The Regina Red Sox have a 7-10 record and are fifth in the Western Canadian Baseball League's Eastern Conference, however, manager Rye Pothakos isn't concerned.
"We never worry. I'm confident in our team," Pothakos said to SportsCage hosts Teagan Witko and Dave Thomas. "You saw last year, we got into the playoffs, we were a little above 500, we put it all together at that time and that's when it counts. The last 30 games are when we want to see improvements along the way."
According to Pothakos, there have been five games where they lost by one run, although, he does not see those defeats as letdowns.
“It's not frustrating. You see it right there,” Pothakos said. “We haven't really met anybody that we're worried about or that we think that we don't match-up against. We're in good shape.”
Last year the Red Sox earned the team's third league title; the other two came in 2011 and 2012. In the WCBL, the top four teams qualify for the playoffs.
Looking at each WCBL conference, Pothakos understands the tough race in the Eastern Conference and how it is different in the West.
"Top to bottom and on the East side is really tight," Pothakos detailed. "On the West side, a couple of teams are starting to run away with it. So, we have to get consistency, and we'll figure it out."
When it comes to the rivalries with the Moose Jaw Miller Express and the Saskatoon Berries, Pothakos shares what he thinks of them.
"Moose Jaw, we've always had a good rivalry. But, Saskatoon is starting to get there too,"Pothakos said. "It's a lot of fun for the fans, and we welcome that. We welcome that for our guys as well."
Next on Regina's schedule is playing a lot of away games, starting with Moose Jaw on Tuesday followed up games on Wednesday with Weyburn then on Thursday with Swift Current.
“A lot of time on the bus together; they play some cards. We have some fun there and a little bit of gelling going on that way too,” Pothakos said. “We're ready to go. We don't fear anybody.”
