(Facebook/2019 U14A Spirit Softball).

By Aaron Schulze

Melfort U14A Spirit

Melfort Spirit hopes to have a new norm following U14A girls’ nationals appearance

Aug 16, 2019 | 2:07 PM

The Melfort U14A Spirit softball team returned from the Canadian Fast Pitch Championship which wrapped up in Montreal on Aug. 11, and they hope to have brought back a new standard to the Melfort Minor Softball Association (MMSA).

It was the first time a Melfort Spirit team at any age level advanced to a national championship, and while the U14A Spirit took time to enjoy the sights, sounds, and experience of playing against elite competition, there were lessons to take back following their performance.

“A lot of our pool games were very close until the middle or end of the game, where we found that errors would cost runs,” Head Coach Cheryl Hunt told northeastNOW. “I felt as a coach that we definitely have the talent level to compete at the national level, but the experience and making a few defensive errors determined the winner a lot in these tight, competitive games.”

The U14 Spirit finished with zero wins and six losses in round robin play before defeating the Newfoundland Selects 10-9 and falling to the Vaughan Viking 6-1 in the playoffs. They finished tied for 17^th out of 21 teams at the nationals.

“We always have pre and post-game preparations and we really learned to value that and making sure we’re ready to go,” Hunt said. “Every single team there is competitive. Every single inning, at bat, and defensive play matters, and that’s basically what is comes down to.”

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Because the U14A Spirit were the first of their program’s kind to advance to a national championship, Hunt hopes she can give pointers to fellow coaches and her players can take the experiences with them as they continue their softball careers.

“The experience itself was invaluable because you can watch video clips and see statistics, but until you’re kind of emerged in it, it’s invaluable,” she said. “That’s what this first opportunity was about, so they can carry back everything we’ve learned on to other seasons, whether they advance to the U16 category or stay in U14.

“The goal is this is going to become a part of our regular goal. This is something we’re going to strive to do in our programs; to be able to produce teams who can compete at a national level.”

Hunt expects at least nine players to move up an age category, although she and her players intend to use every resource available – such as winter training programs – to keep their competitive edge going into the 2020 season.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow