Peewee competitive baseball is alive and well in Barrhead.
The Barrhead Yankees participated in a tiering tournament from June 25 to 26 at Barrhead sports ground.
“There are three rounds set out by Baseball Alberta. Each round is set up to place teams in the correct category for provincial play. After the three rounds, the teams will be placed in four to five different tiers for provincial tournaments,” said coach Rod Callihoo.
The Yankees had a tough weekend of baseball. They dropped their first game 20-5 to St. Albert and despite a late surge, the team couldn’t manage to come back from an early deficit to Bonnyville, losing 15-4.
Bonnyville took an early lead in the game, but the Yankees kept battling.
“We came to realize that we are capable of competing against their top pitcher. We got a hit and it seemed to turn the lights on and it felt like everyone was encouraged that it wasn’t impossible to get a hit and we could have success,” said Callihoo.
Bonnyville got to Yankee pitcher Jonathan Schembri early and didn’t let up. Schembri continued to throw hard, challenging the Bonnyville hitters. The Yankee defence played a stellar game, making the plays that needed to be made.
“On Saturday, our pitching was a positive for us. We also had a chance to see how we compared to other teams, and that will give us some insight of what to work on. Our pitching has progressed from the weeks before. We played a complete game on Sunday,” said Callihoo.
Bonnyville could only stifle the Yankee bats for so long. At the mid way point of the game, the Yankee bats came alive as the Bonnyville pitcher began to tire.
“We are trying to develop a team that has the fundamentals and knowledge of the game. We are aiming to be a complete team with a wide range of strengths,” said Callihoo.
The Yankees are the first peewee competitive team that Barrhead has entered into the Baseball Alberta league. The team will play approximately 20 games leading up to the provincial tournament.
“We have learnt many things about the game of baseball this year. I feel that there is so much new stuff for the players that, once they get more comfortable with the responsibilities of the positions they are playing, they will be able to let their athletic ability come through. We are still getting comfortable. Once that happens, we will be rewarded,” said Callihoo.
