Baseball 5/18/2022 2:00:00 PM

Warriors Baseball: Chatting Cage (Episode 1)

Earlier last month, Warriors' John Storey sat down with Reggie Kudsia and Chris Vokes to discuss their roles as coaches of the Waterloo Junior Tigers. 2022 will be the Tigers' first season fielding a junior team. Starting from scratch introduced a host of challenges for Kudsia and Vokes. However, the pair's experience and connections have positioned them advantageously for a successful and competitive summer.

Reggie Kudsia began his baseball career on the very diamonds that he hosted Sunday's workouts on. A Kitchener baseball product, he played throughout his childhood, eventually spending three seasons in the Intercounty Baseball League, Ontario's highest level of baseball. After a playing career that spanned two decades, Reggie transitioned into coaching when his first son turned four, a role he's been in ever since. His experience in baseball has allowed him to appreciate the game in a myriad of different capacities, understanding the grander lessons baseball offers such as managing failure and collaboration, themes he intends to promote with the junior Tigers.

Chris Vokes hails from Owen Sound, where his playing career began. The accessibility of junior baseball is particularly important for Chris, who didn't have much opportunity to continue his playing career after age 18. Vokes reflected on that time in his life, admitting "I took a bit of a break from playing, not necessarily because I wanted to, but just because the college I went to didn't have a baseball program, though I wish it did to allow me to continue playing." Since, Chris has found his way back into the game through coaching in particular. He's relished the opportunity to grow and network within baseball not only as an assistant coach with the Warriors but now also with the Tigers.

Reggie acknowledges that one of the greatest challenges in starting a new team is filling out a roster. Early on, Kudsia was able to recruit a core of roughly a dozen players. However, as he began to spread word of the Tigers, he was surprised to see how rapidly demand grew. "The interest within this population is really, really high."

Such a lofty level of interest isn't surprising for a team playing in a city home to two significant university campuses. And this was another reason Reggie foresaw success with the Tigers. "I thought to myself if there are 80 players that are playing on university rosters in town, how can we only have one junior team?"

Reggie believes that this availability of talent and the number of OUA athletes that will suit up for the Tigers is a unique feature of this roster at the junior level. He believes it will greatly increase the Tigers' ability to compete at a high level this summer. "These are players that are playing OUA baseball because they're good baseball players … They've earned those spots on those rosters. There aren't that many junior rosters that have that many players playing in the OUA. So, from my perspective, I expect the team to be really competitive."

The Tigers' proximity to the University of Waterloo has been especially influential on the success of the Tigers' first off-season. Working with head coach Ben Norris, Reggie was able to identify and recruit several players from the Warriors who promise to make an influential impact at the junior level and contribute to a competitive roster.

These Warriors bring more than their raw talent to the Tigers. As someone who knows how underappreciated chemistry is in baseball, Reggie is thrilled to have a group that's already spent time together both on and off the field. He's excited to see the Tigers benefit from the group's existing camaraderie and collectively synergize even more on-field ability than their talent alone will.

Reggie is eager to see the Warriors-Tigers relationship continue to grow, "From my perspective, to be able to partner with them, from a player personnel perspective, can only enhance the Tigers organization." Having continuity between these two teams is another incredible benefit of this relationship. Chris' presence with both teams is a critical aspect of this. "I'm excited about it. I'll be able to continue working with the guys that I've worked with through the Warriors. It's going to be good to get an impression of how they come along and how they transfer from the OUA to the junior IBL."

Warriors Baseball Head Coach, Ben Norris notes that "The opportunity for Junior Baseball in Waterloo is a great way to support the overall growth of baseball in our community. Ultimately, an additional team in our region means that more of our Warriors can and will continue to develop through the summer, right here in Waterloo." Norris reinforced his excitement for the Tigers, saying "I'm grateful that Reggie is stepping forward to run the Junior Tigers, and was happy to help him connect with our players, build out a roster, and get the team off the ground."

Warriors players know firsthand the opportunities available to them as members of the Waterloo baseball community and as proud Warriors. Playing with the Warriors, they've benefited from access to first-class personnel and facilities, including pitching gurus Dr. Andrew Robb and AJ Wideman, and the University of Waterloo's 65,000 square foot Field House.

