Season Opener: Blue Jays were Ready!

Practice paid off handsomely for the Blue Jays in their season opening game with the Tigers (orange) Sunday, April 15 at Westland Middle School.

Jack Raymond, Justin Conner, Braden Poon, Dylan Edwards, Dylan Yoon, George Roggie, Charlie Knowles, John Wyatt, Ethan Yu, Jeremy Robertson and Ryan Groban left no doubt that they were ready to play.

The splendid performance included multiple contributions from every member of the team!

The final score was Blue Jays 28, Tigers 11.

April 15 Game Report


Jeremy Robertson's breakout hitting performance was key to the Blue Jays' attack. Above, Jeremy prepares to rip a base hit in the first inning. Jeremy's sterling 4-for-4 day included a home run that just... kept... rolling through left field, a double, two singles, two runs scored, and three RBI.


Jeremy's sparkling play at pitcher's helper allowed the Blue Jays to get off the field quickly in the second inning. He fielded a tough grounder and alertly threw to Ethan Yu at 2nd base for the force out.


Ethan collected another infield assist in the fifth inning. He stopped a bouncing grounder and delivered a perfect dart to Charlie Knowles, who tagged the runner out at 1st base. After working hard on his game throughout the winter, Ethan is primed for a big season!


Ethan also contributed to the Blue Jays' offensive machine, knocking two solid singles and scoring two runs.


Charlie Knowles was all smiles after he smashed his first hit as a Blue Jay in the top of the first inning. A model of consistency, Charlie put up a 5-for-5 batting line that included five singles, four runs scored, and an RBI.


A sound glove man, Charlie executed an unassisted put out in the third inning, fielding a bouncing ball and stepping on the bag at 1st base to end the frame.


Ryan Groban provided two stellar defensive highlights. Ryan gave the team an early spark when he caught a high fly ball at shortstop in the bottom half of the first inning. Then, in the third inning, he did it again - this time making a juggling shoestring grab that brought a smile to his face and the crowd to its feet!


Ryan was the quintessential lead-off hitter, gathering three singles, reaching on a fielder's choice, and scoring four runs.


Bolstering the highly productive middle of the Blue Jays' batting order, Braden Poon received congratulations from his teammates for the bases clearing triple that he hit in the first inning. Braden would later add a double, two singles, three runs scored, and 4 RBI in his outstanding 4-for-4 day at the plate.


Braden made a superb head-ups play in the fourth inning. Playing at 3rd base, he nabbed a grounder and tagged out the runner who was trying to advance. Braden later added an assist, fielding a grounder in left field and throwing accurately to John Wyatt at 3rd base for a force out.


Dylan Edwards enjoyed a fabulous debut with the Blue Jays! He did an outstanding job with grounders at pitcher's helper, 2nd base, and in the outfield. Dylan also did a great job remembering to get his arms up to prevent the opposition from running.


Dylan really rose to the occasion at the plate, making consistent contact that extended innings and allowed his team to score more runs. Dylan knocked two singles, reached on a fielder's choice, scored a run, and added an RBI.


Each time his teammates set him up to drive in runs, George Roggie delivered. George hammered a grand slam home run, two triples and two singles, scored four runs, and collected nine RBI in a remarkable 5-for-5 performance.


Defensively, George put the finishing touch on a great play, catching a terrific throw at 1st base from Dylan Yoon to complete a put out in the fourth inning.


Dylan Yoon was very busy in the field, using his fleet feet to track down grounders at shortstop, pitcher's helper, and in the outfield. Dylan prevented runs from scoring by holding the opposition to singles, a key element of good baseball that, regrettably, does not show up in the box score. Rest assured, the coach appreciates it!


Dylan contributed solid contact and ample speed to the Blue Jays' offensive carousel. Above, he smacks a base hit in the first inning. Dylan ripped a single, reached on a fielder's choice on two different occasions, scored three runs, and notched an RBI.


Jack Raymond put in extra work on his hitting throughout the spring. He enjoyed the fruits of his labor in Sunday's game, crushing a single, reaching base on a fielder's choice, lashing a line drive to shortstop, and scoring a run.


Jack willingly donned the catching equipment and lined up in the line of fire in the first inning, turning in a gutsy performance behind the plate. In the fifth inning, Jack made three terrific stops at pitcher's helper.


Nobody loves playing the catcher position like John Wyatt! Above, John gets suited up for a tour of duty in the second inning. In addition to his catch of Braden Poon's throw that led to an out at 3rd base, John also made a terrific stop on a ground ball in the fifth inning and threw accurately to George Roggie at 1st base on a heart stopping bang-bang play.


John spent a good portion of his day running the bases, thanks in no small part to his powerful bat! John delivered a double, two singles, two runs scored, and three RBI from the cleanup spot in the order.


The Blue Jays happily welcome Justin Conner back to the team this spring following his fall hockey sabbatical. After making two mechanical adjustments to his swing in Saturday's practice, Justin turned home plate into his personal launching pad in Sunday's game. His grand slam moonshot homer appeared to land somewhere in Rockville. In addition to the home run, Justin added a triple, two singles, two runs scored, and six RBI.


Justin contributed defensively at pitcher's helper and 2nd base. His clean stop of a hard ground ball in center field robbed the hitter of extra bases.

Teammates and Sportsmen


When the game ended, the Blue Jays congratulated the Tigers, a good team that demonstrated admirable resilience following a slow start. We wish them well and look forward to playing them again this season.

The Extended Team


Many people helped and supported the Blue Jays throughout the game. Thanks to the parents for getting the players to the field 30 minutes prior to the game.

Baseball is a lot more fun for everyone when the team is ready to play. On this day, the Blue Jays very ready, indeed.


We are privileged to welcome back Coach Tom Yu for another season with the Blue Jays. The best 1st base coach in the BCC American League, Tom helps out in every way imaginable.

Thanks, Tom!


Thanks also to Coach Derrick Raymond, who did an outstanding job at 3rd base. We thought that Derrick struck the right balance, knowing when to be aggressive and when to demonstrate restraint.

Coach Steve also appreciates the ice pack that Derrick provided to stop the swelling in his sprained finger!


Keeping the team organized is central to success on game day. The Blue Jays are extremely fortunate to have the best ladies in the business, bench coach Trista Robertson and scorekeeper Susan Poon.

Trista kept the players lined up in their batting order and gave them their fielding positions prior to each inning.

Susan dutifully recorded everything that happened, much of it in rapid succession. This is no ordinary baseball score book!

Thank you, ladies!


When Richard Wyatt offered to handle post game snacks and drinks for the opener, we knew that the Blue Jays would be in good hands. It seems that John agrees!


Sarah has discovered that taking pictures during the game can be challenging when you're carrying a 23-pound eight month old.

That is why we so appreciate that Dina Zupnik spent much of the game taking care of Clark Roggie.

In essence, we have Dina to thank for the photos in this game report!

Great Start, Blue Jays!


This was a fabulous effort by the entire team. We could not be more proud of you!

Let's do it again next week!

Coach Steve