Strong had memorable season with Barnstormers

We will always have the magical summer of 2024.

Chatham-Kent Barnstomer Seth Strong announced earlier this month that he plans to play this upcoming season in the Frontier League with the Lake Erie Crushers.

The Frontier League is a level above the Intercounty Baseball League. The Crushers play across Lake Erie in Avon Ohio, which will be closer to home for Strong who is from Ohio.

Strong, who is 28 years-old, was named the Intercounty Baseball League’s Most Valuable Player following the 2024 IBL season.

The Barnstormers were an expansion team in the IBL and nobody really knew what to expect from the team. In the team’s first game, Strong hit a home run in his first at-bat, thrilling the home fans at Fergie Jenkins in a 5-3 win over Kitchener.

Strong continued to hit home runs and lead the Barnstormers to a respectable record in their inaugural year.

A fan favourite in Chatham-Kent and across the IBL, Srong, who has the nickname Panda, took the IBL by storm. Strong led the league with 10 home runs by the all-star break and finished the regular season with a league-leading 16. He flirted with the triple crown finishing his rookie season with a .344 average (4th) and 37 RBIs (3rd).

Strong also took home an IBL Player of the Month and two IBL Player of the Week awards as well, in what was the Barnstormers first season in the IBL.