"We're very fortunate with the Warriors to have the fieldhouse. It's a massive facility, so, to utilize that to be training 12 months of the year, especially in Canada where it's a five-month season at best … to have that available to you to keep developing your guys is a massive benefit," said Chris.

The inception of the junior Tigers adds a layer to a prolific and premium baseball community, helping make Waterloo an incredible baseball hub of sorts. Reggie notes that baseball has always been prominent in the city of Waterloo. "Waterloo baseball runs deep just as Kitchener baseball does. The community has a very deep and long history and a lot of really high-quality people have been involved and are still involved." Especially for students and junior-aged players, the opportunity to engage with and choose between two high-level OUA baseball programs and two high-level junior teams is unique.

"If you're a student who's a baseball player and you're contemplating coming to either Waterloo or Laurier there's going to be a baseball opportunity for you. A fantastic baseball opportunity. Not just on the OUA teams, but to stay and play in the summer is going to be a great opportunity." Reggie also notes that "We are not just about baseball." These opportunities within the Waterloo community are designed for and dedicated to helping players develop both on and off the field, to become better players, people, and teammates.

The Tigers are seeking sponsorships and donations to help fund their 2022 season and are grateful to anyone who can help. Please reach out to Reggie Kudsia through WaterlooBaseball.ca or email him at Rajeev.Kudsia@WaterlooBaseball.ca to support the junior Tigers.

Our thanks to Reggie and Chris for their time and insights on the Waterloo Junior Tigers and their 2022 season!

Watch John Storey's full conversation with Reggie Kudsia and Chris Vokes or read the transcript below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmi3b41Yveo (we apologize for the audio problems)

John Storey: This is our inaugural episode of the Warriors Chatting Cage, I'm joined today by Chris Vokes and Reggie Kudsia, the coaches of the Waterloo Tigers junior team, this is their first year and we're excited to welcome them here today. How're you guys doing?

Reggie Kudsia: Great.

Chris Vokes: Good, thanks, John.

John: Well, thank you for being here. So, I'm curious, tell me a bit about how the process has been for setting up a team, essentially from scratch?

Reggie: Well, it's not easy. When you think about starting a new team, the first thing that comes to mind is you have to have players. So, one of the first things I did was contact players that I'd coached in the past who were junior-aged to find out if there was interest. And not to my surprise, there certainly was. There was probably a list of 10 or 12 guys that immediately expressed interest. And those were guys that had just played minor baseball or had just graduated from minor baseball and weren't necessarily looking to further their careers. So, once we had a core nucleus, of 10 or 12 we knew, worst-case scenario, we're going to have some baseball players and enough guys to form a team, because I knew with a starting point of 10 or 12 it probably wouldn't be too hard to get to 20. Amazingly, in particular, with my communications with coach Ben Norris with the University of Waterloo, that number of potential players really ballooned. That's a big one, to get that one out of the way. The second issue is having room for a team. Making sure that we have a diamond to play on, having enough money to start a team, because, obviously, there are substantial costs. But, I've been doing this for a long time, I had a feeling that as long as we had the player interest we could pull it together and get it off the ground. And that's what's happened so far.

John: Absolutely, that's awesome to hear. Were there any unanticipated challenges? What were the big surprises for you during that planning phase?

Reggie: I'd say, not a huge number of things unanticipated. I actually was quite surprised by the level of interest once word got out. And the reason is that there have been junior teams in town before and I thought, initially, that there was only one junior team in the region and that was the Kitchener Panthers, because of the available personnel. And so, once the word got out and we realized that there was a huge amount of interest, then suddenly we realized that we need to get this organized. We're going to have to have a tryout. We're going to have to give players an opportunity to get themselves ready for this tryout. Whereas a lot of teams just handpick their teams before the season starts. They know who the players are going to be - they don't need to do all those other things in advance. So, I would say that was the one thing that surprised me a little bit. Otherwise, everything has gone pretty much as expected.

John: Well, that's awesome to hear. One of the components of your team, on sort of the same topic, is you're playing here, in a city that has a number of college or university campuses. How has that made this a unique place to host a junior team?

