Tara Jeffrey/The Independent

The Port Lambton Pirates 18U hardball team made history this summer with the organization’s first-ever ‘A’ division provincial title — a milestone years in the making, built on hard work, determination, and a small downriver community that has poured itself into growing the game.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Port Lambton Athletic Association president Craig Bezaire said of the historic win at the Ontario Baseball Association Championships held in Stratford earlier this month. “The group this year saw what they had and wanted to challenge themselves…they wanted to play with the big centres, and they committed at the start of the year and just worked their tails off.”

By size alone, Port Lambton is a ‘D’-level town in OBA play. But the U18 team (comprised of local 16, 17 and 18-year-olds) had bigger ambitions — opting to advance to the ‘A’ division, determined to compete at the highest level they could.

“They wanted to be the best,” Bezaire said.

The team went undefeated in the Aug. 14–17 tournament, facing squads from Barrie, Woodstock, Windsor, and Ajax, leading up to a walk-off championship victory over Stratford — and backed by a crowd of black-and-yellow-clad Port Lambton faithful who showed up for the big game.

“It was crazy to look out in the stands from the field and see so many people I knew,” said player Brock Lane. “We had more fans watching our game than the hometown team did… the support from our tiny village is unbelievable.”

Meanwhile back in Port Lambton, the celebrations had already begun.

“The fire sign was changed to recognize us before we even got home,” said player Jace Burgess, 17. “They had the scoreboard lit up with the win at Van Damme Park all night long, a tradition for a few years now. 

“The park was full Sunday night of our families, teammates and buddies,” he added. “It was pretty crazy — one of those moments you sit back and just watch a minute while it’s happening, kinda take it in… I won’t forget it; makes me proud of where I come from.

“Many of us have been together since rookie ball,” Burgess continued. “We have grown up beside each other on these diamonds; these boys are my best friends, my brothers — we are family.”

That Pirates family mentality stems from a grassroots, community-led mission to grow the game, explained Bezaire, who also grew up playing ball in Port Lambton.

“It’s always been a baseball town…but, back in 2010, a bunch of us local senior players were approached about coming back, to try and get the program going again,” he said. “And starting there, we built it from the ground up.

“We’ve always had exceptional community support,” he added. “We just wanted to build something so that our kids weren’t playing baseball in other centres…and provide good high level baseball for everybody that plays in Port Lambton.”

And the hard work paid off; by 2015, the organization earned its first provincial title in some 30 years when the 9U team won their OBA ‘D’ Championships. Five more OBA titles followed — 15U ‘C’ in 2021 and 2023; 18U ‘C’ and Senior ‘C’ in 2023; 18U ‘C’ in 2024 — and now the first-ever ‘A’ crown, led by head coach and former Pirates player Chris Bonneau.

“It was a big win for the town,” Bonneau said. “I think it was really impactful to show that our small community can come together and become something.”

Since 2010, the organization has grown from about 50-60 kids registered, to more than 200 today — boasting a thriving girls’ softball program, OBA Hardball from 13U through to Senior level, and drawing in players from across the county, Bezaire explained.

“Because we’ve been able to run a successful program, when kids don’t have anywhere else to play, they want to come here,” he said. “And that’s solely because of the support that we get from our volunteers, the community, and the township. 

“We’re in our own little bubble, I would say.”

The association is committed to keeping registration costs low and affordable — it’s $30 to play T-ball — thanks to money raised through local sponsorships and events like the annual Gala Days.

“We’re lucky,” said Bezaire. “We’re so independent, and because we volunteer and take care of all the facilities on our own, we don’t have to pay user fees.

“This wouldn’t be accomplished without the long-time volunteers,” he stressed. “We’ve had people on our Athletic Association that have been there for 50 years.” It’s not uncommon to see upwards of 100 fans at the ball park on any given night, he added.

“And every year we win, we do a parade Labour Day Monday,” Brock Lane added. “Our moms decorate floats that we sit on, and the fire trucks follow us with their sirens going. We go through the entire village, and everyone stands outside their houses, clapping or holding signs congratulating us. 

“It’s the coolest feeling,” he said, “I love growing up in this small community.”