Baseball provincials a big hit in Neepawa

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Published on Thursday, August 17, 2017

By Eoin Devereux

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Though recent on-field results weren’t what the Neepawa Cubs were hoping for, the accolades the team and its supporters received away from the diamond surpassed their wildest expectations. The club recently hosted the Manitoba Baseball Senior ‘AA’ Championship, a weekend tournament which features eight of the best squads from across the province. A pair of Santa Clara League clubs participated; the Neepawa Cubs (host club) and Portage Padres (2017 pennant champions). As well, teams from Winnipeg, Brandon and a variety of other communities converged upon the Land of Plenty for this premier event.

When it was all said and done, it was the Boissevain Centennials, of the South West Baseball League, who claimed the provincial crown, defeating the Morden Mohawks 4-3 in the final on Sunday, Aug. 13. The victory was even sweeter for Boissevain, as this was the last season for three of their veteran players, including player/coach Corey Billaney. After the final game, Billaney noted that this was just an awesome way to cap things off. 

“I just can’t say enough about this team. These young players are a great group of guys and have so much talent,” noted Billaney, before being doused by his teammates in the traditional post-game Gatorade bath celebration.

“It’s so sweet to go out on top. I’m very thankful to be a part of this team. [The veteran players] told the guys that they just need to get a taste of winning and continue it so they know what it feels like. This now is a young group of players. This now is an unbelievable, young, talented group. I can’t stress enough how nice it is to see all this potential.”

As for Neepawa’s game results, the Cubs closed out the round robin with a 1-2 record and finished just out of playoff contention. The team won their first game, an 8-1 triumph over the Springfield Braves on Friday. The following day, Neepawa dropped a 3-0 decision to the Oak River Dodgers and then lost 2-1 to the Pilot Mound Pilots, in what was an extremely close contest. Cubs player/coach Scott Newton said while there’s obviously a bit of disappointment that they didn’t win it all, there were some positive takeaways.

“Yes, it’s definitely disappointing to have our provincials end on Saturday night, but the boys laid it all out there. Our pitching and defense were pretty stingy, only giving up a combined six runs in three games, most weekends that would win us a couple games and get us into Sunday, but with this level of competition, it just didn’t work out.”

Meanwhile, in the stands, every single game was able to draw a solid fan turnout. Newton said the fan support the whole weekend was tremendous. 

“I was expecting to see lots of people out for our games but I was pleasantly surprised how many people were there for the whole weekend, just wanting to watch some good baseball,” stated Newton. “It really did feel like baseball was more alive in Neepawa last weekend than it has been in a lot of years. It was  great to see and hopefully we can continue the momentum.”

Ensuring the weekend was successful didn’t happen without a lot of help. A large number of volunteers aided in many different ways from working the gates to post game field maintenance. Newton, along with Rodney White and Landon Cameron assisted in the pre-event organization of those individuals. Cameron said everyone did an exceptional job.

“When it came to the weekend itself, Rodney White and Scott Newton and all the volunteers ran this thing and they did a fantastic job. The people of Neepawa should really be proud of themselves,” exclaimed Cameron.

Baseball Manitoba representative Richard Lochhead echoed those sentiments, adding that Neepawa will be a hard act to follow.

“Neepawa just did an amazing job. The volunteer numbers were great and really were the most impressive part of the whole weekend. Most communities have trouble getting the numbers, but here, there was a waiting list of people ready to do whatever was needed. It was really exceptional. Well organized and well done,” said Lochhead.  “It was a solid weekend of baseball we saw out there. Many of the games were close, with some exciting finishes. What was good to see, as well, was the number of people out to see it. Neepawa showed up to support it, but there were also fans from other communities here, coming out to cheer on their clubs. It’s really good for the communities represented here. The weather was nice throughout the weekend, the crowds were energized and into the games. Neepawa should be proud of this.”

Photos by Eoin Devereux
Morden Mohawks catcher Reagan Johnson tags out Dawson Hole, in the top of the seventh inning in the championship game. Additional pictures and full story on the weekend will appear in the Friday, Aug. 18 edition of the Neepawa Banner.

                              2017 Senior ‘AA’ Provincials

              Pool A                                                           Pool B

1. Morden Mohawks 2-1                             1. Oak River Dodgers 3-0
2. Boissevain Centennials 2-1                    2. Pilot Mound Pilots 2-1
3. Brandon Cardinals 2-1                           3. Neepawa Cubs 1-2
4. Portage Padres 0-3                                4. Springfield Braves 0-3

First and second place teams advance to playoff round, with tiebreakers determined by the team earning the victory in the head to head matchup during the round robin.

Semi-finals
Morden Mohawks 5-4 Pilot Mound Pilots
Boissevain Centennials 8-5 Oak River Dodgers

Final
Boissevain Centennials 4-3 Morden Mohawks

Centennials third basemen Skyler Canada charges the ball during the semi final showdown with the Oak River Dodgers.

Garett Rempel of the Neepawa Cubs slides into third base during the Cubs’ first game of the weekend, an 8-1 win over Springfield.

The Boissevain Centennials celebrate after the final out in the championship game, a 4-3 victory over Morden.

Jason Vinnell of Neepawa makes contact with the ball in the Cubs’ final game of the weekend, a 2-1 loss to Pilot Mound.