Former Bonnyville Minor Ball players going to Little League Softball World Series

“If it wasn’t for Bonnyville Minor Ball, I don’t think these girls would be in the position they’re in today…”

It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for these two softball players to compete on the world stage.

Zada Campbell and Kleo Croteau from the Lakeland area will represent Team Canada at the Little League Softball World Series in Greenville, North Carolina beginning this Sunday.

“I don’t know if it’s really hit the girls yet,” coach Nick Campbell told Lakeland Connect. 

“It’s pretty awesome. I think once we get down there, they’re gonna have media days and stuff like that. It’s gonna be pretty cool.” 

Comprised of pre-teens, Campbell, catcher, and Croteau, shortstop, are two big components of the team that plays out of Sherwood Park.

This past weekend, the national championships for the right to represent Canada was held in Victoria.

“We came into the tournament thinking that there’s gonna be tough competition,” said Campbell. 

Season so far

Starting the tournament off against Quebec, it was a tight contest, which saw Alberta win 3-2. Then the girls shellacked Team British Columbia 10-0 in six innings to set up a rematch against Quebec in the final.

By edging out the easteners 4-2, this team became the second team in a row to come out of the St. Albert Softball Little League to represent Canada at the Little League World Series.

But it wasn’t necessarily a reign of dominance throughout the season to get there. Campbell says, they found the right time to get hot.

“We were playing the team trying to find everyone into homes on the position and on the depth chart. As things went on, we started to click and we just started to peak at the right time,” he said. 

“We had our league play, where I think we finished fourth in the league. But then when we went to the Alberta qualifiers and we ended up winning. We beat out Lethbridge and Calgary in the Alberta qualifiers.

“So we were representing Team Alberta at the Canadian regional championships. We still wore our Sherwood Park Storm jerseys, but we were labelled as Team Alberta. And now we go to North Carolina and we get our team Canada jerseys when we get there.” 

With the opportunity to don the maple leaf, the tournament will also provide the largest audience these girls will have their games yet.

The entire Little League Softball World Series will be shown on ESPN+.

World stage

Campbell and Croteau will have a key part to play in their team’s success down south.

“They are two key players on the team, they’re batting in the power positions in our lineup. Defensively, Zada actually won the skills competition for the catchers at the Canadian qualifiers. I think Kleo ended up winning for base running running as well. 

“They’re hitting the ball well, and they do well in their positions.” 

With not much time in between, the team began travelling from Victoria to North Carolina on Wednesday.

The 12-team tournament is set up in a double-elimination bracket, meaning two strikes (losses) and you’re out.

Competitors will include teams from across the US, Puerto Rico, Philippines, and Italy.

The journey begins on Sunday afternoon against Latin American.

“If it wasn’t for Bonnyville Minor Ball, I don’t think these girls would be in the position they’re in today, for sure. They both started their careers in Bonnyville Minor Ball and I think it’s a pretty good program they are running.”