A local baseball team made up of players aged 25 and older has won the Eugene Men's Senior Baseball League title in its first year as a member following a 1-0 victory over the Eugene Cardinals in the championship game on September 11.
The Roseburg Brewers finished third in the regular season standings and then went on to win both championship playoff games, which includes the top four teams from the regular season. There were seven teams in the conference this year, with the Brewers finishing 13-7 in the regular season. Roseburg, playing as the third seed in the playoffs, took care of the Eugene Blue Jackets in the first round with a 2-0 win. The Cards and Jackets both finished the regular season with 14-6 records, tying for first place.
"As the newbies, we started feeling very positive
about our chances of being successful," head coach George Miller said. "We have had players come and go throughout the season, but we
finished with 12 players."
The final roster for Roseburg included Miller, Marco Najera, Josh Carr, Tom Nielson, Aaron Hickey, Kyle Ramos,
Michael Dahm, Michael Jones, Koree Najera, Nick Bowers, Lee
Azpiroz and Colton Gow. Many of the players are former Dr. Stewart's American Legion baseball players, as well as having played in some of the county's high school programs.
"Everyone on the team played exceptionally well, with only one error
in the two playoff games," Miller said. Tom Nielsen pitched the Brewers to the first round victory and then finished out the championship game to pick upa save. He relieved Josh Carr, who went 5 2/3 innings to pick up the win before Nielsen finished off the Cardinals to clinch the 2011 title.
The E.M.S.B.L. is eager to add more teams, and a second team from Roseburg would be a welcome addition, according to Miller. Currently, the conference allows players aged 25 and older, with only three players aged 18-24 allowed on the roster. There are a few other restrictions as well. Each team must pay a fee, which covers umpires, field rentals, game balls and insurance liability (individual players pay for their uniforms and personal gear). This year's Brewers were sponsored by the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.
