Newcomers help fuel drive for U18 AAA title

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This article was published 21/07/2022 (1419 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some bad news for Oildome this season has certainly proven to be a shot in the arm for the 18-and-under AAA Brandon Marlins.

When the neighbouring baseball association didn’t have enough players to form an 18U team this summer, the remaining players were given permission to join Brandon if they could make the cut.

The Marlins, who open the provincial U18 AAA provincials in Winnipeg today with a pair of games, ended up welcoming Griffin Albrecht and Tyler Robertson from Boissevain and Connor Martin from Wawanesa, which added a massive boost of talent to an already gifted group.

“Most teams don’t have three kids from an association that folded but it does happen in Winnipeg,” head coach Dave Martine noted. “Winnipeg folded one of its associations I think in bantam last year or two years ago so they picked up those players.

“It’s a one-year thing. We’re very fortunate to have them here.”

At the same time, it worked out pretty well for the trio, who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to play AAA ball this summer after high school and AA seasons ended.

Robertson said the Oildome players started to drop off during the winter and he began to realize they likely wouldn’t have a team. Of course joining the Marlins was a pretty sweet Plan B.

“We’ve always been close to them skill-wise,” Robertson said of the Marlins. “It’s just nice to come to a good team.”

Still, it was something new.

“We didn’t have much time to get prepared,” Albrecht said. “It was kind of a shock when we found out.”

The rural pipeline actually began to flow last season when Mason De Ruyck’s family moved to Brandon from Killarney. Brandon had now added four quality arms, which include two left-handers.

“They’re fabulous kids,” Martine said. “Strong athletes, but at the same time they come from good families. They’re quiet, they keep to themselves a little bit, but they fit in nicely with the group because they’re not overbearing.”

Nolan Chastko has led the Marlins since he started playing AAA. He likes what all the newcomers have brought to the group since the Marlins hosted the 13U western Canadian championships in 2018.

“Obviously the four we’ve picked up from Oildome, Mason De Ruyck who played with us last season, and we’ve got three new (2006-born players) who have definitely been a great addition to our team,” Chastko said. “And even just the locals who we’ve picked up have played a huge part in our season this year and definitely improved since then to make our team this season.”

They joined a pretty good club.

The Marlins have an incredible six players on the provincial team — De Ruyck, Martin, Robertson, Chastko, Skylar Ramsay and Dylan Schrader — but that’s also been a challenge.

A provincial play-in tournament for provincials was cancelled when it was realized all the top guys would be away at a Team Manitoba event, so the Marlins found themselves in a one-game qualifier last week against Pembina Hills.

The team, which also has Jordan Penner, Nolan Honke, Dreyson Potter, Will Galatiuk, Jacob Thornitt, JT Martine and Porter Ewert and affiliate player Xander Eilers on the roster, emerged with a 10-0 victory in five innings.

Dave Martine shakes his head when asked if he’s ever had a pitching staff as deep this one.

“You don’t see six starters on a AAA team at 18U,” Martine said. “Everyone has starters but they don’t have legit first, second and third rotation guys.”

Chastko and De Ruyck would be considered the top two starters, with Martin and Robertson not far behind and Thornitt and Schrader also in the equation.

The Marlins actually have 10 guys who can throw if needed, with Martine and Albrecht most prominently in the equation.

“It’s nice,” the left-handed De Ruyck said. “If you don’t do as well in a day, you know there are other people who can back you up. It’s definitely nice knowing you have some reassurance on the field behind you.”

Martine said a huge key for his group at provincials, even with all the hurlers they have, is controlling the number of pitches they throw by being in the strike zone because of the strict pitch count rules.

Players are allowed up to 40 pitches per game without resting the next day. If they throw 41 to 55, the pitcher needs a day off, while 56-70 means two days off, effectively ending their time on the mound at the tournament.

Pitchers can throw up to a maximum of 105 pitches in a day.

Robertson, who also plays first base and occasionally third, throws and bats from the right side.

“Hopefully we don’t burn too much pitching in those first couple of games and hopefully save some arms, and get a lot of runs to help our pitchers out,” Robertson said.

There are six teams in the Tier 1 event at Charleswood Park in Winnipeg, with a full round-robin scheduled. Brandon meets the league’s top two teams today, North Winnipeg at 2:30 p.m., and Winnipeg South at 6:15 p.m.

On Saturday, the Marlins play South Central at 10 a.m., and Carillon at 2:30 p.m., with their round-robin finale set for Sunday morning at 11:45.

The top two teams meet in the final on Sunday at 5:30 p.m., with the third- and fourth-place clubs meeting at 6 o’clock.

The keys to success are simple.

“I think our pitchers need to be throwing strikes and we need to be on the bats early,” the 15-year-old left-hander Martin said. “We need to get some runs and make some good plays on defence so we can have a positive attitude.”

While pitching is what people might notice first, Martine said the team has always been a good defensive club as well.

Albrecht, 16, has caught, played second, shortstop and third base, and certainly appreciates the defence behind him when he is on the mound for the Marlins.

“It makes it way easier to just focus on your pitching and throw strikes,” said Albrecht, who bats and throws right. “You’re not having to worry about trying to strike guys out. If you just get a ground ball, they’ll make the play.”

De Ruyck agreed.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “I can trust these guys with a lot of stuff. It’s nice knowing that if (the batter) barrels one up that I have fielders who can make a play.”

During the regular season, the Marlins got just nine league games in, winning them all and outscoring their opponents 78-37.

Aside from provincial team duty, many of the players also played high school baseball, which limited how much the Marlins could play. They also had a couple of guys play in the Manitoba Junior Baseball League.

With exhibition games, including some against senior teams, the Marlins have played just 16 times together.

They’re eager to see how things come together on a busy weekend with a lot at stake.

“I fully expect to win it,” Albrecht said. “I think we have the talent and pitching to do it. I really think we can win.”

The top three teams at the tournament move on, with the winner heading to nationals in Fort McMurray, Alta., from Aug. 18 to 21, and the second- and third-place teams going to westerns in Regina on the same weekend.

De Ruyck, who is 16, plays first base and a little bit in the outfield but mostly pitches. When he hits, it’s from the right side.

“I think we have a pretty good shot at winning,” De Ruyck said. “We have a lot of high calibre players here so we might as well go out with a bang.”

Chastko, who signed with the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars after a record-breaking season with the U18 AAA Wheat Kings, is on the same wavelength.

“I’m a huge fan of winning and I think that’s everyone’s goal going in,” Chastko said. “We definitely have the team to do something special.”

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