34 wins. 4 losses. 19-game winning streak.
Stats like these are rare, even when looking at professional sports. However, the U18 AA Estevan Brewers went in to prove the odds wrong and surpassed every expectation. Southeast Saskatchewan rallied around the 13 players and their respective coaching staff all season long, supporting them all the way through their dominating championship run at the Western Canada Championship.
"It was overall, I'd say, a very, very successful season. At the start of the year, we were hoping to have a good showing and as the season progressed it just kept getting better and better and better, so here we are today," assistant coach Jeff Kuchinka shared after coming back from a blowout weekend championship.
The Brewers only lost to three teams during the season. They lost to the North Battleford Beavers on the road on May 19, dropping both a 7-1 and a close 9-8 decision that day respectively. Later that month, the Regina White Sox got the best of Estevan at home with a crushing 10-4 loss in their second match-up that day. Then on June 9, after dominating heavy-handedly in their first game with the Regina Buffalos, the Brewers lost 6-2.
Kuchinka credits the boys for their work ethic and drive throughout the season. "At the start of the year our team decided we were all playing for fun. We kept it pretty loose and pretty casual and [the] boys enjoyed themselves every time they came out and I think that contributed a lot to our success throughout the year. Just the boys showing up with the attitude that they were there to enjoy themselves and to have fun."
Baseball is a tough game, and Kuchinka knows that as much as any coach. He said that throughout all the highs and lows of the season, he reminded the team that it's a mental game as much as it is physical.
"It can really mess with your brain. And if you don't keep your head on right, it won't go well for you. So, we just tried to keep reiterating that throughout the year that, no matter what happens, it happens, we move on and we forget about it. We look forward to the next play."
"Even the best players in the world aren't at it very much at the time. You can't get too down on yourself when things don't go well because baseball is a game of mistakes. [It's] just a matter of who makes the least amount of them throughout the year."
Kuchinka said that he couldn't be more proud of the team for their performance this year. He thanked all the fans, parents, staff and sponsors who supported the team throughout the year.