Reggie: It's made all the difference. Initially, when I thought about it, I think, Chris, you guys, your Warriors, have 40 or so guys there that are regularly on the roster. I think Laurier is similar. And so, I thought to myself if there are 80 players that are playing on university rosters in town, how can we only have one junior team? And it turns out that's the case. The interest within this population is really, really high. So, frankly, if you're in a center that doesn't have a university I think it would be really challenging. With one university and the majority of those university players going to that one particular junior team, Guelph would be an example where they just have one team and one university, that would make sense. But why not have more than one team here? If anything, it's been a huge boost and I'm really pleased with the amount of interest that's come from the universities.

John: Needless to say, you're no stranger to baseball, this is not your first team, tell me a little bit about your experience in baseball and your past.

Reggie: I grew up right here on these diamonds in Kitchener at Breithaupt Park. I played for 20 or so years. I played with Kitchener my entire life, Kitchener Panthers, junior baseball, and then in the IBL for three years. It's always been a part of my life. When my first son was born I said to my wife 'Well, he's going to be a baseball player, let's see what we can do with him.' Now, we have two sons and whether they were going to be any good at baseball is irrelevant. Baseball is a great game and I love it and so if it was going to be basic house league and playing socially that was fine. So, I started coaching and getting into that when my youngest was four. Now he's 15, so I've been coaching ever since.

John: Having told us about some of that experience, how has that experience in baseball, and as you mentioned, as a father, shaped who you are as a coach?

Reggie: Playing for many years has certainly helped, especially at this level. If a guy is on the mound and struggling I've been there, I know what that's like. If he's at the plate and going through a long period of frustration, I've been there and done that. If you've had a long playing career, you certainly have the ability to help or to give something back to players. In my private life I run a business, I'm involved in all kinds of different things and it's all made me realize that baseball is really a game of relationships, competition, and communication - all the same things that we aspire to succeed in at in life. There are people with extraordinary baseball backgrounds with long careers, Chris is one of those people. We all try to do a little bit. There are certain things I'm pretty good at, other things I'm not great at. The key for me, just like a player, is to do my best and to help players achieve their goals. Playing helped and coaching has been a constant growth.

John: I think you've absolutely nailed it there, baseball is a microcosm of life and many of the things you do well there translate well to the ballfield. Chris, tell me a bit about your baseball experience.

Chris: I grew up in the Owen Sound area and played for the Owen Sound rep team as long as possible, we didn't have a name per se. I was one of these guys who thought that once you hit 18 your career is over. After that, I took a bit of a break from playing, not necessarily because I wanted to, but just because the college I went to didn't have a baseball program, though I wish it did to allow me to continue playing. I did get back into playing when I moved back here into town. It's been great just to get to know people around baseball not only how many people there are around here but the level of baseball knowledge and their ability to push the envelope in terms of getting better as organizations and as players and most importantly as people. It was a long playing career for me, probably 20 years, so my body feels it. It's great to be able to evolve in the game of baseball.

John: And how has some of that evolution shaped who you are as a coach today with the Tigers?

Chris: I've been coached by many different men and women. Baseball is a game of failure. It's about learning how to deal with the disappointments of life, learning to deal with excelling and learning to deal with winning. It's really shaped me and shaped who I am. If you ask other people around me, I generally throw out a baseball reference for anything that's going on in life. In that sense, baseball has made me who I am and it pushes me to further myself, to become a better coach, to become better with players, to earn that relationship with your guys so that they trust you and what you're trying to instill, which isn't necessarily baseball but life in general.

John: You're in an interesting position being a coach not just with the Tigers but also with the Warriors. Is your approach to coaching different at all between the two teams?

Chris: A little bit. My role with the Warriors is slightly different, my role there is more finite, whereas with the Tigers my role is more general, being third base coach. So I see the game from a little bit of a different lens. When it comes to communications and relationships, working the game, it's the same thing, it's just looking at it from a slightly different lens.

John: Does the level, collegiate with the Warriors versus rep here, does that influence your approach at all?

Chris: It does. The game is slightly different. We're governed by Baseball Ontario with the Tigers, so there are some things that are a little bit different with the game whereas, with the OUA, it's a little bit of a different game. Though, it's very similar.

