Tanton, Zarowny perform with Zone 2

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

A pair of Strathmore ball players accomplished the first step in being named to the provincial team down the road.
Colby Tanton and Kaden Zarowny played for the Zone 2 team in the Baseball Alberta Zone Tournament last weekend in St. Albert.
Participating in the zone tournament if the first step in a two-year selection process for the U17 provincial team for the Canada Cup.
Playing against the top talent in the province, Zone 2 wrapped up the weekend 2-2 and didn’t qualify for the playoff round.
Zone 5 got the best of Zone 2, clipping Tanton and Zarowny’s squad 12-6 in the opener Aug. 19.
Despite the final score, Zarowny turned in a pretty solid performance in his second at bat of the tourney.
With the bases loaded, Zarowny belted a 3-1 fastball deep over the centre fielder’s head. Sprinting around the bases, he slid head first into home, completing a rare inside-the-park grand slam.
“We were playing on midget-sized fields, so I was pretty tired after sprinting with the longer base paths,” said Zarowny.
“It was a great experience to be a part of. It was fun to see new competition instead of the same teams each weekend; it gave us a different perspective of how everyone compares to myself and Kaden,” said Tanton.
Tanton and Zarowny were two key cogs for the Strathmore bantam Reds and guided them to a semifinal appearance during the tier I provincials.
Zone 2 was eliminated from playoff contention following their 8-3 loss to Zone 3 later that evening.
Up until the first pitch of their third game in the tourney, Tanton – one of the Reds’ top arms in the rotation and solid bat in the order – had yet to see any playing time.
On a roster dominated by Okotoks Junior Dawgs players – 11 of the 15 Zone 2 players came from the Dawgs team – Tanton hadn’t seen the field yet.
“These tournaments can be tough to get guys in sometimes. We planned to get him in earlier, but we had filled his spot with other players in the lineup,” said Zone 2 head coach Jason Makarus, who has two sons in the Dawgs program. “I was extremely impressed with his positivity, his attitude and work ethic. We recognized that our third game provided him a chance to get in the game and he didn’t disappoint.”
Whenever Tanton wasn’t shutting down the opposition from the bump this year, he was stationed at the hot corner. It’s the same spot where he became a productive player with Zone 2.
“It took a few practice throws to get used to the longer distance, but after that I was good,” said Tanton.
Tanton says he picked up the positive attitude and work ethic from his father, Jason, who was the Reds head coach this past season.
“I knew I still had a role on the team even though I was on the bench,” said Colby. “I was trying to keep everyone else positive and not let them get down on themselves. I knew I would get my chance, so there was no point in getting down on myself because it could have affected the team.”
Also affected by playing with triple-A competition was Zarowny, who was typically the go-to option for Jason behind the plate this season.
Out of 28 possible defensive innings, Zarowny only saw time behind the dish in seven of them. The rest, he was stationed at shortstop and third base – a position he had no familiarity with.
“They were new positions for me. I think I only made two errors, but made a lot of plays on ground balls after that,” said Zarowny, who played in the Alberta Summer Games as a 14-year-old last year.
“He’s a great athlete and you can stick him anywhere on the field. His ball IQ and sense for how balls bounce from his time behind the plate really helped him out at shortstop this weekend,” said Makarus.
The players returned home Aug. 20, glad that they were selected to participate in the tournament.
“Any time you can go out and play against some of the top competition in the province is always a good opportunity,” said Zarowny.