Despite the dark clouds that were gathering on the horizon, it was all sunshine for baseball fans in Windthorst – as the Windthorst Pirates won 3-1 in their game against the Regina Red Dogs and claimed the title of League Champions in the Qu’Appelle Valley Baseball League (QVBL) C Division.
Rhett Larsen (Pirates Captain) says the team has made significant strides forward since joining the QVBL five years ago.
“At the beginning of anything there’s always those ‘baby’ steps. Admittedly, our first couple of years in the QVBL were a bit tough. But the QVBL has been very good to us and welcomed us in.
“The ‘A Division’ teams in the QVBL are teams in Regina, Moose Jaw and Weyburn. Those teams pick up the top line college players. We’re in the ‘B Division’ because we are a local team made up of players who are local guys.
“That’s meant that we’ve had to mold and shape ourselves into baseball players. And the guys on this team have really stepped up and done that. As time went on, we won a few games. We’ve gained experience and picked up new players.
“We have guys on our team who didn’t play that much baseball before they joined us. But by the end of the year, they had made huge improvements and just fit right in.”
He notes that the Pirates were bolstered by the success that they had this season.
“You don’t have to win every game. But you need to win some games. Winning helps to build momentum and excitement. Without that, a team can get beaten down.
“We had a good regular season this year. We went 8 wins and 1 loss in our final 9 games of the season. Because we ended up 7th out of the 11 teams in the B” Division – we went into the ‘C Division’ finals. We played against Lumsden first and then the Red Dogs from Regina. In our first game against the Red Dogs, we won by a score of 4-0.
“So last Sunday’s game was Game #2 of the best of 3 series. After that game was over, we talked about how nervous we’d been. It meant a lot to us to win.
“Landon Adelman was awarded the QVBL Most Valuable Player this year as well. That award is richly deserved as he is a very effective pitcher and hitter.”
Larsen adds that the support which the Pirate have received helped to create an environment that encouraged the team’s success.
“We’ve been so lucky. We have a nice baseball diamond to play on. And we have a community of fans – made up of family and friends as well as people from Windthorst and the surrounding area who come out to our games.
“We also have the Windthorst Lions making sure that the concession at the Ball Diamond is open for every game. And the food they serve is great! We had people coming out to have supper and watch the game.
That level of support has created a wonderful atmosphere. My parents used to talk about all the fun they had going to games with their parents. Now, my kids get to come with us to Pirates’ games. It’s a great way to spend a summer evening. And last Sunday’s win just was the perfect way to end a fantastic season.”