John: Speaking of the Warriors, you've got a number of guys from the Warriors' roster: Jake Roberts (Scarborough/), Anthony Dona (Toronto/), Robbie Price (Guelph/), Carson Hepburn (Newmarket/), Liam Kelly (Scarborough/), Alessandro Strazzeri (North York/), Nolan Misa (Richmond Hill/), Ryan McNeil, Trevor Smith (Oakville/), Justin Robinson (Victoria/), and Hunter Nurse (St Thomas/), to name a few. Do you have any expectations for these Warriors both on and off the field, particularly in relation to the rest of your roster?

Reggie: Our expectation is that they're going to be the core of this roster. We expect to be a competitve team. These are players that are playing OUA baseball because they're good baseball players. They've played AAA baseball, they've played PBLO or somewhere in the Canadian baseball ranks. They've earned those spots on those rosters. There aren't that many junior rosters that have that many players playing in the OUA. So, from my perspective, I expect the team to be really competitive. We've got a nice core nucleus. Chemistry is a very underrated aspect of baseball. So, I think we have a bit of an advantage there with that group. We also have four players, potentially, from Laurier, and so there aren't going to be that many rosters that have that many guys that are playing OUA baseball. So, I'm excited about not just what those guys can do on the field, but the type of core chemistry they're bringing to this team as well. I'm excited to see what we can do.

John: To your point, the camaraderie between that group that's already played together will be invaluable for you.

Reggie: Absolutely. Again, chemistry is really underrated. It's not like basketball or hockey, of course, you have chemistry in those sports, but it's so obvious. Two basketball players will look at each other and one knows that he's going to be the back cut, because they have eye contact. That's not really what happens in baseball. Baseball is a little bit different. If I'm a hitter at the plate and it's a 3-1 count, and I'm a selfish player then I'm looking for something in the strikezone so that I can have some personal success. When we have chemistry, I know there's a guy behind me that's going to pick me up no matter what happens and I'm happy to pass the opportunity to him or push the runners forward, or whatever it may be. Two middle infielders who have played together for a long time have a higher level of potential success than two guys that were just run out there. So, I think it gives us a bit of an advantage. At the same time, I'm not going to underestimate the potential work we have to do to give them the kind of knowledge and expertise that we have to give them to get them to maximize their performance.

John: Any other benefits from the close relationship between the Tigers and the Warriors?

Reggie: Really, it's just starting, John. I met Coach Norris a few years ago through a common friend, my friend Brian Carter, who I played with on these diamonds for 20 years. Chris knows Brian, and he's another longtime baseball guy. Chris and Ben [Norris] were actually playing with Brian in their adult careers. So, I met these guys through Brian and then got to know Ben a little bit because he would come out to a couple of the games I happened to be coaching when I was coaching midget and he was looking at players. When I started the team I knew that I had a little bit of a core and I knew the way into Warriors Baseball was through Ben. And since we had that connection I had Brian reconnect us in full and we've had lots of dialogue and conversation in the last three months about the Warriors roster, players that might be interested, players that would have an impact in this league and have success in this league and help the team. And that's how we got started. I think Coach Norris is looking at this as an opportunity for Warriors Baseball. From my perspective, to be able to partner with them, from a player personnel perspective, can only enhance the Tigers organization. To have competitive teams is important. If we had put a team on the field and gone 0-21 in year one, we may not have a team in 2023. We need to have a competitive team. So, I'm excited about the potential relationship. And that's not to fail to recognize the potential relationship with Laurier. Laurier has had a great connection with the Kitchener organization for a lot of years through their coach Scott Ballantyne, who's been a longtime baseball guy and had a lot of success. Ultimately, it's not about Waterloo-Waterloo or Laurier-Kitchen. It's about providing an opportunity for players to play, which is what they should be doing. When they're 18 or 19, they should be playing baseball. So, it's a new team, and a new opportunity for 25 more guys to play baseball who maybe wouldn't have been playing had we not done this. It definitely feels like a really nice start to the Waterloo Tigers and Waterloo Warriors connection.

John: As you said, this relationship is just starting out and I think we're all excited to see where it goes.

