After a strong season of growth and development, the U15 AA Carillon Sultans are looking to bring the heat to provincials starting today.
Coach Stu Friesen says it was a bit of a rocky week preparing, but they're feeling good about where they are as a team. "We had one of our practices cancelled this week, which was kind of downfall, but we did get a good practice in. Our team, we've been on a five or six game winning streak the last little while. I like our chances, but it'll be stiff competition this weekend."
Throughout the season, Friesen has noticed the group taking big strides when it comes to their skillsets. "This team has been unbelievable from the start to the finish," he says proudly. "We've played some top teams early on, and we were about .500 until the midway point of the season. We haven't lost a game now for a few weeks, so it's good to see the boys going in the right direction."
A specific part of the teams game was pointed out by Friesen as to why he believes they've been successful. "We have 13 kids on our team this year, and I would say 11 of them I feel confident pitching wise. Our fielding has been outstanding this year, lots of kids have really stepped up."
Friesen believes the people around the team have made this year extra special, while also making sure to credit the kids. "This season, our support group has been fantastic. From assistant coaches, manager, the parents of these kids, they've been amazing. The kids themselves, this might be the best group of kids I've ever had. Every kid has had a willingness to learn, and I've watched so much stuff through the season, the things we've practiced has been put into games, it's been great to see. The community around AA has been fantastic this year. It's not just the parents coming out, it's the grandparents and the cousins. You get support from all over. Even though we're kind of the Eastman region, it's been great to see even people who love baseball come out and support us. It's been really special."
Part of coaching at the U15 level is managing the highs and lows of a game designed to test players of any age, and Friesen details how they go about their business of keeping things positive. "The biggest thing is, when you do have bad innings and stuff, you have to reset. The group has to keep their heads up and keep pushing forward. We've had multiple games where we've had bad innings this season, and the boys have come out strong the next inning, and we've finished off games really well down the stretch where we've been behind. They've shown a great no-quit attitude."
Provincials is great for not just the team getting to play, but also the players getting to watch some of the other top teams in the province, something Friesen admits he's looking forward too, as well. "It's going to be great," he says with a smile. "Manitoba has come a long way with ball players. This season especially, we have a bunch of kids that played on the U15 Steinbach provincial team, and were fortunate to end up winning a medal, as well as our Niverville kids ended up winning tier 2. It's fantastic, there are so many good ball players. We're going to take it one game at a time. We have a tough pool this weekend, so every game is going to be tough to win, but I think our boys are up for the challenge."
Being Carillon Sultans matters to this team, says Friesen, and the group takes a lot of pride in representing the southeast at events like provincials, and to come home with a provincial medal would be extra special. "It would be fantastic. I got to play Carillon as a 12-year-old kid into my 20's. Now, I get to watch my son and his teammates do the same thing. Carillon has always had a winning culture. Win or lose, as long as the boys are playing hard and having fun, that's the biggest thing that I'll take from it. I want these boys to improve as ball players, that's number one. But, winning makes it all that much better."
The U15 AA Carillon Sultans provincials start on Friday at 8:15 a.m. then another game at 1:45 p.m. For Saturday, two games on tap, with the first at 1:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.