The 2011 calendar year brought about a lot of anticipation for the upcoming Brewer baseball season. The 2010 season ended with a disappointing 0-2 performance at the provincial championships, and the Brewers were eager to improve on that lackluster performance. 

There was also much heralding of the improvements that were to be made at Fergie Jenkins Field. The grandstand and dugouts that were constructed in 2010 are outstanding but the playing surface needed significant work. To be installed at various points throughout the season were bullpens, infield warning track, improvements to the infield, and a state of the art scoreboard. 

The Brewers lost some key veterans from 2010 including Ryan Weaver, Scott McGuigan, and Ryan Gore; all of which went into semi-retirement. Catcher Greg Kemble moved to Sarnia and joined the Sarnia Braves, while pitchers Chris Dath and Justin Edmondson took the year off citing arm injuries. 

Despite the personnel loss the Brewers maintained a solid core of players that would anchor the team through the turnover phase. Joel Smith (2B), Matt Knights (SS), and Joe Hewak (3B) were returning starters on the infield. Matt Rylett and Jason Shaw returned to the mound, and Dave Smith, Alan Oldershaw, Denny Toth, Jarrod Lucier, and Joe Wright were back in the outfield. 

 Some key players were also picked up before the season started to fill in the gaps and boost the depth of the team. Ryan Cattrysse returned to the team after two stellar seasons with the London Majors of the Intercounty Baseball League. Cattrysse provided outfield depth as well as a key middle of the order bat.

Another notable off-season acquisition was pitcher David Carey, who led the Brewer pitching staff in every imaginable category and was the ace of the staff that Maple City desperately needed. First baseman Mike Verfaillie was another new addition to the Brewers and was outstanding defensively in replacing McGuigan and Dath who manned the position in 2010. Verfaillie also provided speed and solid contact at the bottom of the order. Brandyn Broadwood also signed with the team to provide much needed stability behind the plate: solid game calling with an above-average, accurate throwing arm. He also was a force in the middle of an already potent batting order. Another good signing was utility player Brock Henderson; an all-around athlete with great potential. He provided depth in the outfield, middle infield, third base and even took to the mound a few times. 

The Maple City Brewers also signed their first ever coach. Wayne Tulloch contacted the Brewers prior to the season and after much discussion agreed to manage the team on an interim basis. Tulloch brought an old-school approach to the team, as well as a calm presence on the bench.

The season began on May 6th with a home game on the road for the Brewers as Fergie Jenkins Field was undergoing upgrades. Against the Amherstburg Juniors David Carey spun a no-hitter through five innings and was subsequently pulled with the Brewers up 7-0. Maple City would survive with an 8-6 win, although Carey being pulled with a no-hitter didn't sit well with some of the players.

More early season controversy would ensue when the Brewers' visited Courtright on May 31st. Up 7-0 in the top of the fifth, a Brewer player stole second base to the ire of some Cardinal players. Then in the top of the seventh up 11-0, another player mistakenly started to second on the pitch. The result was a heated discussion between managers and the Cardinals leaving the field, forfeiting the game.

Despite the extracurriculars the season continued on for Maple City. In mid-June the Brewers were atop the Essex League standings where they would stay for the remainder of the season, but the pitching staff lacked depth. As luck would have it, the Brewers were contacted by former Chatham Diamonds' star Terry Oulds who expressed interest in pitching for the team. Oulds debuted on June 29th in Wyoming firing two scoreless innings. Oulds was an excellent number two starter behind Carey for the remainder of the regular season.

With no Western Counties playoffs or prize money, there was little incentive to complete all of the requisite games, and the schedule was treated as exhibition and saw the Brewers struggling to field a full team.

The Essex League was the main focus of the team and it showed. The Brewers dropped two games to Woodslee early on, and had one puzzling loss to the Harrow Blues but swept the remainder of the regular season to finish 21-3; four games clear of the 17-7 Orioles. 

Second year third baseman Joe Hewak paced the Brewers early on with his bat; hitting .431 with 5 home runs and an astounding 28 RBI in the Essex League. David Carey did not allow an earned run in the Essex League all season. Carey was 4-0 with 22 innings pitched and 38 strikeouts to just four walks. He also batted over .400 on the season.

