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37 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, September 11, 2009 Tennis player set to serve up another year at Sacred Heart As Michael Syer returns to Sacred net. I play singles lower in the lineup, Heart University, he hopes to pick up depending on who we're playing." where he and the Pioneers tennis team Syer hasn't had a lot of time to work left off. on his game this summer. He spent the Sacred Heart is coming off its best- past few months working as an intern for ever tennis season, winning a school- the Toronto Blue Jays, building on a conrecord 14 games and making its first nection he developed with a next-door appearance in the NCAA tournament. neighbour nearly a decade ago. And Syer, a key contributor "Eight or nine years ago, to the team's success in the "A light came on (Jays general manager) J.P. latter part of the season, is and I realized if I Ricciardi first got the job and optimistic that he can help really dug deep, I he moved next door," said out the Pioneers even more as could help this Syer, who is majoring in NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER he enters his junior year. sports management. "He was team out." JUNIOR YEAR: Michael Syer is entering his third season of NCAA tennis at Sacred Heart University. "Towards the end of (last a great guy, down to earth. I year) I had a few big wins," Tennis player used to play with the kids and IT'S A HIT: said the 20-year-old Loyola Michael Syer babysat a few times. Alex Fulton of the grad. "I've always realized I "Just a few years ago, I was Oakville A's peehave a lot of talent... but a light came on looking for a summer job and my parents wee AAA baseball and I realized if I really dug deep, I could thought of J.P." team makes conhelp this team out." Syer was too young for the job two tact during University tennis is competed between years ago, but landed the internship this Oakville's opening teams, not individuals. Matches consist past summer. He worked 60-70 hours a game of the of a best-of-three doubles game and six week, learning the business of baseball provincial champi- singles contests, all worth one point during the day and the game of baseball onships last week- each. at night. end at Glenashton Syer, who was relied on more as a douThat made it difficult to find time to Park. The A's won bles specialist last year, anticipates he'll practice or work out, but Syer sees the their first two be used the same way by coach Paul good in that as well. games of the tour- Gagliardi this season. The Pioneers are "This past year, we were seven days a nament but then returning all six starters from last year. week, three hours a day from January to lost their next two "I'm assuming we'll have pretty much May," he said. "It was nice to get a little contests and were the same lineup. I wouldn't understand if bit of a break, put down the racquet for a eliminated. we changed because you don't really few weeks and sit back and think about change a winning team," he said. "They the whole year. Now, I'm really excited to NIKKI WESLEY / always use me higher in doubles because get back into it." OAKVILLE BEAVER I think I have pretty good hands at the -- Jon Kuiperij A's split four games at provincials The Oakville A's bats started hot, then cooled off at the provincial peewee AAA baseball championships last weekend at Glenashton Park. Oakville piled up 20 runs on the way to posting victories in its first two games, but the A's were limited to two runs in each of their next two contests and were eliminated with a 2-2 record. The A's opened the tournament by out-slugging East York 14-10. Jason Provost hit a pair of home runs to lead the offence for the A's, who broke open the game with a six-run fifth inning. Keenan Lutzko closed out the game on the mound after East York narrowed the A's lead to four runs. Oakville won its next game in dramatic fashion, edging Vaughan 6-5 in extra innings. Matt Pilarczky was the hero, driving home the tying and winning runs in the bottom half of the ninth on a clutch hit to centre. John Whaley, who also pitched five outstanding innings earlier in the contest, scored the winning run. Danny Roderick was Oakville's starting pitcher and allowed only one hit over three innings of work. The A's ran into trouble in their next two games, however. North York, the four-time provincial AAA champions, defeated the A's 6-2 despite some solid pitching work by Graeme Rourke, Josh Coish and Jason Provost. Oakville was then eliminated with a 12-2 loss to Brampton. "In the end, we just ran out of gas," said A's head coach John Halloway. Georgetown won the championship, routing Brampton 16-3 in the title game. Register Now Space is Limited 905.845.6989 | www.icesports.com