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The U13 AAA Carillon Sultans are gearing up for provincials in Winnipeg this upcoming weekend, and coach Joel Lussier likes where his team is at, believing they are ready to do something special.
Feeling confident and dangerous
With their first game set for Friday, Lussier believes his group has a great mindset heading into the tournament. "We feel pretty good," he says with a smile. "Our team has had a good season. A lot of good steps have been made, a lot of tough games against rural teams, they are pretty good competition, and it's helped us to this point. We'll also be going up against those teams this weekend."
An area worth highlighting
It's not easy, but if Lussier had to highlight an area where he's most excited for his team heading into the tournament, he has one in mind. "Mostly the kids determination. The will to win. Play as a team has been our motto most of the year. Rely and trust in each other. It really helps when things get intense, and things happen. We're hoping that the boys can use that as motivation through this weekend."
Special from the start
Trusting in each other is something that Lussier says he felt the team was doing right from the start this year, which isn't always the case at the U13 level. "I'm actually spoiled, I coached about 75% of these kids already, so some I had expectations of what they can offer, but as a team, with our majors and minors, they're just blended together, and they really trust in each other. How they approach the game, it's been something to watch."
Teammates and friends
Another big take away for Lussier is how close this team is, noticing that they've bonded together quickly from the start and all the way through. "It's been super nice to watch. Some of them don't know each other, while some of them do. We usually try and get together an hour and a half before a game, but a lot of these kids just can't wait to get to the park, so unfortunately for parents, the new norm is two hours before a game. The kids just want to be with each other. They throw a football to get loose, they're stretching, and just really wanting to be around each other. It shows how close they've gotten since the season started in May."
Lots of ball in a short amount of time
The U13 AAA Sultans are guaranteed five games over three days, possibly more, and coach Lussier knows his group will have to dig in mentally to get through a tough stretch, but he believes they're ready. "It's been a talk and a message we've given all year, when we've played double headers, two games back-to-back, seven inning games on days, and we tell them it's what provincials will be like, and worse. The message is to take care of your body, lots of fluids, stretch it out, and talk about injuries, if there are some. We talk about determination, that will to win, playing hard for teammates and themselves. We call it a grind, it's a tough weekend of five games in three days, maybe six if we make it to the finals. We'll need all 13 guys on the roster to help us get to where we want to go."
Competition to bring out the best in themselves
The provincial tournament will feature other top teams from around Manitoba, and opportunity Lussier believes will bring out the best in his ball club. "It's super exciting, whether it's west or south west, a city team, there are strong players, strong teams from top to bottom, so it's a really good test. It shows our kids what they need to be, and how they'll mature and get better as a player once you play better teams on a regular basis."
It takes a village
For Lussier, the year has been made extra special because of the support around the ball club. "Unbelievable," he says with a smile. "Unbelievable support from the parents. We had a great group that takes care of us during doubleheaders. We do a tailgate style barbeque lunch and these parents, it's not your regular lunch, it has everything. So many people are bringing different things, it really takes the stress off the coaches. We have so many players from different towns from the Carillon region on this team. And just the Carillon baseball itself. We get to watch the U15 sometimes, when we're at the same complex. Right now, we're really watching the 22U's on their playoff push. It gives our 13's something to look forward to. It really shows the desire on how much they want to go forward with baseball."
Provincial schedule
The first game will be Friday at 8:15 a.m. vs West Winnipeg, and game two is also Friday, 6: 15 p.m. against South Central Cubs. On Saturday, Carillon plays at 12:00 pm. and 6:00 p.m. And on Sunday, their first game is at 12:00 p.m. and depending how the rest of the tournament goes, they may play again later Sunday.