After posting a league-best 17-1 regular season record, the Fanshawe Falcons are one series away from repeating as Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) baseball champions. This would mark Fanshawe College’s second straight championship, and their second in team history.
The Fanshawe Falcons swept St. Clair College in the simi-finals and will now advance to the OCAA championship series for the second consecutive year. The team finished the regular season 17-1, giving them the No. 1 playoff seed.
The Lambton Lions also advance to the championship series after sweeping Durham in the semi-finals. The Lions finished with a record of 12-6, earning the No. 3 playoff seed.
The Falcons have faced the Lions three times in the 2026 regular season, with Fanshawe winning all three games. Ryan Baynton, a pitcher who won the OCAA Championship with Fanshawe last year, is preparing for this championship series. Baynton and the team are having extra practices, and are focused on the importance of defence, and getting runs early.
When Baynton describes the differences between seasons, he mentions the struggles the team went through last year, compared to this year. “The team last year struggled with getting runs early in the game and getting out of innings, where as this year, the team is dedicated to getting the lead early, and saving as many runs as possible.”
Baynton knew his team was going to be stronger this year thanks to the amount of returning players.
Photo of Ryan Baynton pitching for the Fanshawe Falcons, Credit to Fanshawe Falcons
The Falcons have earned many individual achievements this year. Holden Heipel was named the Player-of-the-Year after excelling both at the plate and on the mound. He batted .346, while posting a 0.67 earned-run-average over 20 innings pitched.
Seven Fanshawe players earned spots on either the first or second all-star team.
Lambton has also seen its had players recognized for their performances this season. Nolan Grimes was named the league’s Rookie-of-the-Year, and four other Lambton Lions earned spots on the all-star team.
Games 1, 2, and 3 of the championship series will take place at Norm Aldridge Field. Game 1 will start Friday at 3 p.m. Games 2 and 3 will take place at noon and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
