Broncos make pitch for second provincial title

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This article was published 24/05/2024 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For Boissevain Broncos coach Corey Billaney, the mental part of playing baseball is just as important as throwing, hitting and catching the ball.

“We talk about the mental part of the game being important because it’s not just getting hits, pitching and throwing,” he told The Brandon Sun. “Baseball is a thinking game. It’s not just the physical part of the game we work on in practice, but we also work on the mental part of the game.”

This combination of baseball skills and mental acuity has paid off for the Broncos this season, going undefeated in regular season games plus sweeping the zone tournament at home 32-1 over provincial host school Reston and 10-0 over Virden.

“We talk about the mental part of the game with the players … they ask questions during games, and we will work on their questions about the game in our practices,” he explained. “We make an effort to work on the mental part of the game, not just the physical part of the game.

“As players, we want them to think about the game and not just worry about their physical abilities. If you can think about the game, the physical part of the game will take care of itself.”

This system and approach to baseball has worked for Billaney, a physical education teacher at the school, since he started coaching the Broncos in 2013.

His team last won high school provincials nine years ago when Boissevain defeated Winnipeg’s John Taylor in the final.

Because the Prairie West High School Baseball League has a short regular season, Billaney makes sure he schedules exhibition games or attend tournaments to allow his players to continually hone their baseball skills besides scheduled after-school practices. While some high school teams might have played four regular season games, his players will have more than a dozen played before provincials.

Case in point: this Sunday, he’s bringing in the U18 AAA Pembina Hills team for a doubleheader in Boissevain to provide his players with additional playing time in preparation for the two-day provincial tournament starting on May 31 in Reston.

“As players, we want them to think about the game and not just worry about their physical abilities. If you can think about the game, the physical part of the game will take care of itself.”– Corey Billaney

The Broncos began honing their baseball skills in the spring, using the school’s gymnasium as a backdrop until the adjacent ball diamond was free of winter’s blanket of snow.

Billaney’s pitching and catching corp are usually in the gym first to dust off the winter rust, followed by the infielders and outfielders.

Having a well-balanced team this season has also helped produce victories. Billaney’s pitching arms keep opposing batters off balance, while his bats on offence cause nightmares for opposing defences.

“I’ve never been a proponent of running up the score … we just hit the ball,” he said of his 32-1 victory against Reston, where Connor Martin belted a three-run homer and then added a grand slam.

His players made contact, the ball found the infield and outfield gaps or cleared the fence, leading to runs crossing the plate.

“In a game like that, we’re not stealing bases. We just keep playing baseball.”

Besides Martin on the mound, Billaney has riches when it comes to his pitching rotation. This helps when he’s planning for an event like provincials, to have his big arms available when it comes to semifinals or the final.

High school baseball uses the pitch count, so hurlers require specific rest from throwing based on how many pitches they initially throw from the mound.

Martin had a memorable game during the regular season when he struck out 20 of the 21 batters he faced during a victory over the Vincent Massey Vikings. The only batter not to have a K beside his name on the scoresheet was thrown out on a 3-4 infield defensive play.

“We have kids who throw strikes,” Billaney said of his pitching rotation. “I can thank the coaches in the community who have coached them when they were younger. They have matured since starting for us in Grade 12.

“We talk a lot about pitching and they know what to do if they are struggling … again, the mental part of the game.”

What is the strength of the Broncos, according to Billaney?

“I’d say consistency,” he said. “We’re consistent in our lineup from one to nine. We have the older players at the the top, from four to five, but if these guys are struggling with their bats, we still have the bottom half contributing.”

Having a plethora of multi-sport athletes on the roster has also benefited Billaney since he started coaching Broncos baseball because his players are used to being coached and playing high-end games in their other sports.

“This translates into us being a strong team playing baseball,” he offered. “What it comes down to our team is we’re playing more games, which only helps the players be better.”

Billaney often hears from others the Broncos “look like a baseball team” in how they carry themselves during warmup, the game and afterwards as they scurry about the diamond preparing it for the next game.

“As coaches, we expect more out of our players than coming to the game with their cleats and glove,” he said. “Our expectations besides the game itself is everyone has a role on this team.

“For our baseball fans, they don’t see the behind scenes of the players working hard on their game in practice, but they do see them playing as well as them cleaning the diamond after a game.”

The diamond for Broncos high school games sees the stands filled with fans, besides the trucks and cars ringing the diamond, with fans sitting on their lawn chairs. Baseball is a popular sport in Billaney’s community, from minor ball, to the Broncos as wellas Boissevan’s senior team playing out of the Southwest league.

Billaney also coaches the defending champion senior team, and benefits with his high school players graduating to senior. His familiarity with them over two or three years wearing the Broncos jersey helps him integrate them among the older guys, which has meant the senior team continues to dominate and win or challenge for the Southwest Baseball League title every summer.

Three of Billaney’s players are heading to North Dakota this fall to play baseball.

Besides Martin committing to play baseball with the Vikings at Valley City State University, teammate Tyler Robertson has committed to the Comets at Mayville State University while Griffin Albrecht is also heading south to combine his post-secondary education with baseball. He’s committed to play for the Wildcats at Wahpeton-based North Dakota State College of Science.

Vikings coach Alec DeMaria is looking forward to Martin being part of his 2024 recruiting class.

“Connor has the chance to be a very special pitcher. He is one of the best pitchers in his entire province and he is excited to continue to develop and improve at VCSU,” he said.

“He is a great person, with high character, and I cannot wait to see the pitcher and person that Connor will grow into four years from now.”

But first, the Martin and his Broncos teammates are looking to add a second provincial baseball banner with the advent of June. Billaney believes with his team’s work ethic, skill set, team chemistry and mental preparedness are all part of a winning combination based on the successes his current team has shown this season.

Diamond notes: With a 5-1 win over Birtle Wednesday night, Brandon’s Vincent Massey Vikings punched their ticket to Reston with a berth in provincials … A year ago, Boissevain fell 16-12 in the Manitoba High School Athletic Association final in Glenboro last summer when Jackson Thiessen hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Garden City Gophers their third provincial title in a row. Just over a month later, Boissevain rebounded to win Baseball Manitoba’s 18-and-under AA provincial championship, beating the Portage Phillies 9-3 to snap a seven-game winless streak in gold medal games at Baseball Manitoba and high school events.

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