Royals know repeat of 2012 unlikely
Posted April 2, 2013
What most dubbed a Cinderella run by the previous year’s doormat of the PBL, will be hard to repeat, especially with the schedule the Royals were dealt in 2013.
Add in the fact the Royals will lose veterans, yes now veterans, Cody Sroka and Kyle Ellis, who were part of the original Royal rebuild as peach-fuzzed youngsters in 2008, and the team looks destined to be below .500 for a sixth straight season.
But not all is lost for a team that saw some gains last season with a team full of mature youngsters like Adam Johnson, Ian and Zenan Sherbaniuk, Chad Samoisette, Cole Tomaszewski, Landon Miller and Brendan Kudrowich. Add in the likes of Joel Boettger, Jason Buzzell and Clark Banack, as well as some returning veterans from many moons ago who have yet to be announced and some free agents picked up from abroad through the elaborate scouting staff in Latin America and Japan.
“We have some signings we haven’t announced yet,” said Coach/GM/Player/Part owner/Team ball boy Jason Buzzell. “We’re worried about a couple who have made headlines recently with their academic achievements. But we know they can play baseball well.”
With most of team penned to come back, including Zenan Sherbaniuk, who ended up being a team MVP by year’s end, along with shortstop Adam Johnson, the team should compete better than they did through the 2010-2011 stretch.
But the season schedule, if Beaumont joins, pegs the boys in blue for their extra two games against four-time defending champion Leduc, as well as Beaumont. It also includes a sparse schedule for the first few weeks of May after three games in less than a week to start the season.
“(It’s a really) tough draw,” said Clark Banack, in his final season as Royal. “Only two against Bardo, Camrose and Ryley (who we’ve had some success in the past against).
The Royals kick off exhibition play May 4 with games in the Camrose Axemen preseason tournament. They then launch into the season one week later on a Saturday, May 11, hosting Beaumont.
