Thunder Bay Border Cats 'encouraged' by turnout as 2023 season wraps up
Despite strong first half, Cats didn't find their way into the playoffs
Although the 2023 Northwoods League (NWL) season just ended this month, the Thunder Bay Border Cats are already planning for next year.
Despite a strong start to the season, the Cats ended the year without a spot in the playoffs. Still, given it was the team's first year back after a three-year COVID-19-related hiatus, vice-president Bryan Graham said he is happy with how things went.
"We were certainly encouraged by our season, especially at the gate," Graham said. "Attendance was up from what we had in 2019, the first year our local ownership group operated the team, and there was a lot of question marks going into the season for sure.
"Overall, from a standpoint of being away for three years and coming back into it, we were very happy with the way the fans reacted to us being back and the level of baseball."
The Cats played especially strong baseball in the first half of the season, but things took a bit of a turn in the second half. Some pitchers had to be taken out of the rotation — NWL teams must abide by a number of rules governing how much players can actually play, as it's a collegiate league and they're essentially on loan from their colleges — while the roster suffered from some injuries around the season's halfway point.
"But all teams go through that," Graham said. "They have to juggle their rosters accordingly with pitching and injuries, and players leaving.
"We'll just have to learn a little bit from all that like every other team does each season, and go from there."
Challenges with injuries, scheduling
There were nearly 20 players, including 13 pitchers, who had signed Cats contracts but never actually made it to Thunder Bay to play for the team "for a variety of reasons," Graham said.
"It's a constant turnaround with the roster. The full-season contract guys, we really want them to try to commit to the full season, but it is now 68 games, as it was this year for us on our side of the league.
"It's a grind and the players have to understand that, and it's just a matter of piecing it all together and having enough depth for both halves of the schedule."
Some of those players may be returning next season. Graham said talks have taken place and some players have already been signed.
One question mark is field manager JM Kelly, who joined the Cats for 2023.
"We've had some talks with JM," Graham said. "We're going to actually have a talk later this week.
"So nothing committed yet, but we definitely were happy with the way things went," he said. "He really embraced Thunder Bay. He loved being here, which is great, and we had a really great working relationship."
One wrinkle the Cats will have to address this year is the schedule. The 2024 Women's Baseball World Cup will be played at Port Arthur Stadium in the summer of 2024, but dates have not yet been set as they'll require some input from the NWL and the Cats.
"We're going to have to take that into consideration when submitting our available playing dates," Graham said. "So that'll be a big part of it moving forward with the league, and working with them and working with the World Cup people."
A new attendance record
The Cats weren't the only ones who enjoyed strong fan support this year. In fact, the NWL announced earlier Monday it had set a attendance record in 2023.
"With an astounding total attendance of 1,313,916 fans throughout the season, including two all-star Games and the Northwoods League playoffs, the league demonstrated its unique ability to captivate audiences and create unforgettable memories," the league stated in a media release. "The previous high was set in 2019 as 1,262,610 fans entered NWL ballparks."
Graham said the crowds at Port Arthur Stadium were strong, with some school day games bringing in more than 2,000 fans.
"That really boosted our attendance in the first month. We are very encouraged by our attendance.
"We need more people in the park on every given night, absolutely," Graham said. "But again, we're trying to make it more than just a baseball game and make it an entertainment event and add more things outside of baseball."
Overall, the Border Cats finished in last place of the NWL's Great Plains East division, with a 27-41 won-loss record.
The team finished the first half of the season in second place in the division before falling to last place in the second half.
The Green Bay Rockers won the 2023 NWL championship.