BARRIE, Ontario — The Barrie Baycats maybe didn’t achieve their goal of winning a seventh straight Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) championship, but the team’s manager Josh Matlow said the club is in a good spot moving forward.

“Everyone always wants to win. That’s the name of the game and obviously the end goal, but like I said in previous conversations, we’re building a brand-new team,” Matlow said. “I’m so proud of my boys on how they came out and showed a lot of heart. That’s all you can ask for as a coaching staff.”

The Baycats lost in the semifinals to the Toronto Maple Leafs, dropping back-to-back games in a best-of-three series. Pitching struggled mightily in that series.

“Our two starting pitchers gave up 19 earned runs in five innings, collectively. That didn’t give us much of a chance,” Matlow said. “Although we did fight until the end, we gave up five runs in each first inning of both games. We were at a handicap right off the bat.”

The Baycats did secure pitching in the previous offseason, signing Dominican pitchers Frank Garcés and Jason Aquino for 2021. However, both pitchers were unable to come to Canada due to issues surrounding COVID-19.

Garcés pitched for the Baycats in 2018 and won the IBL pitcher of the year. He went 10-0 that season and postseason combined with an earned run average of 0.51. He struck out 104 batters in 88 innings and threw just nine walks. Over his career, Garcés pitched 47 innings in the majors with the San Diego Padres.

Aquino pitched for the Baltimore Orioles in 2016 and 2017. He pitched 15.1 innings over that time and had a 1-2 record.

“We lost fair and square, there’s no question about that, but I would have loved to have seen what the year would have looked like if we had those guys and the other teams had their imports,” Matlow said.

Matlow said about 15 to 20 players will be returning next year.

“We’re going to get better every year and build on what we have. We know we have a good young core and with the imports coming back next year, that changes a lot,” Matlow said.

This was Matlow’s first year as manager after playing with the club from 2005-09.

“It was absolutely magical. It was a complete honour to be chosen to keep the reigns going and the culture and morals of what the organization holds,” Matlow said. “To be able to come full circle and see some of the kids who used to come to games and cheer us on now on the team – it’s very special.”

Matlow said he couldn’t have done it without the support of his coaching staff – Andrew White, Brad Grieveson and Steven Szoldra.

“Their willingness to be a part of things was very special and very appreciated. I couldn’t have done this year without them,” Matlow said. “They are the greatest support system any coach or person can have. I am very grateful for them.”

The Baycats went 14-16 in the regular season after missing an entire season due to the pandemic.

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