Neufeld excels in softball, baseball

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This article was published 14/08/2024 (461 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Special to The Sun

PORT ALBERNI, B.C. — Living out of a well-packed suitcase for three weeks is no problem for Boissevain’s Ally Neufeld when you look at her August travel agenda.

Having just spent four days on Vancouver Island playing with her Westman Magic teammates at the western Canadian U17 softball championship in Port Alberni, BC, the 16-year-old flew back to Manitoba on Monday, with a stop in Winnipeg before flying on to Quebec City where she will play for Team Manitoba at the senior women’s baseball nationals alongside Boissevain’s Zoe Hicks from Thursday to Sunday.

“I was nervous when I played on that team for the first time last year in Halifax, Nova Scotia, because I had just started learning how to play baseball,” recalled Neufeld while sipping on her game-day frozen lemonade at Tim Hortons. “I’d never played baseball before, yet here I was playing on the senior women’s team at nationals and starting in centre field.

“I had done my winter training, went to spring tryouts for the 16U team because I wanted to try something different other than just playing softball.”

How did Neufeld find herself on the senior women’s baseball team being a neophyte to the game, and not attending a spring tryout camp? Let’s rewind for a second and look at Brandon-born Neufeld’s transition from fast-pitch, or softball, to baseball during a 12-month time frame.

Neufeld started playing softball around age seven, while her two brothers played baseball. Before she attended her first 16U spring tryout camp in 2023, she first had to demonstrate a few skills to be allowed to sign up for camp.

“I’d never played baseball before, so I borrowed my brother’s bat and glove and went to the gym where they asked me to swing the bat,” she recalled.

“She started launching dingers,” recalled mom Jo-Anne Neufeld, who was there to observe her daughter showing off her athletic skills. “Then I hear ‘where’s your mom?’ as they wanted her to try out after seeing what she could do with the bat.”

Softball has been Neufeld’s summer sport since she was a kid, and now as a teenager, she’s come a long way since joining the Westman Magic’s program with the U12 team. She’s come up with the same girls, with a few additions annually, and just spent the past four days on Vancouver Island where her U17 team finished 6-0 in round-robin play.

The Magic then lost their 1-2 game 9-7 to Alberta’s Sherwood Park Storm Saturday night in host city Port Alberni, BC, then won the 3-4 game 9-1 over Saskatchewan’s Lakeland Blaze Sunday morning to move on to the gold medal game against the Storm.

Competitive by nature, Neufeld did not initially wear her silver medal following a 4-0 loss until she returned to her team’s lineup on the diamond as she watched the Storm receive their gold medals. Finishing runner-up was bittersweet for her after the Magic had outscored their opponents 47-11 in the first seven games they played. Then the Magic bats went silent in the 4-0 loss.

Going into Grade 12 this fall in Boissevain, where she plays varsity volleyball and basketball, Neufeld will have little time to lament her team’s loss to the Storm, as she flew out of Nanaimo early Monday morning en route back to Manitoba, then onto Quebec, where she will switch from her seven-ounce yellow softball to the five-ounce white baseball.

“I’m excited about this second opportunity to play on the senior women’s team, and with Zoe again,” she said. “Last year, at 15, I was the youngest player on the team. This year, we have a lot of new players after some retired after last year’s nationals, so there are two girls younger than me this time.”

Mom, who coached her daughter playing softball when she was younger, said there was a phone call asking if she’d be interested in playing senior ball last summer following her successful 16U tryouts. Knowing Hicks was on the team, Neufeld jumped at the chance to play at the higher level despite not having any real baseball experience when it came to playing the game.

“The players are all 10 years older than me, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I would learn a lot from them,” she said. “I had one hit playing on that team, a lot of walks, and I stole some bases.”

What about her first time at the plate facing the opposing pitcher?

“I struck out,” she recalled laughing.

Watching from the stands in Halifax, mom and Neufeld’s grandmother were taken aback during the first game when they saw her standing in centrefield as a rookie starter.

“We were surprised this being her first time playing baseball that she was starting in the outfield,” said mom, who made sure to take lots of photographs from the sidelines to record her daughter’s experience playing on the national stage.

While the game features different bats, balls, rules and diamond dimensions, Neufeld said having the same coaches teaching her how to play softball since she was a kid, only helped her when she made the transition to learning the nuances of baseball.

“The mechanics I’ve learned playing softball all those years has helped me,” she said. “When you play softball, you want to get your bat under the ball. For baseball, you want to make contact right on the ball.

