18U provincials are set to be hosted in Morden staring on July 11th-13th and host chair Morgan Mullin is really excited for all that's coming up on that weekend.
"We as a minor ball executive, we love hosting these events," Mullin says proudly. "They're really good for bringing in a little extra revenue to Morden Minor Ball, so we can have those extra things. Like last year, we hosted provincials for 13U and ended up with a brand new pitching machine. It's nice when we can bring those things back into the minor ball program. So, we got started a while back and we hit the ground running, we have a great group working together to make this happen. All seasoned vets when it comes to making this sort of things happen, and so it's been really great."
Having the people come together has been special and Mullin really appreciates it. "It's people caring and doing it for Morden Minor Ball. It's really nice for us because our program, the money doesn't go back to teams directly, it goes back to the whole program. Every age, girls softball all the way up to U19 for them, so it benefits the program as a whole, it doesn't just go back to one team. It's different from other sports that way. The community has been outstanding, we put the call out for sponsorships for some games and they've stepped up like they always do. It's been really nice to have that and have that burden taken off our plate because there is some risk that comes with hosting events like this. Now, we can just hope for fans in the stands and for good weather."
Being a host community and welcoming in so many parents, players and coaches to the area means a lot to Mullin and all involved. "We're very lucky, both 18U Morden teams will be at the provincials, we were able to get both teams in there. There will be lots of local talent on display, plus, depending on how things go this weekend, there will be a team from Carman, Altona or Winkler will be there as well. Lots of local talent for people to see. Showcasing Morden and all that our great community has, will be great."
Friday night is a big night, as Mullin details. "So, July 11th, opening games start at 1:00 p.m. and then at 4:00 p.m. we'll be hosting our home run derby, which is always a fan favourite. Two players from each team will be representing in the derby and will try and hit balls out of the park for fan enjoyment. Kids are in free all weekend, so we encourage kids to come out and take in the home run derby and then stay to watch the two Morden teams play each other. Getting to showcase the local talent in front of the little Mud Hens and show them what they can become one day, that's special. We want everyone to wear Mud Hens wear and come cheer on the teams, they really deserve it."
If there was one area where they could use a boost, Mullin says it's specific areas of volunteering. "Our biggest place to fill right now is pitch counters and score keepers, as well as announcing spots. Just so that we don't have to have teams keeping scores and doing officials stuff while their watching their teams play. We're trying to fill all those spots and we have a few more that are open. They are skilled specific spots, but if someone has those talents of keeping score or doing pitch count and they want to even help for one game, that would be helpful."
Mullin says it's easy to reach out to become a volunteer. "Go to Morden Minor Baseball, click on the executive, find me Morgan Mullin, and send me an email."