The positives continue to pile up as the U13 South Central Cubs squad and the group looks to find that next level as they move into the back half of the quickly moving season.
"There's still lots of ball left," coach Scott Edwards jokes when asked about what stands out to the point of the year. "There's lot to go even though we're into July. We're double rostered, so our boys have played a lot of ball for the club teams. We've played 15 games with our South Central team and we sit 12-3 right now, but we still have about nine league games left before we come to provincials in St. James in the first weekend of August."
With such a strong record, Edwards says the staff is proud of a lot but when he looks at the big three areas, hitting, pitching and defense, there is one that stands out as a strength. "Lately, it's been our bats. A big thing I think when you bring a bunch of kids together from communities that don't often get to play together, it's about how well they get along and gel as a team. We were fortunate, we did that really early and it's a cliche but our bats are going, our pitching is going and the defense is going. Right now, I'd say our defense has really come into form and it's separated us as far as having success here."
Baseball is a game of highs and lows and what's really stood out to Edwards is how the group is always encouraging and supporting one another, while also pushing them to be at their best. "It's very fulfilling," the coach says proudly. "The nice part about this program is all these players are really strong players in their own community and club teams, then they step into this AAA team and they recognize that there are different roles that need to be filled. Not everyone gets to play every inning or pitch every game and we've tried to manage expectations and the boys have done really well with it and that's help bring us success."
Whether it's regular season or tournaments, the group keeps finding success like they did recently. "We were down at the Triple Crown Showdown, a AAA tournament in Brandon that's been run for a lot of years. It brings teams from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. We were fortunate enough to put together a nice 4-0 round robin record, them met a Okotoks Baseball Academy team in the finals and took the victory 7-2. Very excited what that might mean for our boys moving forward as we wanted to use this as a test for our provincial tournament, which will be very similar. We had everyone going and it was nice to see them get some recognition for their efforts."
Managing a tournament like that vs during the regular season takes some thought and strategy, according to Edwards. "The big thing is pitch count, it's kind of a science now. You have only so many arms that can only throw much, they need certain days rest. In a 5 or 6 game tournament over three days, it becomes very important. We were fortunate that our bats were rolling and when we did put a guy in to pitch, he did great. A plan came together only because they were able to execute and it made my job a lot easier."
Still work to do for the U13 South Central Cubs team and Edwards details what's next. "We still have those nine games in the regular season, a few of them on the road. We have a game in Altona July 24th then a doubleheader in Winkler July 26th. Those games are very important when it comes to where we line up in provincials."
Edwards is quick to say that it's a total community of people that make this team run and feel supported. "It's probably the neatest part of being around this team. The boys and families go head to head during the week then on weekends, they come together and pull the rope in the same direction. We have a great parent group. We've taken a bus trip this year and we're going to be taking another one heading to Brandon here, so it's been really neat to see and I'm glad the guys get to experience all of this."