Nova Scotia fastpitch league announces major changes
White Rock Rockies’ leading pitcher headed to Brookfield Elks
Colchester County fastpitch softball fans will get an opportunity to see one of Canada’s top pitchers in action next summer on a regular basis.
But Hants County fans will have to travel to see Justin Schofield, of White Rock, Kings County, who is joining the Brookfield Elks of the Shooters Bar and Grill Fastpitch League for the
2020 season.
Schofield has represented Canada at the world level, and was recently named to Softball Canada’s 2020 national men’s team athlete pool.
The addition of Schofield to the Elks is part of a major overhaul in the Shooters league, which is aimed at increasing the level of play in the five-team loop.
“Our main goal is to make this league a senior-caliber league and then to also — fingers crossed — have an intermediate league down the road, as well,” said league president Chris Hopewell, who also serves as the Fundy director for Softball Nova Scotia. “We’re just trying to grow it.”
Earlier this fall, three-time league champion White Rock Rockies announced they would be ceasing operations. Their players will be divvied up among other league teams through a dispersal draft.
The Rockies were based out of St. Croix.
“So we’re kind of strengthening it that way because we’re able to spread the pitching out a little bit better with five teams compared to six teams,” said Hopewell, a Lantz resident, who also plays in the league with the Prodigy Sports Red Sox. “And White Rock was a good team for the past number of years, so they had a lot of good players that will be dispersed on other teams that will definitely help bring that competitive drive up.
“We liked what we started as far as the league went,” he added. “We created a place for people to play, but now we want it to become more competitive.”
White Rock’s top pitchers — Schofield, Pat Slaunwhite and Curtis Broussard — have already been placed on Shooters league teams to level the playing field. Slaunwhite and Broussard will toe the rubber for Prodigy Sports.
Changes to the league are also meant to benefit Nova Scotia
softball teams competing at national, Eastern Canadian and provincial championships at the end of the season. Getting more at-bats against quality pitching and playing defense against top hitters should better prepare players for those big tournaments, said Hopewell.
The changes are also aimed at giving the next generation of fastpitch players an opportunity to play the game locally at a competitive level down the road. Fastpitch has made a comeback in recent years in parts of Nova Scotia, and Hopewell wants to keep that momentum rolling.
“It’s my favourite sport — it always has been; I love it and I just know with the group of U14 and U12 kids we have coming up, I know there’s a large group of kids who are going to continue to play this sport, which excites the hell out of me,” he said.
The league is also looking at increasing the number of games played by having teams play two doubleheaders per week next summer. Hopewell said that will depend on field availability.
The Shooters Bar and Grill Fastpitch League dispersal draft will be held on Jan. 12 at Shooters in Enfield. The draft order follows: 1. Halifax Pepperjacks, 2. Shubie Lions, 3. Brookfield Elks, 4. Prodigy Red Sox.
The league’s fifth team is the Colchester Royals U23 squad.