Bonnyville minor baseball keeps improving

The minor baseball season is wrapping up for community-level players this weekend.

Bonnyville will play host to 16 teams in a wrap-up mosquito tournament at Kushner Ball Diamonds.

“It’s the lakeland league. It basically ranges from Lac La Biche to Pierceland to Lloydminster to Vermilion and every town in between,” said Bonnyville minor ball president Travis Farrer.

It’s been a busy season on the diamonds for Bonnyville baseball teams. With three competition categories, house league, competitive AA baseball, and competitive softball, enrollment numbers are up again.

“We had 328 kids I think it was registered for minor ball this year. So our numbers are up again,” said Farrer.

“The program’s exploded over the last five years and coaches are doing a great job and parents are committing.”

Teams from the lakeland are starting to turn heads too.

The Bonnyville mosquito AA team is currently ranked first in Northern Alberta (Red Deer to Fort McMurray) and the U16 competitive softball team defeated the top team in the GPLS, a double AA/AAA league.

“Anytime you get good coaches, kids that want to play the game, and committed parents who are willing to bring their kids, skill levels are going to go up.

“Now our teams going around the province and people are starting to say, ‘oh my god Bonnyville has a good ball program’ because these teams are coming in and competing,” said Farrer.

Farrer mentioned the U12 competitive softball team’s success at the GLPs tournament where they went undefeated and have already qualified for provincials, as well as the U14 softball team.

The U16 softball team will look to make it a trio heading to Provincials this weekend when they take on Irma and Lloydminster and the Muriel Lake ball diamonds.

“There’s some real strong players on the team. There are girls from Lac La Biche, Cold Lake and St. Paul as well as Bonnyville, and we go around and play competitive softball and hopefully going to Provincials after this weekend,” said Farrer.

Despite coming from across the lakeland, Farrer said the team purposely calls themselves the Bonnyville Angels to boost the Bonnyville program.

“We do that purposely as an organization…I think it’s important for the younger kids in the community to see some good ball with the same logo.

“All that does is fuel the passion of being on the boys or girls to say ‘hey maybe one day I’ll be as good as those guys, right.’”

The AA mosquito ball team is coached by Reg Rivard, which gives them an edge on the knowledge side of the game.

“It’s a big accomplishment and their coach is Reg Rivard, who’s obviously well known in this community for ball. We’re fortunate to have him….he’s an encyclopedia for baseball.”

The final tournament for house league ball is this weekend.