With a scowl on their face, nearly every batter Quinte Royals U16 pitcher Mitch Sills faced in the 2023 baseball season would admit that the Wellington native was the best pitcher in the province.

Now Mr. Sills has the hardware to prove such a distinction.

Mitch Sills, seen here batting for the PECI Panthers this spring in Bay of Quinte play, has won a number of regional and provincial baseball awards this year. (Jason Parks/Gazette file photo)

A week after Baseball Ontario named Mr. Sills its best rep pitcher for 2023 season, the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association naturally followed suit Saturday, awarding the PECI student with its top rep senior player and pitcher of the year trophies.

Mr. Sills was the ace of the A division OBA champion Quinte Royals this season, posting a sparkling 1.68 earned run average through 50 innings from the hill. At the plate, Mr. Sills proved he was also a monster with the bat, hitting .500. For those of you who love advanced stats, he had a 1.214 OPS at the dish and managed a 0.98 WHIP from the mound.

Suffice to say, the 2023 hardball season is one to remember around the Sills household.

“When they called my name, it was a sense of relief knowing all the work I put in during the off-season paid off and kind of gave me the feeling that I can maybe do something with baseball when I’m older,” Mr. Sills told the Gazette.

While baseball can be boiled down to individual statistics, it takes team success to be noticed by the minor baseball observers, particularly when you ply your trade outside of the major metropolitan areas of the province. Mr. Sills pointed to his Quinte Royals teammates and their dedication to winning an OBA crown.

He also recognized the Royals bench staff.

“We had a great group of coaches including Chris Lisle. Without his support and willingness to help us constantly improve I probably would not be in this situation,” Mr. Sills said.

After making the EOBA his playground this season, it will be on to the bright lights of the Premier Baseball League of Ontario in 2024 as Mr. Sills will join the Kingston Jr. Ponies and compete against entries from Sudbury to Sarnia.

“We’re hoping to get into some tournaments in the US next season and that will allow me to get exposure to some American colleges,” Mr. Sills said. “It’s a great group and I’m really looking forward to next season.”