John MacNeil
Daily Herald
An 0-4 record for the Prince Albert Royals in no way reflects the development the hosts gained during the Western Canadian 15U AA championship last weekend at Kinsmen Baseball Complex.
As they did all season, the youthful Royals made progress that will show in spades next year and beyond.
“We were a young team all year, so we always knew this was going to be a growing year,” said Royals coach Matt Gray. “I think part of that growth was just the competitive level that my kids showed this weekend, although the scores didn’t reflect it. Kind of one bad inning in those games, except for the first one. I think the first one was a bit of nerves.
“Overall, they had a lot of fun. They learned a lot. That’s the other advantage of something like Westerns coming (to Prince Albert), is they get to compete against teams that are mostly second-year kids that have played at a pretty high level. I mean, they’ve all won provincial championships when they come here, so (the Royals) get to see what other teams do, and then they can learn from it.”
In its final game Sunday afternoon, Prince Albert dropped an 11-5 decision to the unbeaten Dynamic Energy Group Reds, the Grande Prairie, Alta., team that went on to defeat the Saskatchewan-champion Western Dust Devils 10-7 in the gold-medal contest.
After opening the five-team tournament Friday with a 17-3 setback against the Red River Valley Pioneers of Winnipeg, the Royals showed more staying power Saturday in a 16-6 loss the Carnarvon Reds of British Columbia and a gritty 13-8 defeat versus the Dust Devils, familiar foes from the Luseland, Sask., area.
“That game against the Dust Devils, I think we were one out away from getting mercied in the fifth (inning) and came back and made that one a game,” Gray said. “Every game, we were really proud of the effort and the competitive level that our players showed.
“We go from there and kind of build into next year. It was a good way to finish the year. No complaints.”
Alberta-champion Dynamic Energy went 5-0 to win the Western tournament. The Dust Devils (Sask.) were 3-2, Carnarvon (Victoria, B.C.) went 2-2 and Red River Valley (Winnipeg) was 1-3.
Even going winless in four games, the Royals stepped up to the plate in progressive fashion. Their relatively close encounter against the mighty Dust Devils — including Western Hockey League prospect Landon Reschny of Macklin, Sask. — gave the hosts an indication of just how far they’ve come this season.
“That really did put it in perspective,” said Gray, who relayed the same message to assistant coach Curtis Stasiw during that game.
“I said to him, ‘We’ve got to take this as a bit of appreciation for how far we’ve come.’ We lost to them 30-6 in our first game of the year, so to lose 13-8 in Westerns to a very good team that had to win that game (to advance), that just showed me our growth, our willingness to compete and that we’re well on our way.”
Prince Albert bolstered its team for Westerns, adding three players and their coach from the Sask Five Giants program. Those pickups were Jace Loberg, Corbin Hanley and Reed Balas, along with coach Trevor Hanley.
The Royals gained experience in bringing those second-year players on board.
“Those boys did very well in our league,” Gray said. “Again, you look for those opportunities to show a young team a more mature approach, kind of more dedicated, more competitive. They were so good, so friendly, and just taught my kids so many things. We were very appreciative of them for joining us.”
Permitted to carry girls as overagers, the Royals’ roster included 16-year-old Jovie Herperger, “who is already driving herself to the field,” Gray noted.
Besides the three pickups and Herperger, the Royals’ 12-member Western roster included just one other 15U veteran in James Schultz.
Otherwise, the Prince Albert lineup was made up of seven first-year players, including Gray’s son Sam, usually pitching or manning third base.
Prince Albert was the hotspot for elite baseball on the weekend as the city hosted the Western AA championships for 18U, 15U and 13U.
The volunteer spirit was alive and well all weekend, especially on Sunday evening as crews restored the fields to playable conditions, after rain and hail had halted the gold-medal games.
Gray witnessed those efforts first-hand while working in the scorer’s booth at the 15U AA final.
“Thanks to the volunteers for getting that field back to finish the game,” he said. “When that rain finished, we thought there was no chance that the game was going to get done.
“The volunteers and the guys who work for the city almost did a miracle to get the field back and going again.”
Similar dedication was evident at the other diamonds as all champions were crowned Sunday evening, including the Estevan (Sask.) Brewers at the 18U AA level and the Sylvan Lake (Alta.) Mariners in the 13U AA division.
It was a proud weekend for the city’s baseball community, including volunteers like Gray, a 13-year board member with the Prince Albert Minor Baseball Association.
“Just to think of our growth, that we could host something like this (Western showcase), is remarkable,” he said. “Just our facilities, the membership we have, the volunteers that we have now, it’s incredible. It was a really good weekend.”
