Charlottetown Islanders win Canadian baseball championship

Published Aug 25, 20258 minute readThe Charlottetown Gaudet’s Auto Body Islanders are all smiles after making P.E.I. baseball history on Aug. 24. The Islanders won the 2025 Baseball Canada national senior men’s championship in Regina to become the first-ever P.E.I.-based team to win a Baseball Canada national title at any level. Photo by WANDA HARRON PHOTOGRAPHYArticle contentOh, the stories that will be shared years from now when the history-making 2025 Baseball Canada national senior men’s champions gather for a reunion.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThe Charlottetown Gaudet’s Auto Body Islanders became the first-ever P.E.I.-based team to win the Canadian senior men’s championship, and are believed to be the first Island team to win a Baseball Canada-sanctioned national championship at any level.Article contentArticle contentArticle content“We were talking about it all week,” said Islanders first baseman and designated hitter Josh Myers of Summerside. “We’ve been saying, ‘Let’s make history.’Article content“We finally made history. We’ll tell our grandkids about this.”Article contentArticle contentRecordArticle contentThe Islanders capped off a 6-1 (won-lost) overall record at the national championship with a convincing 8-1 win over Quebec in the gold-medal game.Article content“What a feeling,” said Islanders infielder Ryne MacIsaac, who drove in the game-winning run in the top of the sixth inning in Charlottetown’s 4-0 semifinal win over the host Regina Trappers earlier on Aug. 24.Article contentOfficially, the Islanders, who play out of Memorial Field in Charlottetown, represented New Brunswick at the nationals as defending New Brunswick Senior Baseball League (NBSBL) champions. But, with the exception of five pick-ups from the NBSBL, the team is comprised of P.E.I.-based players and coaches.Article contentArticle content“To win it the way we did it – with a pretty dominant performance – it was quite a week,” said Islanders head coach Doug Hines.Article contentThe Islanders are the third P.E.I. team to win a medal at the senior nationals. The 1977 P.E.I. Islanders earned a silver medal in Brandon, Man., and the 2022 Charlottetown Islanders won bronze in Sydney, N.S.Article contentArticle contentMovie-like scriptArticle contentWhat happened on the field is only part of the movie-like script for what the Islanders faced leading up to their first game against Ontario Team Two on Aug. 21.Article content“We’ve been built on adversity since we started,” said Islanders pitcher and general manager Jake Beck. “We’ve always found a way to work hard and to play the game the right way and to just never quit.Article content“We’re so proud of everything that everybody’s done all year.”Article contentArticle contentTRAVELArticle contentThe Islanders had to scrap their original travel plans to Regina due to the strike by Air Canada’s flight attendants.Article content“On (Aug. 18), we weren’t sure if we were going to even get to go,” said Islanders pitcher Jordan Stevenson of New Glasgow. “That’s why we were like ‘Winning, that’s the only option.’”Article contentAfter examining all travel options, the Islanders embarked on a 30-plus hour trip. That included an overnight bus ride to Boston, where team members flew out on three different flights on Aug. 20 to three different cities before meeting up in Minneapolis, Minn.Article contentThe team then flew to Saskatoon, where another unexpected delay greeted the Islanders.Article content“A tornado warning and strong lightning delayed the unloading of the plane,” said Stevenson. “We went through customs, and we were waiting for our bags, but they couldn’t unload the plane (because of the lightning).Article content“That was another hour or so. Then we sat on a school bus from Saskatoon to Regina (for the 2 ½-hour drive).”Article contentArticle contentAfter arriving in Regina in the early hours of Aug. 21, the Islanders focused on baseball.Article contentArticle contentRound robinArticle contentThe Islanders went 3-1 in round-robin play. In their only loss – 9-5 to Saskatchewan on Aug. 22 – the Islanders led 5-0.Article content“We let our foot off the gas, and we let a team back into it,” said Beck. “We put ourselves into a position where had we not showed up for our game on (Aug. 23) that we could have actually been going home.Article content“We battled through a hard game against B.C., because we knew our backs were against the wall. We treated it like an elimination game.”Article contentThe Islanders gutted out a 9-8 walk-off win despite trailing 2-0, 6-4 and 7-6.Article contentAn hour and a half later, the Islanders were playing a quarter-final game against Manitoba.Article content“It’s an all-star team,” said Beck. “It’s a team that’s had great success in this tournament in the past couple of years. We knew that we were in for a tough test.”Article contentArticle contentThe Islanders beat Manitoba 11-1 in five innings. Beck said the Islanders took the same approach into championship Sunday.Article content“No fear, just full confidence and belief in everybody,” said Beck. “We go out and face the No. 1 team in the country, the Regina Trappers… We played our hearts out. We never gave up and just kept coming.”Article contentArticle contentDow outstandingArticle contentLeft-hander Haden Dow, a pick-up from the NBSBL’s Saint John Alpines, pitched a complete-game gem – three-hitter – in the semifinal win over Regina.Article contentThe game was scoreless until the top of the sixth inning until MacIsaac’s clutch single scored Jack Kraft with what proved to be the deciding run.Article content“We knew it might just take one run to win the way Haden was pitching,” said the 27-year-old MacIsaac, from Charlottetown.Article contentArticle contentFinalArticle contentStevenson, who earned his 50th NBSBL win earlier this season and has been a workhorse since joining the Islanders in 2012, got the ball for the gold-medal game.Article content“I said to him before the game, ‘I believe in you, and I know that you can do this,’” said Beck, a longtime teammate of Stevenson’s. “Jordan basically went out and threw a no-hitter against the best team in the country – not just a club team with some pick-ups, but an all-star team from one of the most talented provinces – the two-time defending champions. Jordan threw the game of his life.”Article contentStevenson