StettlerLocal.com June 12, 2023 at 7:00 pm
By Kayla Myshaniuk
Stettler’s Gracie Pybus, Memphis Bamford, and Megan Gazendam traveled to Lloydminster over the weekend to compete against teams from Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The trio were selected to represent Central Alberta alongside players from other communities within the Zone 4 region. The coaching staff was also made up of Stettler locals Faith Shuckburgh, Kayla and Laurie Myshaniuk.
The team met for the first time on Friday night and played against a Twin City team from the Warman, SK area. They were able to bond quickly and pull out a 7-3 win. On Saturday morning, they played a tight game against another Warman area team, losing this time 4-3. However, they didn’t let this loss deter them, and they went on to beat the co-hosting Lloydminster Liners 7-0. The strong round robin showing put them into a third-place seed going into Championship Sunday.
Starting the day off with a 9-1 win over the Edmonton Warriors, the team was ready for the Warriors’ aggressiveness on the base paths and were able to throw a total of 6 pickoffs throughout the game. This pushed them into a rematch against the Twin City team for the semifinals. This time the team was ready, and took the win 3-2.
This win was just what they needed to push through the final game in the scorching heat and beat North Battleford with ease 12-0 in the final game to bring home the gold medal!
Pybus played all over the diamond throughout the weekend as needed, and did so with phenomenal skill. Pybus’ true strength was seen at key moments throughout the weekend in her offensive abilities. You could tell at the beginning of the weekend she was nervous, but at the end she was approaching her at-bats with maturity and confidence. In their tight semifinal game against Twin City, Pybus would hit in the winning run for the Central Alberta team.
Bamford kept the right side of the infield under control throughout the weekend from first base. Memphis’ outgoing personality quickly encouraged the mingling between girls and helped foster the positive attitude that was on the bench for the whole weekend. During the final game, North Battleford managed to load the bases. Bamford made a massive stretch play to record the third out and get the team out of the inning before any damage could be done.
Gazendam is a U13 athlete that agreed to join the team for the weekend due to some injuries, and she proved to be an incredibly positive addition to the team. Anytime a challenge is placed in front of Megan, she not only meets expectations but exceeds them. She is constantly asking questions and trying to get better, and this attitude really shone through in her game play over the weekend. Gazendam had multiple hits over the weekend, the most notable being a hard-hit line drive in one of her very first at bats of the weekend. It took her no time at all to adapt to the differences of the U15 level, and was a treat to have joined the team for the weekend.
The hosting 222’s Fastpitch organization is a group of highly-trained coaches that travel around Canada and develop athletes in the sport. They also select and coach an elite travel team for each age group to travel to various USA invitational tournaments in order to showcase athletes for scholarship opportunities.
Stettler’s Kayla Myshaniuk is an alumni of the travel team and now coaches with them as well.
“It was a really surreal weekend for me, not only to see the girls win the tournament, but to get to introduce some local athletes to my 2’s family, including some instrumental coaches I have had throughout my softball career," says Myshaniuk. "The organization plays a huge role in who I am as a coach and a person, and I am so happy these girls are now a part of that family as well.”
The team would like to thank Stettler’s Thrive 360 for sponsoring them this weekend. Also, a big thank you to the parents, because this kind of travel and experience would not be possible without your willingness to help.
And finally, an extra-large shout out to Matt Gazendam for all of his help on the bench this weekend. We really appreciate all your hard work.
Best of luck to these exceptional athletes as they return to the Stettler Minor Ball organization to compete provincially! Work hard and play with confidence, girls!
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