Five things to know about the fast-pitch championship
The boys are back in town.
Once again, the Canadian men’s fast-pitch softball championships are in Saskatoon, to be hosted by the Saskatoon Amateur Softball Association.
This will be the fifth Canadian men’s championship hosted in Saskatoon and the 22nd Canadian national event here.
Five things to know about this year’s event:
ACTION BEGINS TODAY
The tournament runs today until Sunday at Bob Van Impe Stadium and Joe Gallagher Field, formerly known as Gordie Howe Ball Park.
Action gets underway at 9 a.m. today with the opening ceremonies tonight at 6 p.m. at Bob Van Impe Stadium.
Following the opening ceremonies, the host Saskatoon Angels will meet Saskatchewan’s provincial silver medallist Bruno Merchants.
In conjunction this week, Saskatoon will also host its first Canadian master men’s championship.
The Canadian men’s championship final is slated for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Bob Van Impe.
16 TEAMS
ON THE DIAMOND
There will be 12 men’s teams and four master men’s teams vying for Canadian titles.
The men’s teams range from coast-to-coast, with British Columbia’s Sooke Loggers and Newfoundland’s Galway Hitmen and Nova Scotia’s East Hants Shooters Bar and Grill Mastodons all taking part.
Rounding out the participants are the host Saskatoon Poly Plus Angels, Bruno Merchants, Delisle Diamond Dogs, Chetty’s Pretty Boys, Bulyea Rustlers, North Battleford Petro Hawks, La Salle Bullets (Manitoba), Irma Tigers (Alberta) and Grand Prairie Pirates. The Master’s tournament includes the Saskatoon AGI Masters, Moose Jaw Canadians, Saskatoon Padres and CJC Grande Prairie Pirate Masters.
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS FROM NEWFOUNDLAND
A year ago, the Galway Hitmen defeated the Kelly’s Pub Molson Bulldogs (also from Newfoundland) 3-0 in the Canadian men’s championship game.
It was the fifth straight national title for the Galway Hitmen. It’s a feat that has never been achieved since the national championships began in 1965.
Joining the reigning Galway Hitmen are Nova Scotia’s East Hants Shooters Bar and Grill Mastodon, a bronze medallist last year.
The Mastodon lineup features four past or present national team players, including ace Justin Schofield and Australian star Nick Shailes.
The Angels, who came up short at provincials, will get a big boost on the mound with the return of ace pitcher Devon McCullough and hard-throwing national team prospect Patrick Burns.
McCullough and Burns are two top Saskatoon players. Another is former national team pitcher Trevor Ethier, who is playing for the Delisle Diamond Dogs.
Other players to watch include: Cleary, Brad Ezekiel, Kyle Ezekiel, Jason Hill, Steve Mullaley, Mathieu Roy, Colin Walsh, Ryan Boland and Shane Boland from the reigning national champion Galway Hitmen; Blake Hunter, Kyle Cowick, Scott Lieph and Kris Walushka from the Sooke Loggers; Justin Schofield from East Hants; and Bryn Redhead from the Grand Prairie Pirates.
Participants who played for Team Canada at the 2017 world championship in Whitehorse include McCullough, both Bolands, Cleary, Brad Ezekiel, Hunter, Mullaley, Roy, Schofield, Walsh and Walushka.
Athletes who will represent Canada at the upcoming Pan American men’s softball championship Sept. 15-24 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, include Burns, McCullough, Mullaley, Walushka, Cowick, Kyle Ezekiel, Hill, Lieph and Redhead.
TEAMS TO WATCH FOR PLAYERS TO FOLLOW