The U13 AAA Eastman Wildcats continued their strong play, winning both their games on Friday, setting themselves up for great things heading into the weekend.
"We opened up the day against Calgary," coach Jason Plett explains, They were Alberta 1, we had faced them earlier in the season, at a tournament in Saskatoon. They had beat us there, so we knew we'd have to be at our best, and the girls really responded. We ended up winning 11-4, our bats were on fire, and our defense was rock solid all game long. Our pitchers, they pitched very, very well. That was fantastic to see.
The carry over, that sense of building on success as a group, that was a huge takeaway for Plett. "It's huge, and we told the group after the games in our post-game meeting, they just keep surprising us. They keep raising the bar on how good they are as a team, and how they respond. It's special."
A big part of the teams success is the mature mindset they have as a group, regardless of adversity that comes up. "In the sport, naturally, lumps are a big part of it," Plett says with a chuckle. "It's amazing how the girls keep supporting each other, how they pick each other up. If someone is going through a slump hitting wise, of if someone is making errors in the field, there's always some there to pick them up, pump them up, put that belief that there is something they can do to help the team be successful. It's a big treat to see."
Heading into the weekend, Plett is thrilled with where they are, and he doesn't believe things will change strategy wise. "We're very comfortable," the coach says confidently. "All the girls are playing very well. We believe we can put anyone in the lineup, and it's an awesome thing as a coach, it doesn't matt who we have in the lineup, we believe we have a chance to win. I love winning, but to see the girls succeed in every way we can, that's the best part."
Away from the diamond, Plett has really enjoyed seeing the kids be kids. "That's a lot of fun, too," he says with a smile. "We're just having the big banquet, and it's a little different for U13, it's at a fun park, so there are go-carts, video games, pizza, and the girls are enjoying all of it. They get to bond as a team, but also hang out with other teams, that's a unique part of all of this, they get to know other players from other programs. They can battle on the field, but once the game is done, they can all be friends."
On Saturday, the work resumes. "We have BC1 at 11:00 a.m. central time," Plett details. "Then BC2 at 5:00 p.m. central time, and we believe that one win should clinch us in the 1 vs 2 game on Sunday, so we're hoping for one win, and we can go from there."