allowed just three hits in seven innings,Article content“Dow put on a show in the semifinal and I knew we had lots of arms available,” said Stevenson, 32. “I wanted to empty my tank, and then turn the ball over.Article content“The bats got hot right off the bat, so that gave me some more breathing room, and our hitting and defence played well, as it usually does.”Article contentOffensively, the Islanders scored three runs in the bottom of the first and third innings to build an early 6-0 lead.Article contentArticle contentNick MacPhail (2-3, three runs scored, two runs driven in) and Josh Myers (2-4, run scored, three RBI) hit home runs for the Islanders. Simon Dubois (2-3, run scored, two RBI) also had a multiple-hit game in the final.Article content“The big boys were the big boys in the middle of the order,” said Hines. “(Pick-up) Max Grant was terrific for us and played short. Josh DHed all week and along with Nick, they hit the ball, drove in runs, hit with power and did what they’re in the lineup for…Article content“Duncan Picketts had a great week. It was a dominant performance, and the guys came off the bench to contribute.”Article contentThe Islanders’ depth also came into play as the team had to make some line-up adjustments due to injuries early in the week.Article content“Ryne MacIsaac, who’s normally at second base, played a couple games a third and he was terrific (Aug. 24),” said Hines.Article content The Charlottetown Gaudet’s Auto Body Islanders celebrate after winning the 2025 Baseball Canada national senior men’s championship in Regina on Aug. 24. The Islanders defeated Quebec 8-1 in the gold-medal game. The Islanders are believed to be the first P.E.I.-based team to win a Baseball Canada national championship at any level. Photo by WANDA HARRON PHOTOGRAPHYArticle contentStevenson, who added catcher Cole MacLaren called a great game, capped the complete-game effort with a strikeout. Stevenson fired his glove towards the dugout and raised his arms in the air as the Islanders rushed to celebrate near the pitching mound.Article contentArticle content“I’ve been thinking about this moment for a pretty long time,” said Stevenson, who won a Canadian championship as a pick-up with the NBSBL’s Chatham Ironmen in 2019.Article contentBut to do it with a P.E.I. team meant a lot for Stevenson, who feels it was important all 10 teams were able to make it to Regina.Article content“There were question marks for Nova Scotia and Quebec, and they’re obviously two of the higher-ranked teams,” said Stevenson. “Quebec won it the last two years and the Dartmouth team is a favourite every time.Article content“It wouldn’t have felt right if not every team made it here.”Article contentBeck praised the ability of the Islanders’ coaching staff to manage the team’s deep roster and ensure everyone was involved.Article content“You’ve got to give everybody a chance to succeed… that’s what our coaches and staff have done all year long,” said Beck. “When you look at the lineups that we put on the field every single game, it’s a different one than the game before and that’s how you build people up to succeed in big moments.Article content“You don’t try and hide blemishes on the bench, and you don’t try and not make them feel like they’re part of the team. Our coaching staff deserves so much credit.”Article contentThe formula has proven to be a winning one. The Islanders completed the NBSBL regular season with six wins in a row to clinch first place. Add that with the team’s record in Regina, and the Islanders are 12-1 in their last 13 games.Article content“It’s a testament to how good our league is in New Brunswick,” said Hines. “That we come here with our team, and a few additions, and play as well as we did, it says a lot for our league.”Article contentNext up for the Islanders is the NBSBL playoffs. The Islanders will face the winner of the Moncton-Fredericton quarter-final series in a best-of-seven semifinal series, expected to start in early September.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentDid you know?Article contentThe Charlottetown Gaudet’s Auto Body Islanders are the third P.E.I. team to win a national baseball championship in August 2025.Article contentArticle contentThe Islanders won the Baseball Canada national senior men’s championship in Regina on Aug. 24.Article contentThe Morell-based Trixie’s Bears (33-Plus) and Charlottetown Jays (43-Plus) won their respective Tier 1 divisions at the 2025 Canadian National Oldtimers Baseball Federation (CNOBF) tournament in Charlottetown on Aug. 3. However, the CNOBF tournament is not a Baseball Canada event.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentScoresArticle contentCharlottetown Islanders’ scores at Baseball Canada national senior men’s championship:Article contentRound RobinArticle contentAug. 21Article contentIslanders 6 Ontario Team Two 2Article contentAug. 22Article contentIslanders 7 Quebec 2Article contentSaskatchewan 9 Islanders 5Article contentAug. 23Article contentIslanders 9 British Columbia 8Article content****Article contentPlayoffsArticle contentAug. 23Article contentQuarter-finalArticle contentIslanders 11 Manitoba 1 (five innings)Article contentAug. 24Article contentSemifinalArticle contentIslanders 4 Host (Regina Trappers) 0Article contentFinalArticle contentIslanders 8 Quebec 1Article contentArticle contentArticle contentP.E.I. ConnectionArticle contentThere is a P.E.I. connection to one of the Charlottetown Gaudet’s Auto Body Islanders’ pick-ups for the 2025 Baseball Canada national senior men’s championship.Article contentArticle contentMax Grant, who plays for the Fredericton Royals in the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League, was added to the Islanders’ lineup for the nationalsArticle contentGrant’s mother, Kelly Grant (nee Gallant), is from Summerside and his father, Brent Grant, played junior A hockey with the Summerside Western Capitals in the late 1980s.Article contentWhen Brent played with the Capitals, his billets were Gloria and the late Bill Schuman. Bill played on the P.E.I. Islanders’ baseball team that won a silver medal at the 1977 Canadian senior men’s championship.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentJason Simmonds is the sports editor at The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached at jsimmonds@postmedia.com and followed on X @JpsportsJason.Article contentArticle content