The boys from the Bahamas were fan favourites at the 2009 World Baseball Challenge. In front of their legion of loyalists at Citizen Field, they went winless in seven outings.
The Bahamas national team is back for this year's WBC, which starts on Friday night at the same venue. The Bahamas club will face stiffer competition than it did two years ago but, in its quest for a 'W' or two, will be much improved itself.
"Nobody is under any illusion that the Bahamas is the top-ranked team coming into this tournament but they wanted to come back in a big, big way and prove themselves," said WBC co-chairman Jim Swanson. "They knew they had to come back more experienced. They knew they had to come back older, and they knew they had to come back with certain things like pitchers who throw a little harder and guys who can put the ball in play more and be better at certain positions. I think they've had a plan to do that. They've asked us from the beginning if they could come back and put on a better show than what they think they did in 2009 and we're very happy to have them."
In a February 2010 interview with The Citizen, Craig Kemp, president of the Bahamas Baseball Federation, spoke glowingly about the 2009 WBC and the way the team was treated by tournament organizers and local fans.
"We were made to feel so special and so welcomed," he said. "I mean, we had our own little fan club in the beer garden. We were blessed with tremendous support from the people in Prince George and we didn't give them our best baseball."
In Swanson's view, the biggest difference between the 2009 Bahamas team and the current version is the quality of the pitching staff.
"Pitching, no question, and I think they're going to be better at some key defensive positions in the infield," he said.
"You've got to have deep pitching to win these things. Last time they brought 17 players, this year they've got 24. Right there alone they're going to be deeper and at least have more options they can go to."
Two of the key throwers for the Bahamas will be right-handers Jonathan Groezinger and Desmond Russell. Groezinger was his team's opening-game starter in 2009 and Russell gave an impressive performance against a United States squad loaded with top major league prospects.
This Bahamas club is also older than the previous one and will be led by veterans like outfielders Ramon Grant and Sherman Ferguson. Other players who will bring experience to the roster include Calvin Fowler, Larry Russell, LaVaughn Ferguson and Ahmad Williams.
At the 2009 WBC, the Bahamas was in a field that also included Canada, Germany, Team B.C. and the Prince George Westcana Electric Axemen. This year's ramped-up event features Canada, Cuba, Japan, the Beijing Tigers and Chinese Taipei. The first game for the Bahamas is Saturday at 3 p.m. against Chinese Taipei.
Friday's tournament-opener, at 7 p.m., will see Cuba bat against the Beijing Tigers.
