Star ball player Mandy Laninga helped lead the East 59ers to a Ladies Fast Pitch League title, and she believes there's more great things coming for the team, as well as the league.
East 59ers history
Before delving into the recent run, Laninga detailed how the 59ers came to be. "East 59ers have been together for 15 years," she says proudly. "We've been a team for quite a while, but the last few years, we've added a few new faces. Our first win was in 2019, and our second win was in 2023, so this is our third one in the last 15 years. It's been really fun getting to know all the girls, adding new faces, and we've really enjoyed being able to play on a team together, as a women's team. It's something that we haven't really been able to do in the past, so it's been really great."
Importance of the league
Beyond just the 59ers, Laninga details the importance of the league, having it be a place for players to keep playing the sport they love. "It's been awesome. We actually have over 160 players in our league. In the past, our softball only went up to U18 or U19, so softball would be capped off at that point. Since this league has started, we've been able to continue playing for as long as we feel like our bodies will allow it. It's been great getting to play with the same people, I mean our team has had some of the same players for the last ten plus years, so it's been great making such friends through the game that we all love."
The 2025 season recap
Laninga can't help but smile when thinking back over the course of the season for the 59ers, and she says it may be one of the most special she's been a part of. "Regular season, we went 11-4-1. So, we did lose a few games, but I felt like we battled hard throughout. When it came to playoffs, everyone really locked down. We played some of our best defense of the year, and having a pitcher in the finals that goes 11 strike outs in five innings, it seems pretty hard to lose. Tara Flatt is our pitcher, and she's been amazing for us. She pitched 13 strike outs in a couple of games in playoffs, then the 11 in the last game. We played solid defense, and one through ten in the playoffs, we all just hit really well. We capitalized on other teams errors, and it was just a really enjoyable season."
Semifinal rival showdown
To get to the finals, Laninga and the 59ers had to stare down one of their rivals, the always tough Peaches. "The Peaches are always a really good team, and they too have been together for quite a while," Laninga explains. "They have a lot of familiar faces when we play them, I think we've played them twice in playoffs, once in round robin, then the semifinals. We know they are a very tough opponent, but we were able to hit, we had some timely hits, and we played solid defense. Our pitcher had 9 strikeouts that game, so that was really good for us."
Strange but satisfying ending
Claiming the championship is always special, but Laninga says this one may be more memorable because not everyone clued into what was happening in the moment. "It was kind of funny, it was a little anti-climatic," she says with a chuckle. "We won with the 'run ahead' rule, or what used to be called the mercy rule. We chipped in our last two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, and I think there were only a couple of us that realized that we had won the game. It was a bit anti-climatic, the other team slowly walked off the field, and our team realized we won. It was an amazing feeling knowing we could beat such a competitive team in five innings."
Growing the league
The Ladies Fastpitch League continues to offer athletes an opportunity to keep playing the game they love, and Laninga says the more people that know about the league, the better it will become. "I would encourage all women who have played softball up to U18 or U19, come out and give it a shot. We're always looking for more teams. We currently are a 10 team league, but we're always looking for more. We have a bit more of a social media presence this year, so we're trying to get more women involved. It's a great opportunity, especially in summer, just to stay active and enjoy the sport we love so much."
Players and fans can learn more about the league from their website, Ladies Fastpitch League of Winnipeg - (Winnipeg, MB) - powered by LeagueLineup.com