Win or lose, the Sudbury Voyageurs forge forward.

For as much as the sweet taste of victory is nice, the reality for all three of the local rep baseball teams that compete in the PBLO (Premier Baseball League of Ontario) is that the primary goal lies in long-term development, exposing their young athletes to a competitive framework that offers at least the possibility of pursuing the sport beyond their high-school years, should they so choose.

Adrien Cecchetto and his 14U teammates have a few years on their side before they need worry about those kinds of life decisions. For now, the youngest of the Voyageur formations and friends are enjoying the ride – and why not?

Where many a Sudbury 14U entry into the PBLO could count on one hand their victories in league play by the end of summer, the 2025 edition of this crew are up to eight wins – and counting – after earning a four game split with the Pickering Prospects on the weekend.

“We work on a lot of things in practice and we are very good at translating stuff that we work on in practice into the games,” said Cecchetto, a 14 year old grade eight student at Ecole St Augustin in Garson. The youngster held the fort on the mound for five plus innings as the homeside scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, clipping the Prospects 9-6.

“I was hitting the strike zone a lot,” said Cecchetto, registering five strikeouts while walking only four, a more than respectable total at this age.

“During the game, I was working on my off-speeds. I found they actually improved a lot, even over the course of the game. My location and my pitches were working well today.”

After Sudbury center fielder Merrik Sokoloski stranded a pair of Pickering runners in the bottom of five, taking a moment and then getting a beat on a fly ball to the deepest part of the park, the Voyageurs went to work.

Sokoloski and Cameron Roy led off the sixth by reaching base on walks, with both coming around to score when a shot up the middle by Olivier Seguin was mishandled by the Pickering second baseman. Seguin would be plated on a grounder to short by Franky Finamore, securing the second Voyageurs win of the weekend.

“We lost the first game but walked them off in game two,” noted Cecchetto, explaining that Blake Rothwell put the ball in play, allowing Seguin to cross the plate as a four run rally in the bottom of the seventh pushed Sudbury past Pickering 7-6 the previous day.

When Cecchetto is not pitching, you will likely find him expanding the versatility in his game, taking up a post pretty much anywhere in the infield but first base. Still, it’s in the batters’ box that the young man who has played since the age of seven is honing his craft on many a day this summer.

“I’ve been working on my hitting a lot recently, working on staying back on the ball,” he said.

“I’ve been lunging out. Now I am staying back more and trying to drive it on a line.”

Yet another multi-dimensional talent within the Voyageurs’ organization, 16U pitcher / outfielder Evan Ouimet was already moving on from a tough three game set with the London Badgers as we chatted on Tuesday, his team previously riding a six game winning streak going into their weekend matchup.

All was certainly not lost, in spite of an 0-3 record when the dust settled on Sunday.

“They are all learning experiences,” stressed Ouimet, a 16 year-old grade 10 student at Confederation Secondary who split his time between rep hockey and rep baseball in his youth before veering off more in favour of the diamond sport once he hit high-school.

“I try not to worry too much about past events. The next event is the most important. Each weekend coming up is the most important thing.”

Much like the 14U hurlers, pitchers at the 16U age group still need to find a way to limit the free passes, those costly walks that inevitably seem to hurt you that much more than giving up a solid base hit.

“For me, I need to focus more on my target – actually hitting my target,” said Ouimet. “Also, I have to realize what the batter did in the previous at bat so that I can have a new game plan for him. I am happy with my pitches, in an enjoyable spot right now – but there can be a lot of improvement, I would say.”

Racking up three hits in the three game series, Ouimet trailed only Brett Rienguette (4) and sat tied with leadoff hitter Owen Lamothe in that department for the Vees. “I find that I am at a comfortable spot in the order where I usually have base runners on base, which gives me a chance to score some runs for the team,” said Ouimet.

“But I do need to learn to hit off-speed pitches better.”

Tanner Morris and Owen Lamothe led the team in runs scored with three each while Justin Mrochek did likewise in the RBI stat-line, also with three.

The 16U Voyageurs will enjoy a weekend off before playing host to a Thunderwolves squad from upstate New York on June 21st and 22nd. In the meantime, Ouimet will keep working on a game that he was apparently born to play.

“My parents and grandparents talked baseball with me a lot when I was young,” he said. “My great grandpa was a minor leaguer who was also a left-handed pitcher.”

While the 14U Voyageurs also enjoy a one week hiatus from league play, the 18U team will be engaged in what should be a very good matchup at home, taking their 10-4-1 mark into a quartet of outings against the Midwestern Ontario Bearcats (11-9-0) at the Terry Fox Sports Complex.