It’s been a busy summer for SPBL and Baseball Sask team pitcher Camden Suchan as she’s taken to the road again, supporting a number of provincial teams, as well as her own Humboldt Dodgers. Suchan, who is going into Grade 10 at HCI this fall, has established herself as one of the province’s premier female pitchers.
She’s recently returned from a trip to Prince Edward Island with the 21U Provincial Women’s Team. Camden’s dad Brett got the call at Camden’s last 15U Dodgers’ game, asking if she could make the trek eastward to pitch with the squad who was down a few players. Camden hadn’t entertained trying out for the 21U team given that she was involved in provincial club volleyball at the time.
However, word got out about her pitching prowess since the Team Sask 16U coach and the 21U coach are related. Camden has been on the radar of both teams, so it was a quick phone call that got the fifteen-year-old phenom on a plane with the 21U team. Camden says her time with the 15U Dodgers helped her to gain confidence throughout the season.
“During the last bit of my season with the Dodgers, I put out good performances in my pitching. I definitely got more comfortable pitching, more confident with it.”
With that, Tony Black, head of female baseball in Saskatchewan and coach of the 21U team, knew that Camden was ready to take on a role as an under-ager.
The 21U Sask Team brought home the silver medal from their nationals in Prince Edward Island. In the semi-finals, Team Sask beat Quebec, a team that has appeared in every final matchup since 2016. They came up against a tough BC group in the final.
“It was a good final game, which we lost 8-5,” said Camden. In that game, Suchan faced a team with three pitchers who had made the national team, so she says it was a good test of her mettle against female athletes who are ostensibly among the best in the country.
“I was actually pretty pumped (to get the call). It was cool that they thought of me to go play with them. I was also a little nervous to go with the older girls, but it was a good experience. I had so much fun. Playing with the older team gave me a chance to learn a lot.”
Next weekend, Camden returns with the 16U team for their national championships in Saskatoon at the Nutana diamonds. The summer’s pitching regimen has her in the perfect mindset heading into her regular age group.
“I’m excited that I get to play with my age group. After playing with the older girls, I feel like I’m more confident in my skills, and I'm excited to play in front of my family.”
It’s a season to be proud of with plenty of growth and developmental opportunities and one more challenge to undertake this coming weekend. A complete listing of games is available on the Baseball Canada website.