The local U14 Bandits look to be a force this season in the region, with new players coming together quickly to form a premier team in their age group. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Out of the Park

U14 Bandits making the most of abbreviated softball season

Jul 27, 2020 | 3:07 PM

It has been just under a month since the U14 Bandits girls softball team first took to the diamond this summer, to begin their abbreviated ball season.

And as head coach of the team, Darren Russell said, it didn’t take long for the group to get their footing underneath them, with a palpable excitement to return to the game, from day one.

“From our first practice, I’ve never seen kids more excited to have shale on their cleats,” he said. “Both the players and coaches were so excited to be off their couches and playing ball again.”

The softball season generally begins in May, but was postponed to a July start this season, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to a shorter schedule, this season has also brought girls from both the travel team and house team together, as there is only one U14 team from the Battlefords community playing this season. However, as the coach points out, the mixing of the two teams, is something that has been a great experience for all involved.

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“We have three or four girls on our team this year that normally play on the house team, so it’s a different year but it’s a fun year,” Russell said. “The travel team girls have been really welcoming everyone on our team very well, and the other girls have already shown so much improvement and really fit in well.”

To this point, the Bandits have played just a single game (a win over Shellbrook), with two others cancelled due to an umpire scheduling shortage and a lack of players available to the rival Edam team.

Despite the adversity though, Russell said the team will be more than ready to return to action this week, with games scheduled for both Tuesday and Thursday. He said just watching the team come together through the early going, it’s a group that holds a good mix of skill and old fashioned love of the game, that can win games in many ways.

“Our batters were really going that first game, [and] we also have some of the best pitchers around on our team who can really throw the ball well,” he said. “We can play ‘small ball,’ but with our girls, we also train them to hit; having fun is hitting the ball and pretty much all the kids on our team can hit the ball really well. That makes for a fun game.”

This week the team will play two games. Tuesday they will head to Meadow Lake, before then traveling to Shellbrook, Thursday.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1