This weekend, starting tomorrow at 9:00 A.M, the 62nd annual Borderline Men’s Fastball Tournament will take place over at Tom Laing Park. Serving as the playoffs for the league, seven teams from southern Saskatchewan will hit the field in the quest for fastball supremacy. Richard Wick is a sort-of historian and current-day umpire for the Borderline Fastball League, talks on the roots of the tournament and welcomes everyone to Tom Laing Park for a fun day of ball.
“Well, the Borderline Men's Fastball League started back in 1964, and back then it was all small rural communities, and they decided back then to have a weekend tournament as a playoff, and that’s continued now for 62 years. I'm going to say the last seven years that tournaments evolved into a two-day double knockout tournament.”
The seven teams from across the league include the Weyburn Renegades, Gladmar Braves, Plentywood Peckers, Ceylon Angels, Clear Lake Raiders, Ogema Colts, and the Midale Jays. Sorted by regular season rankings, the action will start 9:00 A.M. Saturday morning with the Plentywood Peckers taking on the Ogema Colts. The Weyburn Renegades finished first in the league with an 11-1 record and will have a first-round bye.
Fastball or Softball has been a long-standing sport in Saskatchewan, with many teams throughout the province taking the diamonds every Summer. However, as years pass and possible interest wains when it comes to travelling for ball, Wick says teams do what they have to in order to keep playing.
“I don't know if it's the longest running men's fastpitch softball league in the province or not, but it is around here because I know there were other leagues. I know in the past too, this tournament's drawn quite a big crowd. It has been in the small towns that have hosted it. Those teams too are involving a lot of younger youth players. They played minor baseball and now have nowhere to go and play so they’re switched up to softball and teams are really making an effort to keep this happening.”
It’s impressive despite the many challenges that fastpitch softball leagues face that this tournament is going on 60+ years, and this year is shaping up to be just as good as ever. There will be a big tent set up that the beer gardens will sit under as well as the concession stand open cooking up hamburgers for hungry ballplayers. The Renegades will be selling 50/50 tickets fundraising for their team and gate admission is $10 for adults with 12 and under getting in free with those funds going to the league to pay umpires and buy softballs.
Check out the Weyburn Renegades Facebook page and the Borderline Men’s Fastball League’s Facebook page for more details surrounding the tournament including the schedule and of the league itself.