Reggie: Yeah and the fact that Chris has involved himself on both rosters is fantastic, it's great for the players who're on the Warriors roster. But not just that, the knowledge and expertise that he brings to the guys that are not playing with the Warriors or not playing OUA baseball is great for this organization.

John: For sure. We spoke earlier about the camaraderie of your roster, and that extends to your coaching staff. And I think that's a perfect example, having Chris with both teams to help make that transition just a bit easier for some of those guys who are coming over from the Warriors.

Chris: I'm excited about it. I'll be able to continue working with the guys that I've worked with through the Warriors. It's going to be good to get an impression of how they come along and how they transfer from the OUA to the junior IBL. I'm also excited to work with the Laurier guys and the guys that are going to be walk-ons that I haven't met yet. It's great to be a part of both organizations, and to have them working together is great. I met Reggie through Ben and we know a bunch of the same people. It's interesting, the web kind of gets smaller the more that we speak. And to see it come together like this, it's going to be a win-win.

John: For sure. We've spoken a lot about this "brand" of Warriors Baseball. Is there anything that separates, whether it's the facilities, the people, or makes Warriors baseball different from some of the other university programs or rep programs that are available to players in this area?

Chris: We're very fortunate with the Warriors to have the fieldhouse. It's a massive facility, so, to utilize that to be training 12 months of the year, especially in Canada where it's a five-month season at best, sometimes stretching it into six it gets a little thin, to have that available to you to keep developing your guys is a massive benefit. A lot of other organizations, whether university or college, don't necessarily have that, so we're fortunate in that way. With the Tigers, we're in a beautiful cage and this is nice, to have this to evolve and grow in this community is big. It's a little bit different, but it's all on the same field, same 90 feet, same 60 feet, 6 inches. But still just a little different.

John: Speaking of this community, the Waterloo baseball community, do you have any advice or any comment you'd like to make to anybody either already in the Waterloo community or not that may be looking at playing here with the junior Tigers or studying at Laurier or Waterloo, what does this Waterloo baseball community have to offer them?

Reggie: My advice to them is come and try out for the team. We are not just about baseball, obviously. These are young guys, they're going through university, they're about to enter that phase of life where it's a personal balance. We recognize that and we want to make sure that we're providing an environment that works for them. Waterloo baseball runs deep just as Kitchener baseball does. The community has a very deep and long history and a lot of really high-quality people that have been involved and are still involved. So, if you're a student who's a baseball player and you're contemplating coming to either Waterloo or Laurier there's going to be a baseball opportunity for you. A fantastic baseball opportunity. Not just on the OUA teams, but to stay and play in the summer is going to be a great opportunity.

John: That's great to hear. Tell me about your objective for this initial year for the Tigers. What are your goals? What're you looking forward to doing as a team?

Reggie: Like any team, we want a competitive team. Obviously, we want to win. However, winning is not a function of just pushing players - there's more to it. With any team I've ever coached I've felt like as a coach there can't just be one overarching goal of winning. I think it's important to understand players individually and what's important to them in terms of what they're trying to achieve individually. So, understanding player goals and helping a player reach his potential or reach his goals for that year helps the team. Secondly, whether you're playing junior baseball, minor peewee or house league, baseball is fun. It's a game. And sometimes at the higher competition levels, we forget that. We want to try to do our best and give it everything we've got. But sometimes it's easy to lose the fun of it. As I mentioned earlier, it's a game of failure. It's a hard game. It's a really, really hard game. So, to step back and be able to have fun is a really important aspect. I've found that with the teams that I've coached over the years when I can help individual players achieve their individual goals and I can create an environment of fun and we can have a collective effort to give it our best, then winning comes naturally. So, I would say that my goals in year one are, like any other team, to provide an opportunity for players to grow on an individual basis, create a positive environment to have fun, do our best and not worry about winning and losing.

John: Any personal goals for either of you as coaches?

Chris: Make the program great. I think Reggie touched on all of it, those are our personal goals. Let's have fun. Let's have fun playing baseball. Let's get these guys to work well and communicate together and just perform better as individuals and winning will take care of itself. Hopefully, there will be more winning than losing, but we'll just focus on fun and see where we're at, being in our first year. But it's going to be good, there's a strong foundation. I'm looking forward to building relationships with the players and helping them become better people.

