Jays, Team Canada make baseball 'cool right now' in Orillia

Recent Jays' success 'definitely has a ripple effect,' says president of local minor baseball organization that has seen a 15% spike in registration numbers

By Tyler Evans, OrilliaMatters.com

Registration for Orillia Legion Minor Baseball is up significantly compared to last year, with the local association on track to surpass pre-COVID participation levels and approach one of its busiest seasons in recent history.

“We’re up about 15 per cent from where we were last year,” said president Wes Winkel.

The increase is expected to bring total registration to between 550 and 600 players for the 2026 season. Before the pandemic, the organization had just under 500 players.

“We have more players now than we had in the pre-COVID years,” Winkel said.

He said the current numbers mark the highest participation the organization has seen during his time involved with minor baseball, which dates back to 2009. 

Winkel pointed to renewed interest in the sport, driven in part by the success of the Toronto Blue Jays and Canada's national baseball team, as a contributing factor.

“It just has people talking more about baseball,” he said. “Baseball is just cool right now.”

Moments at the highest level of the game continue to resonate with young players, he added, helping keep the sport top of mind.

“It has baseball on the forefront of their minds,” Winkel said. “They’re talking about it, they play it in the schoolyard, and then they want to play it in the summer. It definitely has a ripple effect.”

The strongest growth is coming at the entry level. The association now has more than 160 players registered in its T-ball program alone, a number Winkel described as encouraging for the long-term health of the sport locally.

That early success has translated into strong retention. According to Winkel, nearly all players move on from T-ball into the next level, known as coach pitch.

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