This story ran last week, during the Senior Canadians in Saskatoon. Though that tournament has concluded, we thought this story on one of the West Coast’s finest players was worth sharing.
With Mayson as clutch, Grey Sox hit second gear
Darren Zary
The StarPhoenix
Wednesday, August 27, 2008If the bases are loaded with two outs and the winning run at third base, Vancouver Grey Sox coach John Stuart knows exactly who he’d like at the plate.
His first pick would be young Derek Mayson, a member of Canada’s national men’s softball team and four-year veteran with the defending national champion Grey Sox.
Mayson, 24, can do as much in the clutch as anybody gathered in Saskatoon this week for the 2008 Ramada Canadian senior A men’s fastpitch championship.
“Of all the guys I’ve coached over the years, he’s the guy I want there with two out and the bases loaded,” Stuart said Tuesday afternoon after watching the Grey Sox blank the Horse Lake, Alta., Thunder 3-0 at Bob Van Impe Stadium.
“I’m confident in Derek. He’s definitely a key member of our batting lineup. I feel he’s one of the top five hitters in Canada. He’s a threat to do anything. He can lay it down, he hits the long ball and he hits the ball hard. Even if he hits the ball hard on the ground, he usually finds a hole or hits somebody hard and he still gets on base. He’s a very patient hitter.
“By his own indication, he’d probably like to be having a little bit better year at the plate, but he’s coming around.”
Indeed, Mayson entered Tuesday with a .250 batting average at this year’s nationals, but, against Horse Lake, he went 2-for-2 and upped his average to .400.
If the defending national champion Grey Sox, who dropped their first two games, are starting to come around, so, too, is Mayson.
“We had a week off after ISCs (International Softball Congress world championships) and it takes a little to get used to the pitching again, get your timing and everything,” Mayson said. “Everybody seems to be hitting the ball, putting it in play more. Our pitching is just going to get stronger — we’re so deep there — that it’s going to come through at the end of the week.”
Last year at nationals, Mayson was a wicked hitting machine. He finished the tournament with an impressive .560 mark. That’s outstanding for softball — not too many players can hit for a passing grade, scholastically.
“It’s one of those things,” Mayson said humbly with a shrug. “It’s a short tournament and you get in zone for a little while. You start off with a few hits going in, you start feeling good and, by the end, you’re confident at the plate every time and they’re going through the holes.
“It’s a struggle here because every team has got some good pitching. There’s no easy at-bat. You’ve got to keep plugging away, hit the ball hard. If it goes right at ’em, you can’t control that. You’ve got to swinging hard and keep focused.”
Mayson joined Canada’s national senior team at age 22. He’s one of the youngest players on the squad, along with Newfoundland’s Jason Hill.
“It’s been good,” Mayson says of the Team Canada experience. “It’s been my dream in ball to play at the highest pinnacle. We’re looking forward to coming back to Saskatoon next year and playing for Canada (at the 2009 International Softball Federation world championships).”
Interestingly, Mayson worked with Canada’s national women’s team leading up to the Olympic Games in China.
He actually joined the squad in Beijing last October for the China Cup. After played winter ball in New Zealand, he met up with Team Canada’s Olympic squad in Australia. He pitched batting practice and did a little coaching on the side.
Mayson was surprised by Canada’s fourth-place finish in women’s softball.
“Going into it, I thought they were going to medal, being that they had beaten all the teams on top except for the U.S. Once you get to the big stage, it changes everything and they just couldn’t get the bats going. It’s too bad.”
Not only is he a superb hitter, Mayson can also whip the ball off the pitching rubber.
“He’s a great pitcher, too,” noted Stuart. “He’ll probably get some innings this week. He’s a very, very smart pitcher. He can play first base, third base. He can play outfield, if need be. The main thing is his bat. If we need some innings out of him, we’re going to get that and we know what he’s going to bring for us.”
Mayson has been with the Grey Sox since nationals in 2005.
“It’s a group of guys who have been together for a long time so everybody knows each other, trusts each other, combined with really strong pitching and defence, plus timely hitting.
“We believe in one another.”
The key to making another run at a national championship?
“Just stay focused and getting better every game,” replied Mayson. “We started off slow on the first day, but now we’re piecing some wins together and just getting better, so, hopefully, we play our best game in our last game.”
dzary@sp.canwest.com