John: And for you, Reggie?

Reggie: Just to add to that, in terms of starting a new franchise, so to speak, this is really just the start. Our goal is to build a sustainable team for years to come. So, any time you look back on the summer and ask was if it was a successful summer, I say you answer that by asking 'how many of these players want to come back and play next year?' because the experience that we create and the experience everybody has this year will determine the success of this organization. And I'm certain that they will. Creating a positive experience, John, for this organization will always be one of those overarching things. In terms of personal goals, after coaching youngsters for a long time, I'm looking forward to coaching some guys who have figured out a lot of things about this game but maybe need a little bit of assistance with some of the nuances, situational thinking and some of the more advanced aspects of it. I don't know if that's a personal goal or just something I'm looking forward to. Certainly my goal every year is to maximize the experience for the players so that they keep playing baseball and talk positively about our organization and tell all their friends and build it from there.

John: Absolutely, that's awesome. What can people do to help and support the Tigers?

Reggie: Well, we definitely could use some money. With starting a new team, the biggest challenge is making sure that we're well funded. So, we're actively soliciting sponsorship and donation. Whatever people would like to do in order to help our organization. These are young men, a lot of them are paying for themselves or putting themselves through school. Growing up, it's not uncommon that moms and dads would pay for all their baseball expenses and it can be an expense - there's a lot of travel involved, and there's potential hotel stays with tournaments that we'll be attending. So, that's a big one, money is a big one. Sponsorship, donations, we're looking for all of that.

John: And how can people reach out to you or get in touch if they were interested in donating to or sponsoring the Tigers?

Reggie: Yeah, you can find me on the Waterloo Minor Baseball website, they can email me at rajeev.kudsia@waterloobaseball.ca.

John: Awesome. I want to thank you both so much for your time. It was great to talk to you and we're looking forward to monitoring the Tigers throughout the summer.

Reggie: Awesome, thank you, John.

John: Best of luck to you this season.

Chris: Thanks, John.

John: Thank you so much.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Liam Kelly: 6' 0"; Second Year; 2

#21 Nolan Misa: First Year; 1

#22 Jake Roberts: 6' 0"; First Year; 1

#7 Justin Robinson: RHP; 5' 11"; Second Year; 1

#23 Alessandro Strazzeri: OF; 5' 9"; Second Year; 1

#29 Trevor Smith: LHP; 6' 5"; Second Year; 1

#30 Carson Hepburn: RHP; 6' 0"; Second Year; 1

#32 Anthony Dona: C; 5' 10"; Second Year; 1

#34 Robbie Price: RHP; 6' 2"; First Year; 1

Hunter Nurse: RHP/INF; 5' 11"; Second Year; RS

Players Mentioned

#11 Liam Kelly
: 6' 0"; Second Year; 2

#21 Nolan Misa
: First Year; 1

#22 Jake Roberts
: 6' 0"; First Year; 1

#7 Justin Robinson
: 5' 11"; Second Year; 1
: RHP

#23 Alessandro Strazzeri
: 5' 9"; Second Year; 1
: OF

#29 Trevor Smith
: 6' 5"; Second Year; 1
: LHP

#30 Carson Hepburn
: 6' 0"; Second Year; 1
: RHP

#32 Anthony Dona
: 5' 10"; Second Year; 1
: C

#34 Robbie Price
: 6' 2"; First Year; 1
: RHP

Hunter Nurse
: 5' 11"; Second Year; RS
: RHP/INF

Scoreboard

University of Waterloo Athletics

Warriors Baseball: Chatting Cage (Episode 1)

Players Mentioned

#11 Liam Kelly

#21 Nolan Misa

#22 Jake Roberts

#7 Justin Robinson

#23 Alessandro Strazzeri

#29 Trevor Smith

#30 Carson Hepburn

#32 Anthony Dona

#34 Robbie Price

Hunter Nurse

Players Mentioned

#11 Liam Kelly

#21 Nolan Misa

#22 Jake Roberts

#7 Justin Robinson

#23 Alessandro Strazzeri

#29 Trevor Smith

#30 Carson Hepburn

#32 Anthony Dona

#34 Robbie Price

Hunter Nurse