By Jared Gottselig

Thirty-two slo-pitch teams ‘In it to Win it’

May 20, 2017 | 3:55 PM

Slow-pitch players took to the ball diamonds at the North Battleford Flats this morning to kick off the North Battleford Umpires Association’s (NBUA) ‘In it to Win it’ tournament.

NBUA is a collective of four umpires with a goal of facilitating the organization and rules for players, including tournaments such as In it to Win it.

“I feel [In it to Win it] is one of the best [slo-pitch] tournaments in Saskatchewan. It’s one of the biggest, and best run with the best prize money for an open tournament,” Myron Cooper, a member of NBUA and director of the tournament said. 

“Some of the best softball players in Saskatchewan are here right now.”

Cooper mentioned how 16 teams registered the first year the tournament was held. However, the tournament has gained significant interest from out-of-town teams over the years.

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This year, Cooper had to place a cap of 32 on the number of teams who could partake and even had to turn a few away.

“We have teams as far as Dylan, which is about five and a half hours [north], players that drove all night from Manitoba to get here, and we have ball players from Alberta that came here for the weekend,” Cooper said. “Twenty-six out of the thirty-two teams travelled to North Battleford to play in this tournament.”

Ninty-two games will be played over the course of the weekend, and each team is guaranteed to play five games. Each will be competing for a first place prize of $10,500, which comes from the teams’ entry fees and a $1,000 bursary from the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA).

The tournament is free for spectators and runs throughout today and tomorrow. There will be ball games, a variety of booths with activities such as face painting, and a concession stand.

jared.gottselig@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW