing the second, and then winning six straight games before bowing out to Breslau, the eventual third place finisher.  The Indians finished with a 7-2 record, and a fourth place finish, which qualified them for Eastern Canadian “B” Championships.  They traveled to Alberton, Prince Edward Island, and were crowned the Eastern Canadian “B” Finalists. 

-In 2002, the highlight of their season was winning the Inaugural International Softball Congress II World Championship. This was an incredible feat, and the Indians played some of their best fastball in their careers.  Brad Young, Randy Livingston, and Mike Black were named to the All-World Team.  Each starting player had admirable stats, and this is the ultimate reason why they accomplished this unparalleled achievement.  They finished with a 6-1 record, and Brad Young was the hero and ace on the mound for the Indians. 

-However, to attend such a tournament, the Indians earlier had to qualify.  They won their first game of the ISC qualifier, lost the second, and went on to reel five straight victories, before bowing out in the finals to Tavistock.  With their stellar performance in the qualifier, and even coming back in the semi-final game against Harriston (Highlighted by a two-run home run by Brett Neal), the Indians were granted an invite to the Inaugural ISC II World Tournament. 

-The Indians also dominated once again at the All-Ontario OASA Eliminations, in Owen Sound.  They lost their first game, then pulled off six straight victories (four of the one run variety), before losing to the Owen Sound Crunch in the championship game, in extra innings (10)!  Again, they qualified for the Canadian Championships, but declined the invitation, to attend the World’s, a good choice as it turns out!

-The 2002 season, remains as the most successful for the Indians.  Besides capturing a World Championship, they captured their third Ontario Championship, and second “A” Championship, defeating a tough Peterborough team twice, again coming back on the loser’s side to win yet again.  They were a league championship away from the Triple Crown, and finished the season with a 50-22 record. 

-The 2003 season, was highlighted by a return to the World Championships.  The Indians won the round robin portion of their division, posting a 4-0 record, before bowing out in the playoffs to Orr Park Ohio, finishing with a respectable ninth-place finish. 

-The Indians also won their own tournament in 2003, finishing with a 6-1 record again in notable fashion coming back on the loser’s side to win the tournament.  Also of note, they posted a 6-1 record in the Innerkip tournament, losing 3-2 to Oakville in the finals in extra innings, settling for second.

-After a long absence from winning the League Championship, The Indians returned to the top in the St. Thomas and District Fastball League, as they defeated Union in the finals, 3-1, to earn the League crown yet again for 2003.

-In 2004, the team returned to the ISC II Tournament of Champions, but had their worst performance going 1-3.  They fell short, losing in the finals of the St. Thomas and District Fastball League Championship, losing to Glencoe.

-In 2005, they returned to dominance, winning the Alvinston Tournament, and the Glencoe Tournament.  The highlight of their season was a return trip to the ISC II Tournament of Champions yet again, where they posted a 5-1 record, losing 2-0 in the semi-finals, and earning third place in the tournament.