BY MARK LOEHNDORF, THE STARPHOENIX
Former Saskatchewan Amateur Softball Association women’s division scheduler Ron Fisher points out that after three of the rainiest Mays ever, we have enjoyed a rainout-free May for possibly the first time in league history.
With the co-operation of the weather, the softball season has moved along smoothly into the big-tournament segment of the season. Once the big tournaments are done, the focus will turn to the city playoffs starting June 21. That event will be followed by the first provincials on the last weekend of June.
The most prestigious tournament hosted by the Saskatoon Minor Softball League (SMSL) is the annual President’s Tournament.
This event took place May 24-26, and brought together nearly 70 of the best Division 1 teams in the prairie provinces.
SMSL teams excelled on the diamonds, winning three gold medals and advancing teams to seven of the eight finals. Perhaps the highest profile division was midget girls, where coach Brent Ball’s Scotiabank Selects beat the Manitoba Thunder in the final game to claim the title.
Strong performances were recorded by all four city zones. The Hustlers won gold in bantam girls and the Phantoms prevailed in bantam boys. The Raiders finished second in peewee girls, as did the Eagles in peewee boys. The Lasers finished second in the squirt girls division, while the Delisle Diamond Dawgs were runners-up in squirt boys.
With the President’s Tournament highlighting the Division 1 teams, this past weekend’s tournament gave Division 2 and 3 teams a chance to enter the spotlight. The tournament saw 62 teams competing from all over Saskatchewan and Alberta in all boys divisions as well as girls’ divisions two and three. The only local team to claim a title was coach Scott Hudson’s Phantom bantam boys. The Eagles boys also had a great weekend, placing second in the peewee and squirt divisions.
A major adult tournament is just around the corner, as the Saskatoon Padres will host their 36th annual men’s fastball tournament June 14 to 16 at Gordie Howe and Bob Van Impe parks. There’s 12 teams this year, including squads from Edgerton, Alta., Kelvington, Regina, War-man, and Hanley, to mention a few.
Action gets underway with games starting Friday at 6 p.m. at Gordie Howe, and 6: 30 p.m. at Van Impe. A full slate of games is scheduled from 8 a.m. to midnight at Gordie Howe and BVI parks on Saturday and Sunday, with the finals scheduled for 6 p.m.
The biggest tournament of the year in Saskatoon will be The U21 Men’s International Softball Championship. Tournament chairman Bryon Kosteroski was smiling ear to ear recently when it was announced that this event will feature teams from the countries that won the last ISF World Junior and Senior Championship – Argentina and New Zealand.