Wildcats finally showing their stuff

The Kentville Wildcats finally seem to be rounding into shape in the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League.

The Wildcats have won eight of nine recent games to turn around a 3-12 start. Three of the wins in their current streak have come over league-leading Dartmouth.

I felt all along, while the 2007 'Cats might not be quite as strong as in past years, they were better than their early record showed. It was only a matter of time before they turned things around.

On the other hand, there just might be as much parity in the NSSBL right now than in any other time in its history, with any or all of the five league teams capable of beating anyone else - yes, even Dartmouth - pretty much any time out.

I wasn't too worried about Kentville's slow start, which had as much to do with the way the league schedule is drawn up as anything else - though I admit to having been a bit concerned at Kentville's lack of hitting early in the season.

The best baseball teams feature a good balance of pitching, hitting and defense, and when one of those three isn't holding up its end, it puts added pressure on the other two.

Dartmouth got off to a great start this year and looked almost unbeatable but, lately, as the games piled up and the schedule began to take its toll, the Dry have been moving back in the pack.

Both Truro and Halifax have a lot of games to make up due to rainouts earlier in the season, and I'm looking for their schedules to eventually catch up with them, too.

All of which looks pretty good for the Wildcats. At the time of writing, Kentville had played 24 games (11-13), and had just five left to play. Sitting four games ahead of Sydney in the win column, you have to think Kentville's playoff chances looked pretty good.

A major factor has been the continued outstanding play of Ian Lockhart, arguably one of the NSSBL's all-time greatest players and easily one of its best-ever shortstops. One of the few Wildcats to have hit consistently early in the season, other hot bats of late have belonged to Curtis Falls, Mike Lockhart and veterans Les Berry and Ian Mosher.

Jeff Lockhart, also swinging a hot stick, wasn’t really part of the Wildcats' most recent five-game winning streak, which included a three-game sweep in interprovincial play. Adding his bat and that of a more effective Ryan Brothers, last year's top rookie, to the lineup makes Kentville a far more dangerous team.

Overall, the biggest thing the Wildcats might have going for them is the experience of having been there before. Veterans Ian Lockhart, Mike King, Luke Smith, Falls, Berry and Mosher may be frustrated losing to Dartmouth, but they're not in awe of the Moosehead Dry.

Over the years, when this “core group” of Wildcats has won, it's been because they played together and excelled in all aspects of the game. When they've lost, it's been to teams - usually Dartmouth - who were better that particular night, or series.

Kentville might not win the NSSBL this year, but I wouldn't bet against the 'Cats being in there at the end.