All you need is Magic

Shannon LeClair

Times Reporter

 

This past weekend the Strathmore Magic Junior B Fastpitch team was the host team of the Provincial Fastball Championships at the Ag. ball diamonds.  

It was a tough weekend for any team competing against the Magic, who were on top of their game. 

“The team has just been immense, all year long they’ve played super ball and we have kids on that team from 17 to 23, and they’ve all played equally basically as well. The pitching was outstanding and our hitting was very, very good,” said Ron Walmsley, Magic head coach. 

“They don’t get down – if they get down a run or two they don’t quit – they just fight back.”  

The team had been hoping to beat last years silver medal, which they did successfully. The girls came out of the provincials sitting at 6-0 for the weekend, taking the lead over everyone. 

Magic has been rained out of two tournaments, but in the first tournament they played in at the beginning of the year, the team came out third overall out of 16 teams.

In league play, Walmsley said they were about 30 games short this season due to all the games cancelled because of rainouts, which unfortunately the team doesn’t get to make up. 

“League-wise in the first division we finished second, and we’re just starting the playoffs now. We had a really good season,” said Walmsley.

“In the junior B ranks, the team we have out here is the best team we’ve ever had, and we’ve had some really good teams.”

Walmsley has been coaching ball for 47 years, beginning in Calgary with the senior A and junior A teams before moving to Strathmore and taking up coaching in 1999. 

The team has already begun playoffs in Calgary, though the results were unavailable at press time. The girls will also be heading to Burnaby, B.C. in August to compete in the Westerns.