Season over, work begins after attendance doubled for Kitchener Panthers
Posted Aug 30, 2025 07:49:14 AM.
Last Updated Aug 30, 2025 09:57:47 AM.
The 2025 season may be wrapped up for the Kitchener Panthers, but after seeing attendance double through the campaign, work now begins moving into the off-season.
It comes after a season that saw the team finish with a 17-25 record, good enough for eighth place in the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL). The Panthers would battle against the pennant-winning Welland Jackfish in the first round of the playoffs, being swept 3-0.
Game one of the series set the tone, with the Jackfish shutting out the Panthers 7-0.
“I think we played really good baseball in the other two games,” Co-Owner and General Manager Shanif Hirani said. “Unfortunately, we lost that heartbreaker, but they had a lot of depth that they were able to pull on throughout a series, which is something I think they had an advantage over us with. Overall, our guys fought till the very last out.”
Hirani stated that the team’s overall depth, particularly where pitching and bullpen are concerned, remains the number one spot for improvement moving into the winter.
He said work is already underway to address some of those concerns moving into the off-season.
“Pitching is going to be a big focus for us this winter,” Hirani stated. “That’s somewhere where we felt like some of the other teams in the league might have had more options to go to late in games in their bullpen. We’re definitely going to be looking at the pitching aspect of things.”
The team remains motivated to succeed, according to Hirani, who said it’s been an amazing year of local baseball.
He mentioned that the fans were in full support this season of the Kitchener Panthers, with some impressive turnout numbers compared to 2024.
“We were able to double attendance this year off of last year, which is great,” Hirani said. “Our fans showed us nothing but support, even though we did have some tough times on the field. They kept showing up and kept supporting our players, which they took notice of and we’re extremely happy about.”
He said it’s a great reason for optimism, pointing to the clear fan-based support of the direction the team has been moving in following its recent sale.
Even though the season is now wrapped up for the Kitchener Panthers, all eyes can now start looking ahead to a potentially improved outlook for 2026.
