‘A lot of optimism:’ Baseball is back for the Kitchener Panthers

As the ice skates are put away, the bats and gloves are making their way out, with Kitchener Panthers baseball returning to the region.

The team is getting set to open up its 2025 campaign with an opening game in enemy territory on the road, set to battle the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“There is a lot of optimism right now, just in the sense that brand new ownership and big turnover of the roster,” Mark Pare, play-by-play voice for the Kitchener Panthers, said. “In fact, this will be the first time this season where we don’t see a player that was part of that 2019 team that went to the IBL championship.”

It comes as the team was sold during the off-season, picked up by Waterloo Region Sports & Entertainment and joining forces with the KW Titans. The move to sell the team was announced during the regular season in 2024, with the final sale pushed through in December.

“David Schooley is one of the most passionate sports fans that I know, even just watching him at KW Titans games,” Pare said. “You know that he’s invested, know that he’s all in. Shanif Hirani is the general manager, a former Panthers player, and he has made a whole lot of moves. I can tell you, behind the scenes, he has been busy.”

The Panthers are coming off a tough series to end the 2024 postseason, defeating the Welland Jackfish in a Game 1 upset through the first round, but falling in the subsequent three games to be eliminated.

While the team went through a major behind-the-scenes change, there will also be a bit of turnaround on the field. It means that the returning veterans, including Nick Parsons and Yunior Ibarra, will be more important than ever.

“They’re very crucial to the development of this team. It’s a young team, and there has been a lot of turnover, especially when you look at the 2021 season. There was a whole lot of turnover just then from 2019 because of the pandemic. Now, you’re really starting to see the new crop come into their own,” Pare said.

Heading into the new season, Pare believes the dimensions of the ballparks around the league have a major impact on the decisions that go into constructing the roster, with plenty of contact needed to have a successful team in the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL).

“Contact is going to be key, especially when you look at some of the ballparks in this league,” he continued. “You do need some of that power, start driving these balls over the fence. Make no mistake about it, Jack Couch Park has one of the shortest outfield fences in the IBL.”

He said there are direct impacts that can be seen on the roster to fit that mindset, with new additions including Yosvani Penalver, Arthur Kowara, Wander Santana, and former Toronto Blue Jays prospect, Evan Elliot, set to bring plenty of attention to the team’s new dynamic.

“On offence, they really did focus on contact, a little bit of power in there as well. Yes, you lose a guy like Raul Gonzalez, who was a runner-up for MVP a couple of years ago. Yes, you lose Spenser Ross, who was an on-base phenom last season. Guys like Yosvani Penalver, I think that’s going to be a very big impact player to look forward to this season.”

The team will take the field for the first time this regular season at 2 p.m. in Toronto at Dominico Field at Christie Pits, with the Leafs announcing Ayami Sato as the opening day starter, set to make her IBL debut as the first-ever woman to play in the league.

All the action can be found live on the Toronto Maple Leafs IBL YouTube page.