Mini skid over, Majors look to build on walk-off win

Around the Diamond: London looking to clean up defense; Majors welcome new face, Tucker Zdunich; Skylar stepping up in bullpen; Niles plays the hero early in Majors’ career. Our news & notes …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Just as quickly as the London Majors built up a perfect 5-0 record over their first two weeks, they took a step back last week, losing three of four, including contests against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Guelph Royals – in addition to a showdown against the first-place Welland Jackfish.

Such is baseball – and it’s a pretty good predictor of what the 2025 Majors’ season should entail. This is a team with talent on both sides of the ball, capable of beating anyone in the league. But the roster also has its holes, which will lead to losses. The trick is to limit those and bounce back quickly.

That’s precisely what London hopes to do this weekend with another three games on the docket, including a home contest against Barrie on Friday, as well as a rematch against Welland Saturday and a second road game against Brantford Sunday.

At 6-3, the Majors were second in the IBL standings heading into action Thursday. They boasted the league’s second-best team batting average (.313), and third-best team ERA (4.17). In other words, they’re in good shape through nine contests. And yet it seems like they could be better.

Some sloppy defense and a lack of clutch hitting cost the team last weekend, which included an extra-inning loss to Toronto in which they committed four errors. They’ll have to clean that up if they want to beat the Wellands of the world. And they’ll get the opportunity to do just that this weekend …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (June 6, 7:35pm) vs. Barrie Baycats (Probable starter: Victor Payano)
Saturday (June 7, 6:05pm) @ Welland Jackfish (Probable starter: TBA)
Sunday (June 8, 2:00pm) @ Brantford Red Sox (Probable starter: TBA)

1) A welcome and a walk-off. One of several college seniors to arrive late to the Majors this year, Josh Niles is seemingly in full swing already. The St. Thomas native and Canisius University grad had a fantastic first full weekend in the pinstripes, tallying six hits in 13 at-bats.

And he saved the best for last, driving in the winning run against Chatham-Kent on Sunday. In a game that London led 7-1 at one point, the infielder came up clutch in the bottom of the ninth in a 7-7 tie game. With runners on first and second and pair of outs, Niles delivered a walk-off RBI single to drive in Kaiden Cardoso for the win.

It was a big moment. Not only did it snap a mini three-game losing streak for London, but it also served as a bigtime introduction for Niles to his new teammates. After parts of four seasons with the IBL’s Hamilton Cardinals during his college days, the 22-year-old is finally home, playing for the Majors. And his new manager, Roop Chanderdat, has been impressed so far.

“He’s been good defensively, and that’s what I’ve been stressing to him. But he’s got a really good two-strike approach at the plate, and he goes up there with a plan,” Chanderdat said.

“He’s a lifetime .240 or .250 hitter in the IBL, but I see a lot of upside in this kid. I told him it’s a new opportunity with us. Hopefully he can keep this up.”

2) Skylar the stopper. Though he allowed a run in London’s 8-7 win over Chatham-Kent last Sunday, Majors reliever Skylar Janisse minimized the damage to allow the home side the chance to walk it off in the ninth. The right-hander struck out two in his two innings of work following Victor Payano.

Janisse was credited with the win, which was his second of the season. He’s also secured a pair of saves, which he did in back-to-back road games against Barrie and Kitchener May 24 and 25, respectively. How big has he been for London’s bullpen?

“Major. Especially right now when we don’t have [Tyler] Gillies,” said Chanderdat. He’s having to pitch a bit more, but he’s handled it well so far.”

In fact, the 31-year-old leads the IBL in appearances this year with six. In those outings, he’s worked 7 1/3 innings overall, allowing three earned runs for a 3.68 ERA in the early going. He’s walked just two and struck out eight.

“He’s been huge. And not just pitching, but he’s probably one of the biggest leaders on our team. It’s been great having him.”

Janisse is coming off a fantastic 2024 season where he posted an impressive 1.86 ERA and struck out 23 hitters in 19 1/3 innings.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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3) And you are …? Majors fans will see a new face in the near future, as the club this week signed Tucker Zdunich, a High River, Alberta native, who enjoyed a strong NAIA career with Reinhardt University before a sting with the Ottawa Titans in the independent Frontier League.

An outfielder by trade, Zdunich, 25, posted impressive numbers over three seasons of NAIA baseball, combining to hit .359 with a .478 on-base percentage and 1.189 OPS. In 167 games, he smacked an eye-popping 50 home runs and drove in 185 runs.

In his senior season, in 2024, the outfielder swatted a career-best 20 homers in 61 games.

“His college numbers are like video game numbers, so we’ll see how that translates to the IBL,” said Chanderdat. “I’m hoping he’s a big impact bat – a middle-of-the-order kind of guy.”

Zdunich played 14 games this season for the Ottawa Titans, but was released after hitting just .217 in 46 at-bats. Unfortunately for the Majors, they’ll likely not have a lineup with both Zdunich and Kaiden Cardoso in it, as the latter was added to the Titans’ roster and played a game Thursday, collecting two hits in his Frontier League debut.

If Cardoso remains with the Titans longterm, Zdunich could even replace him at first base if the fit works. Otherwise, he’ll man an outfield spot.

4) Who’s on second? Another college senior who arrived late is Dre Amaral, who was penciled in as the team’s starting second baseman. As a senior at Alabama A&M University this year, the 22-year-old batted .259 with a strong .386 on-base percentage. His plate discipline really stuck out, with more walks (30) than strikeouts (21).

He’s got three games under his belt in the pinstripes, and although he’s off to a slow start with just one hit in 10 at-bats, he could be the answer at the keystone position. But the Majors have some other infielders who could also fit the bill there, including Tyler Mosher and Adrian Harrison.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

Harrison got the start there Sunday, and he filled in before Amaral arrived. Thus far, the junior-aged player is batting .227 (5-for-22) with four walks, a home run, and a pair of stolen bases.

Mosher is off to a slow start, batting just .179 (5-for-28) in his first eight games this year, although he proved to be a capable IBL player last year, hitting .244 in 30 games for the Majors last season.

Amaral, a Great Lake Canadians alum, certainly has upside, although it’s going to take some time for him to adjust to wood bats. So, there’s some healthy competition at the position.

“It would be nice if someone just grabbed that spot,” said Chanderdat.