TRURO, N.S. – The Truro Bearcats have taken a leave of absence from the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League.
John Smith, Bearcats coach, said the team couldn’t get enough veteran players to commit to playing this season, and as a result, the decision was made to fold.
“We had a few young guys come out and it was nice to see them, but the older guys, there’s no commitment level,” said Smith, who took over the head coaching position last season. “Last year we had a hard time with commitment and people not showing up and that kind of thing, so if it’s going to start that way, I’m not going to try and go through the year and put up with that foolishness … so we made the decision that it’s best just to shut ’er down.”
The NSSBL responded to the Bearcats’ decision on its website: “The Bearcats’ announcement has been met with both disappointment and understanding from the remaining four teams in the NSSBL. It is the goal of the NSSBL executive, managers, and players to add a fifth team to the long standing tradition of the NSSBL for the 2020 season.”
The Bearcats struggled on the field during the past two years. Last season they went 7-24 and finished in the league basement. At times, they barely had enough players to field a team. In 2018 they snuck into the playoffs after a 9-19 regular season but were swept in a first-round series.
Some players from last year’s Truro team are expected to play intermediate or junior baseball this season, while others have decided to pack it in altogether.
Smith said the Bearcats aren’t ruling out a return to the NSSBL next season.