“You have less time to make plays in softball … you need to throw the ball much quicker, but with baseball, it’s a slower game so I had to adjust, especially with my first time playing last summer. I found you had more time to set your feet when it comes to throwing the baseball.”

Neufeld then shifted to Prince Edward Island last summer, where her 16U Team ‘Toba played nationals in Summerside. Having just had her senior women’s baseball experience, it allowed her to relax more playing among her peers.

She was also introduced to the baseball pitcher’s mound, where the coaches not only used her in the outfield, but also wanted her to pitch.

“I loved it my first time, when I got out there to pitch,” she recalled. “I only had a fastball then, but now I have my curve and change-up I can use.”

Her 16U experience only made her love of baseball grow, and the fan of the Toronto Blue Jays looked forward to this year’s Baseball Manitoba tryout camps in the spring. She went out and made both teams, and for this year’s 16U trip to Saskatoon, Sask., she will be joined by Brandon’s Caitlan Nickel, who she played with this summer on Brandon’s 18U AA boys’ team.

Following her trip to Quebec City, mom, who is the 16U team manager, Neufeld will take another flight west, stopping in Winnipeg briefly before flying on to Saskatoon, where the 16U girls’ nationals will be played from Aug. 22 to 25.

The one item Neufeld made sure she packed in her large suitcase besides softball and baseball gloves and cleats is her pillow case. When she sleeps in hotels, she prefers her own pillow case on the pillow to help her have a better sleep before games.

Making the switch from softball to baseball will also mean Neufeld’s batting stance and approach to hitting will switch.

“I have to be patient at the plate when I’m playing baseball,” she explained. “You want to find that right pitch and make contact. Sure, I’d like to hit dingers, but I’m more of a contact hitter.”

Added mom, “Having coached her when she was younger, and now watching her play baseball, I’ve seen her grow as a player.”

Initially throwing a fastball clocked at 50 miles per hour (mph), under the tutelage of Dustin Asham at Brandon’s TC Indoor Sports Facility she was able to hone additional pitches, and now her fastball is clocked 15 mph faster.

Brother Johnny has also helped her with her pitching, introducing her to a curve ball, as she enjoys tossing the ball around with her sibling at home.

How does Neufeld keep opposing batters off balance now that her pitching repertoire has been enhanced?

“If the batter is swinging late on my fastball, I’ll keep throwing it,” she said. “But if they aren’t, then I’ll use my curve ball.”

What about her own mindset when she’s watching a baseball coming at her, especially facing the senior women?

“I have a yes-no mindset,” she said. “I know I just want to hit the ball, so if I see the ball is good, I think to myself ‘Yes, yes, yes’ then I swing.”

Knowing the whip of the softball coming her way playing fast-pitch, Neufeld understands it will take a few plate appearances to forget about her final U17 season with the Westman Magic. Now, her jersey represents Team ‘Toba, and she expects her short training camp before games in Quebec and Saskatchewan will allow her to adjust.

Plus she enjoyed plenty of playing time, including pitching, with Brandon’s 18U AA team after being cut by Oildome and getting her release to play elsewhere.

“Playing for Brandon gave me a lot more playing experience, which will help me at my two nationals,” she said. “It helped with my weakness in baseball, which is being able to read pitches because every pitcher has different styles, so I still have a lot to learn.”

This includes running bases, leadoffs and pitcher’s pickoff moves, but this is part of Neufeld’s learning curve. When it comes to learning more about baseball, she’s a sponge when it comes to what her teammates and coaches provide her on and off the diamond.

Neufeld and her 16U girls’ provincial team also played a number of exhibition games against boys’ teams this summer in Winnipeg at Optimist Park. That allowed her to pitch and play first base.

She’s especially excited about her second time wearing Team ‘Toba’s jersey, first on the East Coast, then back on the Saskatchewan prairies.

“This is going to be a lot of fun, and if I can get other girls interested in playing baseball, that will be cool, too,” she said.

And when high school baseball season starts in spring 2025, expect the Boissevain Broncos to see her on the diamond looking to make the team. This past season, she was cut by coach Corey Billaney, who had a deep lineup that went on to win the provincial title.

Mom said Billarney was surprised by her daughter’s baseball prowess after playing for the senior women’s team and 16U girls’ team in 2023, but did not want her sitting in the dugout with the talent he had ahead of her. Like pitcher/centrefielder Connor Martin.

“I had to play catch with Connor, and boy does he throw the ball hard,” said Neufeld, who is looking forward to playing for the Broncos in her senior high school year.

Neufeld left Vancouver Island not only with a silver medal, she also won the skills competition and received a trophy after winning the farthest toss event prior to the tournament banquet.

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