PREVIEW: Baseball travelling to Windsor for OCAA playoffs
By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications
ETOBICOKE – Humber baseball (7-11, 6th OCAA) is heading to Windsor, Ont., for the 2025 OCAA Men's Baseball Championship, taking place from Oct. 16 to 18 at Lacasse Park. The Hawks will open the postseason against the Durham Lords (11-7, 3rd OCAA) in the play-in round. The ball game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16.
The Hawks are looking to return to the OCAA mountaintop after falling in their opening playoff game last year, ending an eight-year streak of podium finishes.
It was a historic 2025 season for Humber, but not the kind the program celebrates.
Humber finished with its lowest-ever position in the OCAA standings and recorded the first losing record in program history.
At Connorvale Park, the Hawks struggled, going winless at home until Oct. 1. Against the league's top teams (Lambton, Fanshawe, Durham and St. Clair), Humber managed just a 3-9 record, though they fared better against the lower half of the table at 4-2.
Pitching challenges, particularly out of the bullpen, haunted the Hawks all season long. Humber never found stability on the mound. The Hawks allowed the most hits (145) in the OCAA, ranked third in runs allowed (125) and issued the second-most walks (85), including 12 walks in a single game against Durham to close the regular season.
Despite the team's struggles, Humber boasts individual standouts capable of turning games around.
Callum Blue finished the season tied for first in the OCAA with a .444 batting average, while Xavier Whittle ranked fifth (.420) and once again showcased his power. After leading the league in home runs last year, Whittle matched the league lead again with four, joining five others at the top.
First-year catcher Lee Grey made an immediate impact, finishing second in the OCAA with 18 RBIs.
When contact has been hard to come by, speed on the basepath could be Humber's main weapon heading into the postseason. Jack St. Louis (13 steals), Isaac Duva (10 steals) and David Boatto (seven steals) all ranked in the OCAA's top 10. St. Louis's total set a new Humber program record for career stolen bases (32).
2025 highlights
- Callum Blue tied for first in the OCAA batting race (.444).
- Xavier Whittle ranked fifth in average (.420) and led the league in home runs (four) for the second straight year.
- First-year catcher Lee Grey finished second in RBIs (18).
- David Boatto (seven), Isaac Duva (10) and Jack St. Louis (13) all finished top 10 in stolen bases.
- St. Louis broke the program's all-time stolen base record (32).
- Humber suffered its first losing season and lowest finish in program history.
- The Hawks allowed the most hits (145), third-most runs (125) and second-most walks (85) in the OCAA.
Scouting the Durham Lords
The Durham Lords enters the championship with momentum after recovering from a slow start. Following four straight losses to start the season, Durham caught fire and dropped just one of their final six games, and in all but one, scoring double-digit runs.
Offensively, the Lords finished second in RBIs (116) and third in hits (142), powered by a deep lineup that includes Eddie Borutskie and Malik James (tied for third in RBIs, 17 each). Like Humber, Durham also boasts speed on the bases, with five players in the OCAA's top 10 in stolen bases, led by Borutskie with 10.
Their pitching staff is one of the league's best, leading the OCAA with 141 strikeouts. Matt Jones (35 Ks) and Gareth Mann (39 Ks) ranked third and second, respectively. This duo combined for just 25 fewer strikeouts than Humber's entire staff.
Durham enters as the favourite, no doubt about it. But Humber proved it can hang with them as the two teams split a doubleheader to finish the regular season.
At the helm
Head coach Troy Black is in his fifth season leading the Humber baseball program. In his first year in 2022, he guided Humber to an OCAA gold medal, setting a league record with 17 home runs in 14 games.
Black is looking to return Humber to the OCAA podium and reignite the Hawks' winning standard.
A former University of Maine (DI – American East Conference) infielder and two-time All-America East Second team selection, Black previously served as an assistant coach during Humber's 2018 and 2019 championship runs and the 2019 NCBC national title.
By the numbers
- The Hawks are chasing their third OCAA gold and first since going back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.
- Humber holds a 19-18 all-time OCAA postseason record.
- The Hawks boast a 27-23 all-time record against the Lords and 6-4 in OCAA postseason play.
- A medal this season would mark Humber's ninth provincial hardware in 12 seasons (three bronze, four silver and two gold).
Postseason schedule
- Play-in game: Humber vs. Durham Lords on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 4 p.m.
- Play-in games: Friday, Oct. 17, TBD (10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.).
- Bronze Medal game: Saturday, Oct. 18, at 10 a.m.
- Gold Medal game #1: Saturday, Oct. 18, at 1:00 p.m.
- Gold Medal game #2 (if necessary): Saturday, Oct. 18, at 3:30 p.m.
Watch live
All games of the 2025 OCAA Men's Baseball Championship can be streamed live on OCAA Live. Follow @HumberHawks on Instagram and Humber Varsity on Facebook for scores and updates.
