Two girls from Olds won gold medals as members of Team Alberta at the 2016 PeeWee Girls Western Canada Championships held over the weekend in Dauphin, Man. Taurie Hammer and Brynlee Rice were both players on this year's peewee AA Olds Spitfires team.
Two girls from Olds won gold medals as members of Team Alberta at the 2016 PeeWee Girls Western Canada Championships held over the weekend in Dauphin, Man.
Taurie Hammer and Brynlee Rice were both players on this year's peewee AA Olds Spitfires team. They were selected to play for the province at the tournament, which also included teams from British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Team Alberta went 3-0 in round robin play and in the gold medal game, beat Team Saskatchewan 7-6.
Hammer was added to the Team Alberta roster after one of head coach Will Downs' players suffered an injury in practice.
"She stepped on a baseball while doing a drill and severely twisted her ankle. She was in one of those soft casts for a couple of weeks," Downs said.
He said they decided it would be best if that player took the rest of the summer off to recover for next season.
Downs is constantly on the lookout for potential Team Alberta players. He coaches a peewee AA team out of north Edmonton that played against Olds this year and that's how he came across Hammer.
"Knowing how young she was, thought it would be good to introduce her to the program. Even as a late ask, the parents were very much excited. Taurie was excited as well and it turned out to be a good fit," he said.
When she found out that she'd be going to the tournament, Hammer was eager for the opportunity.
"I was pretty excited. I got to play with a whole bunch of girls in the province. I thought it would be pretty cool to go to Manitoba and represent my province and try to win the gold for Alberta," Hammer said.
"It was pretty exciting knowing one coach specifically asked for me and wanted me on the team."
On Team Alberta, Downs put Hammer in the outfield.
"She tracks the ball well and has a very strong arm. Her bat's exceptional. She's hitting the ball very well," Downs said.
Hammer, 12, is the youngest of four children. Her father Chris said they've always played a lot of baseball. On their farm, he said they've built a diamond with bases and a makeshift backstop. On Sundays, he invites his brother's kids over for a game.
"She has a great passion for the sport, she loves to play it and does her best," said Hammer's mother Jennifer.
Jennifer said her daughter prefers playing on the boys teams. She also does so in hockey.
Chris gave a lot of credit to Spitfires coaches Jordan Cleland, Greg Grover and Travis Miller for Hammer's development as a baseball player.
"Our AA program in town, the coaching she's had in the last three years has helped her a ton," he said. "Those three guys are pretty good baseball guys."
It's also easier to learn the game when you're having fun, he said, and talking to Hammer, she's having lots of it with the boys.
"They're a great group of kids and I don't think I could have picked a better team to be on."
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