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So I don’t know a ton about baseball, but I know that playing in the Skydome (the other Centre that shall not be named) must feel like kind of a big deal. Annually for the last 6 years, a selection of OUA baseball athletes have received this coveted opportunity. And this year our own Varsity Blues really got to shine. As 2011 OUA Champions, U of T took on a selected team of All-Stars from the other 7 participating universities, and well — kind of destroyed them. With a 6-0 lead in the first inning and a final score of 8-2 the Blues got to show the Skydome just what (or who) was up. I got in touch with Jamie Lekas, Masters student, two-time All-Star and current captain of the Blues to get the inside scoop on the game and the 2011 season:

You talk about the Blues as having a unique team this year with young talent as well as veteran starters, and great leadership courtesy of Jim Sheppard. What do you remember most about the big OUA championship game?

I was playing with a hamstring injury for most of the year. In the bottom half of the 8th inning I hit a double, driving in a run increasing our lead to 3. The next hit was up the middle and I will always remember my teammates and coaches faces as I hobbled home from second base adding another run to give the varsity blues a 4 run cushion.

After that we had a 3 up 3 down 9th inning, finishing with a dog-pile celebration on the pitchers mound achieving OUA supremacy.

What’s it like playing at the Dome? Have you had the experience before?

It’s always a great experience. You get perfect hops on defense playing on the artificial surface. I have played in the showcase the past 3 years, however it was much more fun being there with our entire team. You could tell that the young guys were especially excited, and as an entire team we put on an outstanding performance. We knew that we didn’t have to prove anything, but it was nice to defeat the OUA All-Star team 8-2 after not receiving a single All-Star nomination this year. The team agreed that it would be amazing if the Rogers Centre could be UofT’s home field all year round.

The Varsity Blues hoist the OUA cup after winning the Championship title.

What challenges/advantages do you face being a Varsity athlete and a grad student? How do you cope/manage with time management/scheduling/etc?

Like you said it is all about time management. In some cases it is beneficial because it eliminates procrastination. If you know you are out of town all weekend, you are almost forced to buckle down and complete given tasks and assignments. At times school can be stressful, but when I cross the white foul lines on the ball field all I am focusing on is the game. As a graduate of Physical Health and Educational Sciences, I am a strong believer in the positive effect physical activity can have on a student athlete.

When I asked Jamie about words of advice to those aspiring athletes (grad school is not too late – for intramurals?) he stressed that although thrilled to be OUA Champions this year, the current title will only encourage the team to keep working and “hoist the trophy again” next year. Athlete or not folks, this is some darn good advice is it not?