It wasn’t the result the Prince Albert U15 Astros had envisioned going into the tournament, but they have no reason to not hold their heads high.
The Astros attended the U15 Men’s Softball Nationals in Surrey, BC last week. Prince Albert finished 1-5 in round robin play, scoring 20 runs while allowing 55.
Brad Casavant, the head coach of the Astros, says it was an eye opening experience for his team on the national stage.
“It was definitely a tough competition. The first time this group of boys has been to an event like that and we found out pretty quickly that teams are very strong and you have to play your best game in order to compete and right off the bat, our first few games we definitely didn’t do that.”
“I think this type of experience is invaluable and you have to go through the first time at some time. Going forward, I think we’ll have a little better idea of what to expect. Even from each of the provinces we played, we had no idea coming in pretty blind as far as what kind of pitching we’re gonna be facing, what kind of lineup we’re facing. Now when we go back, if we’re fortunate enough to make it back, we’ll have a good idea of who we’re about to face, and then as a coaching staff, you can kind of plan accordingly to who you’re playing.”
Prince Albert got off to a slow start dropping their first three games to Quebec, Newfoundland and the Tara Twins from Ontario. Prince Albert scored just six runs in their first three games while allowing 32 runs.
“I think (it’s) just because of the inexperience of playing teams at that level.” Casavant explained. “I would say as the week got on, we definitely got stronger and more comfortable in the tournament. It didn’t always result in wins, but (I’m) definitely proud of the boys for how they continued to battle despite the tough competition.”
The Astros didn’t hold their heads down after their first three games. They picked up their first win of the tournament against their fellow Saskatchewan team Parkland Wildcats 4-1.
The Astros would drop their next two games against the Napanee Express 9-5 and Elmira Heat 13-5. Despite falling short on the scoreboard, the Astros were able to be competitive in each contest.
That put the Astros in seventh place into the knockout stage when they took on Parkland for the second time in the tournament. Prince Albert earned a carbon copy of their earlier win against the Wildcats with a 4-1 win to advance in the playoff bracket.
That earned them a match-up with the Tara Twins out of Ontario. The Astros fell 7-1 to the Twins, ending their tournament.
Casavant says he was proud of the character his team showed throughout the competition.
“When you get off to a rough start like that in a long tournament, we could have easily packed it in and just said, ‘It’s not our week and we’re, we’re done.’ Our boys showed up every game, every inning, gave it everything they had, and as a coach, you can’t ask for anything more than that. Just super proud of their efforts and their resilience through the week and proud to be their coach and proud to have led them there.”
News and Notes:
• Astros infielder Pryce Schrader batted .435 during the competition and was named a tournament all-star.
• Tyson MacGillivray led all pitchers for the Astros, recording 40 strikeouts in 42 innings.
• Pierce MacLeod led all Astros batters with two over the fence home runs, including a lead-off shot in their final playoff game against Tara. Lachlan Vandall had the team’s other over-the-fence home run.
-with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
editorial@paherald.sk.ca
