The 18U North Battleford Beavers have been lights out to start the baseball season, and are coming off four straight wins last weekend. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Beavers Baseball

18U Beavers rolling through baseball season

Jul 21, 2020 | 12:58 PM

It is said there’s no substitute for experience, but don’t tell that to the 18U North Battleford Beavers.

The team has stormed out of the gate this baseball season, to a 6-3-1 start, despite being one of the youngest – if not the youngest – teams in the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League AA (SPBLAA).

Following a delayed start to the baseball season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Beavers have come out swinging to begin the 2020 campaign.

Over halfway through the first month of the season, the Beavers boast four of the top five league leaders at quality at-bats.

Dylan Wakelin leads all players with 24, followed by Skyler Dimmick with 21. Brody Wrench and Mason Russell round out the top five along with P.A.’s Ben Lefebvre, with each of the three sitting at 20 apiece.

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That offensive punch was on full display last weekend, when the team rattled off four-straight wins in two days, defeating Humboldt and Prince Albert twice each, by a combined 36-17 score over the four games.

Head Coach of the Beavers, Dean Dimmick said while the team’s bats have certainly been impressive to start, it’s the club’s standout pitching that’s really provided the backbone to their success to this point.

“Hitting is contagious so we’ve had some great bats for the most part of the year, but our pitching has really stepped up,” he said. “We went into this weekend thinking we were going to be short some arms and really all our pitchers stepped up. We had some great games in Marysburg, holding Humboldt to just one run each game and our first game against P.A. we held them to two runs.”

In addition to his aforementioned hitting prowess, the Beavers’ Brody Wrench also leads all players with 28 strikeouts this season, nearly 10 more than the next closest league competitor.

Making the team’s success through the early going even more impressive is that the 18U Beavers do not feature a single 18-year-old on their roster.

In fact, they have only two 17-year-olds, three that will be turning 17, and a majority who are currently in their first year, including a pair of underage players as well.

However, as the coach points out, the team has managed to use their love of the game and youthful exuberance to their advantage.

“First and foremost the enthusiasm of this group of kids has been key,” Dimmick said. “They all want to play. I think everything being delayed and now finally getting an opportunity to play here at the start of July, there is that excitement. I think they’re really starting to believe in themselves, because we are a very young team.”

With another four games ahead on the schedule for this weekend, opposition ball clubs will have to be wary of a Beavers’ team seemingly only on the rise as they gain more experience and continue to taste success.

All four games this weekend will be played in Saskatoon. Saturday will feature matchups against the Regina Pacers (2-3) and Saskatoon Braves (6-0), while Sunday the team will play the Regina Buffalos (3-1) and Saskatoon Blue Jays (4-0).

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1