It’s time to flip the page on last year and prepare for a new sea- son of varsity sports here at Ryerson.
The biggest change this year is the addition of the baseball club officially becoming Ryerson’s thirteenth varsity team and ninth team sport.
Last summer, head coach Ben Rich presented his idea of a baseball team to Ryerson Athletics executives, and by year’s end it became a reality.
The baseball team will play its first game as a member of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) on Sept. 6, when they host the Guelph Gryphons at the northern Howard Talbot Park.
Ryerson’s soccer teams start their new season on Aug. 31, with the women’s team playing at its new field, Monarch Park Stadium.
The new venue will allow both men and women’s soccer teams to play in one permanent field rather than all over the city as they have the past few seasons.
Staying on the pitch, the men’s soccer team will have revenge on its mind when they face the Carleton Ravens once again. The Ravens eliminated the Rams in last year’s OUA quarterfinals and Ryerson will get the chance to pay them back on opening night, Sept. 1.
Moving to the hardwood, the womens’ basketball team will face former captains Kelcey Wright and Angela Tilk, both of whom have moved on from Ryerson in search of a master’s degree.
The Rams will see Wright on Nov. 16 when the Western Mustangs come to town, and then meet Tilk in Ottawa on Jan. 18.
The men’s basketball team will play a grudge match on Jan. 18 when they face the Ottawa Gee-gees in the nation’s capital.
The Gee-gees eliminated the Rams in the OUA quarterfinals last season, costing the Rams the opportunity to contend for the championship on their home soil.
Moving to the ice, the men’s hockey team will play heated rival Toronto Varsity Blues on Oct. 16 at the Varsity Arena. In three games last year, both teams earned a combined for 56 penalties and 174 penalty minutes.
On the women’s side, the Rams wll play expansion teams in Nippising and Laurentian on Oct. 26 and 27 in northern Ontario.
Back to the hardwood, the men’s volleyball team will duel the Western Mustangs on Nov. 16 in London, Ont. Western ousted the Rams in last year’s OUA quarter-finals in four sets.
The women’s volleyball team will look to avenge last year’s OUA semi-final loss to Ottawa on Jan. 19 at the MAC. But in making it to the OUA final four, last year marked the team’s most successful season to date.
In the second semester, Ryerson’s figure skating team will host the OUA Championship at the MAC from Feb. 12-13. The team placed fourth at the event in Kingston, Ont., this past season and posted its highest finish ever with six medals.
The Rams will also compete in four other OUA championships, including golf (at Waterloo, Oct. 20-22), men’s fencing (at McMaster, Feb. 1-2), women’s fencing (at RMC, Feb. 8-9) and badminton (at Waterloo, Mar. 7-9).
Now that you’re all set with the big dates, don’t forget that the Ryerson Rams website simulcasts every game, and if you miss the game, pick up a copy of The Eyeopener to read all about it.
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