As the Brewers approached the OBA deadline for signing players they realized there was a lack of depth behind the plate. Brandyn Broadwood was doing an admirable job, but there was little support behind him. Backup catcher Greg Sinclair was unavailable most of the time, so the Brewers lacked a true number two catcher; often times leaning on first baseman Mike Verfaillie to fill in. 

The Brewers went searching for catchers and signed former Brewer Scott McGuigan, and former Blue Jay prospect David Corrente. McGuigan was not available until OBAs, however Corrente played in the regular season and his impact was felt immediately. In just four games Corrente was 6-13 with 3 home runs while being a defensive force behind the plate.

In mid-July following a forfeit (lack of players) to the Wyoming Cattlebarons, Wayne Tulloch resigned as field manager of the Maple City Brewers. Although the Brewers missed his steady hand at the helm, both sides conceded that it wasn't the right fit and the split was very amicable. Maple City soldiered on with player-managers Dave Smith and Jason Shaw taking back control of the on-field operations.

On Labour day weekend the Brewers headed to the provincial championships in Listowel to compete with ten other teams including local rivals Woodslee, Riverside, and Wyoming. The Brewers took the title with a 5-1 record, behind a 3-0 weekend from Dave Carey, including the semi-finals and finals, as well as great pitching performances from Matt Rylett and Denny Toth, who was basically making his season debut. As they did all season the bats backed up the pitching staff with 50 runs. Ryan Cattrysse was clutch all weekend with lots of memorable moments including a go-ahead two-run home run in the championship game. Brandyn Broadwood came up with tons of big hits in crucial spots (and snagged the final out of the tournament). Dave Smith had a weekend to remember as he was 13-19 with 4 walks (.714 OBP!) and two doubles.

The provincial championship was extra sweet for the Brewers as they knocked off Woodslee twice; the team who had been a thorn in their sides for the past couple seasons. Maple City also avenged their loss to Mitchell a day earlier with a convincing 8-1 win in the championship game.

After provincials the Brewers awaited their opponent in the second round of the Essex League playoffs; the Brewers having achieved a first round bye. Sadly, the second round of playoffs weren't set to begin until the beginning of October and Maple City couldn't field a team that late in the year so they were unable to back up their regular season pennant with a playoff victory.

The lack of playoffs in the Western Counties circuit also destroyed any hope of an epic Sarnia-Maple City championship series. Sarnia edged the season series 2-1, with each team coming away with one convincing victory, and Sarnia taking one in extra innings (after being no-hit for 6 and 2/3 innings). 

After much discussion and deliberations the Maple City Brewers have committed to playing in the Can-Am Baseball League next season and will not play in either the Essex County League or the Western Counties League. The decision was made for a number of reasons. The main factor was the quality of teams; the direction the team is heading requires an increase in the level of competition. Another reason was the need for a reduced schedule. Playing in two leagues required roughly a 50 game commitment, and the Can-Am league is around 30 games. 

As 2011 closes, another year is in the books for the Maple City Brewers. On some levels the year was a clear success, in other ways it was a distinct failure. 2012 will be a telling year for the Brewers in terms of where the team is headed. Will the Brewers be competitive in the new league? Who will depart from the team and what new additions will there be? There are also rumours abound of new uniforms in the works (home whites). 

Come January the recruiting process will begin and the roster will start to take shape. Keep an eye in the coming months for roster signings, release of the 2012 schedule, and other pertinent news regarding your Maple City Brewers - Chatham's only senior baseball team. Happy New Year!

Notes: 27 different players saw the field for the Brewers in 2011... Ryan Cattrysse and Joe Hewak hit two home runs each in a single game... Ryan Cattrysse had more home runs (3) than strikeouts (1) at provincials... Joel Smith successfully executed a drag bunt and a fake bunt -pull back slap in the provincial semifinals versus Woodslee... David Carey's season ERA (72 2/3 IP) 0.77... Brandyn Broadwood had a season OBP of .537... Season record: 38-11... Maple City never scored less than two runs in a single game and scored two runs only once... 90% of the Brewers' roster is less than 30 years of age... Maple City outscored their opponents 306-146...