OLDS — The Olds AAA Tier 1 Spitfires have qualified for the National Western Championship tournament just a few months after being created.
That tournament, featuring the top U13 AAA tier 1 teams from British Columbia to Manitoba, will be held Aug. 19-21 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.
The U13 AAA tier 1 National Western Championship is slated for Aug. 25-28 in Windsor, Ontario.
The Spitfires qualified for national westerns after making it to the final of the Alberta U13 tier 1 provincials during the Aug. 1 long weekend in Spruce Grove.
Unfortunately, they were beaten 6-3 in that final by the host Parkland Twins, who went undefeated.
The team’s success is all the more remarkable, considering that this is the very first year or AAA Tier 1 baseball in Olds, according to head coach Jason Jaffray.
The team was only put together this past February.
“We only had, I think 25, 26 people try out for the team, which is crazy, because you’ve got to look at these city teams that we’re competing against that have 75 to 125 kids try out for these teams,” Jaffray said during an interview with the Albertan.
“And we just had the right 12 this year. Things kind of came together and we had a heck of a last, probably two, three weekends to get to that level.
“It’s been incredible. It’s been quite a run for the boys.”
They got a key win against the SEEBA Edmonton Expos in miraculous fashion.
“We were down 12-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning and we came back and beat them 13-12 to stay alive on a walk-off balk in the bottom of the seventh inning,” Jaffray said.
“A walk-off balk with two outs and two strikes on the batter, the pitcher balked and scored the winning run for us to keep us alive.”
That’s just one of many comebacks.
“We've come from behind on some big deficits about three or four times this season,” Jaffray said.
Unfortunately, in the final, the Twins beat the Spitfires for a second straight time, 6-3, to claim the U13 AAA tier 1 provincial title.
However, that game was closer than the score might indicate, Jaffray suggested.
"In the top of the seventh inning, we had bases loaded, two out and my top batter at bat and he just lined out to left field,” he said.
“If he hits it five feet to the left, five feet to the right, it’s probably a tie game and you never know what can happen from there.
“It was an incredible weekend. Just talking about it still gives me shivers, just seeing how the boys came together and how much we’ve developed and grown over the four or five-month span.”
Jaffray said the team’s success during the regular season and in the provincials proves there’s enough talent in Olds and area to field tier 1 baseball.
In fact, Olds minor baseball officials are so encouraged that the plan is to create a U15 AAA baseball team next season.
Jaffray said keys to the team’s success are the fact that virtually everyone on the team not only played their normal positions but also pitched when called upon.
They also had lots of team speed and stole plenty of bases.
"You know what? I had 10 out of my 12 players pitch for me on the weekend.
“There’s not many baseball teams that have 10 out of 12 guys that are at least able to pitch, but I have 12 guys that are able to pitch,” he said.
“They steal bases consistently. They can bunt to get on; all those kind of small details that you love in a baseball player.
“So our team is very balanced with some good power hitters, some good average hitters and good role players.”
The team featured four players from Olds -- Crew Martinson, Jaxon Jaffray, Ryder Persson and Nate Reist. The rest came from as far away as Cochrane and Rocky Mountain House.
“All four local boys pitched extremely well over the weekend and were all major contributors with the bat,” coach Jaffray wrote in an email.
Martinson was the starting catcher and pitched in relief in the provincial final. Jaffray said he had the top batting average on the team.
Jaxon was the lead off-batter, utility infielder and “a menace on the base paths,” coach Jaffray wrote. He pitched in relief in Game 2 vs the SEEBA Edmonton Expos.
Persson was the starting and winning pitching in Game 3 versus the Calgary Cardinals, a game Jaffray labelled as a “must win.” Jaffray said he was also the team's top centre fielder and one of its best power hitters.
Reist was another key pitcher for the Spitfires and started Game 2 of the provincials versus the SEEBE Edmonton Expos. He’s also the team’s starting first baseman.
Reist served as the team’s clean-up hitter and hammered three homeruns during the weekend.
Coach Jaffray is looking forward to the National Western championship.
“Everybody was expecting last weekend to be their last baseball (of the season), so we’ve got people that are cancelling vacations and then trying to rework everything to be able to work this into their schedule now, so it’s -- it’ll be fun.”
