Not only did Western Mustangs baseball return to the top of the Ontario University Athletics division, they did it in style. Leading the way for Western was veteran pitcher Jordan Townshend.

After sweeping the Toronto Varsity Blues, the Mustangs defeated the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 6-0 and 3-1.

This title is their fourth in the last five years, and was redemption for the men after losing to McMaster in the OUA semi-final last year.

The Mustangs finished the season on a tear, winning 13 of their last 14 games. While the whole team was impressive during the stretch, nobody was better than starting pitcher Townshend. He was dominant all season, but saved his best performance for the finals.

In game one of the championships, Townshend pitched a complete game shutout, giving up only two hits and striking out 15. He managed to throw an unheard of 152 pitches, 98 of which were strikes.

The Gazette sat down with Townshend to talk about his phenomenal performance, his most embarrassing baseball moments and belting out “Barbie Girl” as a rookie.

When did you start playing baseball and why did you choose to be a pitcher?

I have been playing since I have been able to walk. I was never just a pitcher. I always hit and pitched, but I switched over to pitcher at the end of high school. It seemed to work out for me. I decided to be a pitcher because I like to have control over the game — I like to be at the center of the action.

What was it like to play for coach Mike Lumley?

I’ve known him for years, being from London. He is sort of a big London baseball guy. A lot of guys are very intimidated by him, but over the years you get to know him and realize he is a good guy to be around.

What was it like winning this year after losing in the semi-final last year to McMaster?

Crazy redemption. We felt like we should have won it last year, but we didn’t do too well. This year, if we didn’t win, it would have been a huge failure. But when the season started, I think we knew we were going to win.

How does this championship compare to the previous OUA championships you have won?

This was the best one. I got to start game one of both the semi-final and final. Two years ago, I got to pitch game three of one of the series. It was great to be at the forefront this year.

Was your performance against Laurier a career highlight for you?

It would be. I’ve probably had games like that in a summer league, but the calibre of this league is so much higher. It was at Labatt [Park] where I’ve pitched a lot of times before, so I was really comfortable that day.

You pitched 152 pitches that night. How did you keep going?

At the time I thought that [this] was my last game as a Mustang. I figured I had nothing to save my arm for. If I need surgery or my arm falls off, that’s fine with me. I usually throw more pitches than the average pitcher, so it was all right. I joked that I could have pitched with my right arm in game two but my left arm was pretty useless for a few days after.

How does it feel to go play at the National Championships this year?

It’s a new opportunity for most of us. We are going to try to take our game to the next level, and I think if we do that, we can be successful. It’s something a lot of us have wanted to do for a while. We have the chance so we need to make the most of it.

How did it feel to knock out arch-rival Brock before the playoffs began?

That was awesome. I hate Brock so it was pretty fun to knock them out. The joke is that they lose in the finals every year, so for them to not even make the playoffs is just funny.

What has been your most embarrassing moment during a game?

We were playing against Waterloo at one game. In the middle of my wind-up, I dropped the ball, which is a balk. The other team was making fun of me for the rest of the game. Then later in the game the sprinklers went off while I was pitching, so it was a double whammy of not-coolness.

When you guys are travelling, how do you entertain yourselves?

We pack all the rookies on the bus and we make them do karaoke for us. That’s always good for a few laughs. If they suck, we boo them. Then we usually watch a couple movies.

Did you have to do that as a rookie?

I did. I sang “Barbie Girl” and ended up taking my clothes off. I had to make a good first impression. [Laughs]

Who is the class clown on the team?

I would have to say [pitcher] Andrew Bergman. He is a goofball. He’s got Weird Al hair and a moustache. He’s a good guy to hang out with.

Who’s the best hitter on the team?

I don’t pitch against any of them, but I would have to guess Andrew Salmon. He’s an amazing hitter. But I haven’t pitched against them so I think I would probably strike them all out. [Laughs]

Who is the biggest prankster on the team?

There are a lot of us I guess — probably our assistant coach Lawrence. We look at him as an older guy, but he acts like he is 15. He loosens us up in the dugout and makes things fun.

What is the team’s favourite bar?

I think we would probably say Ceeps, but we all know it’s Jacks. We might say we are going somewhere else, but it’s always Jacks. We always go there and end up losing the OUA banner.

What happened to the banner and the trophy?

We all signed it, despite them telling us every year that we aren’t supposed to, then we took it out with us. The last time I saw it, [Cabrero] was wearing it as a cape and running around. Then I got a call the next morning saying “Where is the banner? What happened to it?” So that’s all I know about that. We broke the trophy a few years ago drinking out of it, so we taped the cup back onto the base. Then last weekend we saw that it was still taped together and we were like “We did that three years ago!” and then it fell off again.