Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
Smoky River Stingers U15A baseball club played their hearts out at Provincials, coming up just short of taking home the big prize.
The first-year team worked hard to make it into the Tier 1 Championships, a feat they are happy with and one that exceeded their expectations.
“The boys felt good about the way they played but the kids are really competitive and great ball players, so they were a little bit sour with the way it ended,” says coach Norman Brulotte.
“They felt they were the best team but came out a little flat in the semifinals. We were down 9 to 1 after two innings, then made a hell of a game out of it, losing 16-12 after six innings.”
Brulotte says the team worked hard and never game up, noting the coaching staff were extremely proud of their work ethic.
“As a coaching staff, we were extremely proud of how they played,” says Brulotte.
“We were all hoping to win but there were some really good teams competing for the Tier 1 banner. I think the thing everyone was a bit disappointed or felt a little down about was we really did feel we had the best team, and the team that ended up winning it all we had beat 26-4 the day before.”
The teams playing in the Provincials faced excruciatingly hot weather all weekend, facing temperatures 32-35 C.
Brulotte explains their team’s initial goal was to make Tier 1, which they accomplished. Their second goal was to finish top three, which they also did finishing in third place. He says there will definitely be a regular season community league team next year, but he’s unsure if they will be putting together a provincial team again next year.
“I’m not sure what that would look like as eight of our kids would be moving up to a U18 at the provincial level and four would still be U15,” Brulotte notes, adding the roster would be totally different.
“I would like to do something, not sure what age group or level though. My assistant coach Deric and team manager Pauline’s kids will still be U15, so I would need to find different help.”
Brulotte says for the Smoky River inaugural provincial season, it was a huge success, and he feels there should definitely be a team.
“I know everyone, parents and players all want this exact same group to get together in two years when everyone can play on the same team again to take another run at winning it all,” he says.
“Baseball is such a team sport, I’m not really sure there was one complete standout, they all played really well and came together as a team.”
Brulotte notes that team manager Pauline Therriault was an integral part of the success of the club, ensuring the team was registered, making sure all coaches had appropriate courses, booking diamonds to practice on, booking hotels and camping spots and score keeping. He adds she also made healthy snacks for the team and brought Gatorade and water to keep them hydrated.
He also says his assistant coach Deric Meunier really complimented the coaching style. Together, they worked great together, creating a coaching style that helped lead the kids to success.
“All the parents and players need to be commended for their commitment on and off the field,” he says.
“The players committed to playing the right way and were extremely coachable,” he adds.
The team played in Fox Creek, first winning against St. Paul 26-4. They then beat Mannville 16-12 but eventually lost the semifinals to Round Hill Eagles 16-12.
