Northern Elite League
The Northern Elite League (NEL) was created in 1992, as a way of giving Northern Ontario baseball players a competitive league of their own. This task was spearheaded by North Bay's Peter Topolie, who is the current president of Baseball Ontario.
The NEL originally had 6 teams competing for the Blue Jay Cup. They were:
- North Bay Jays
- Sault Ste. Marie Cambrian Nissan
- Sudbury Lakers
- Timmins Whiskey Jacks]
- Garson Tigers
- North Shore Knights
This league features teams playing in a Showcase Tournament, a 15 game regular season, and playoffs at the home of the 1st place team.
The 2006 season has four teams:
- Sault Ste. Marie Black Sox
- Sudbury Reds
- Timmins Whiskey Jacks
- Valley East Vipers
Professional Alumni
The NEL has produced 2 professional players. Aaron Fera, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., was a 32nd round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1999 out of a college in Georgia. He made it to High A with the St. Louis Cardinals Organization and finished off by playing a few seasons of Independent baseball. He was a power hitting outfielder for the Soo Black Sox during his time in the NEL.
The second professional player produced was James Pidutti, who was signed by the Blue Jays in 2002 as a free agent. The left-handed reliever pitched in 441⁄3 innings over 2 seasons at the Rookie Ball level. James was known for his sinking fastball and movement but also was a power hitter for the Sudbury Lakers during his NEL days. He had a career 5.68 ERA in 30 professional games.
Past Champions
| Year | Champions | Finalists | League/Playoff MVP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | North Bay Jays | Sudbury Lakers | Damon Topolie, North Bay |
| 1993 | North Bay Jays | Soo Nissan | Pat Primeau, North Bay |
| 1994 | North Bay Jays (9-7-0) | Soo Nissan (11-5-0) | Brian Ducharme, Soo |
| 1995 | Sudbury Lakers (12-5-1) | Soo Nissan (17-2-0) | Trevor Cain, Sudbury |
| 1996 | Soo Nissan (17-2-0) | North Bay Jays (12-8-0) | Aaron Fera, Soo |
| 1997 | Soo Nissan (13-5-1) | North Bay Jays (16-3-0) | Greg Abour, Soo |
| 1998 | Soo Black Sox (16-4-0) | Sudbury Lakers (15-5-0) | Jon Agliani, Soo |
| 1999 | Sudbury Lakers (8-3-1) | Soo Black Sox (7-5-0) | James Pidutti, Sudbury |
| 2000 | Soo Black Sox (11-4-0) | Sudbury Lakers (9-5-1) | Rob Conley, Soo |
| 2001 | Soo Black Sox (15-0-0) | Timmins Whiskey Jacks (4-10-0) | Jeff Leonard, Soo |
| 2002 | Soo Black Sox (15-3-0-1) | Sudbury Lakers (17-2-0-1) | Jason Rooley, Soo |
| 2003 | Timmins Whiskey Jacks (10-9-0-0) | Callander Selects (10-9-0-1) | Chris Greer, Timmins |
| 2004 | Sudbury Lakers (11-4-0-0) | Timmins Whiskey Jacks (10-5-0-0) | Gary Bayrack, Subdury |
| 2005 | Sudbury Reds (7-1-0-0) | Timmins Whiskey Jacks (4-4-0-0) | Robb Fenton, Sudbury |
| 2006 | Sudbury Reds (13-2-0-0) | Timmins Whiskey Jacks (4-11-1-0) | James Pidutti, Sudbury and Chris Greer, Timmins |
Northern Elite League Career Records
| Team | Record (W-L-T-ExL) | Championships Won |
|---|---|---|
| Soo Black Sox Formerly Soo Nissan | 121-43-1-2 | 6 |
| Sudbury Reds Formerly Sudbury Lakers | 115-54-5-2 | 5 |
| North Bay Jays Defunct | 43-27-1 | 3 |
| Timmins Whiskey Jacks | 54-103-3-1 | 1 |
| Valley East Vipers | 40-119-6-1 | 0 |
| Garson/North Shore Defunct | 20-36-2 | 0 |
| Callander Selects Defunct | 16-21-0-1 | 0 |
Note: Records compiled 1996–2006