Strathmore Reds to host provincials for 2nd year running

Posted on: Staff Writer

From edition: July 27 2022 Strathmore Times

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Reds Baseball team will be hosting the Baseball Alberta Provincial Tournament once again this year at the U15 level. Tier One teams will be playing in Strathmore from July 29-31 for the provincial title, starting with a round robin of the top eight teams in the province.

John Watson Photo

Strathmore is once again going to be hosting the U15AA Tier 1 Baseball Alberta Provincial Championships July 29-31.

Jeff Bodie, coach of the 15U Strathmore Reds, said it’s exciting to be the hosting town for provincials two years in a row, especially given that the Reds also get to compete in the tournament again this season.

“Anytime you can host and showcase your program and your community, it’s a good thing,” said Bodie. “The season has been going well, we’ve won quite a few games this season. We’re hosting the AA Tier 1 provincials, so I’m really proud of the kids for working hard and getting to this point.”

The local Tier 5 team hosted provincials in Strathmore in 2021, and this year the Tier 1 team has their chance to step up to bat. The Strathmore Reds are currently ranked seventh in the season bracket coming into the provincial tournament.

As is standard practice, the provincial tournament will consist of eight teams broken down into two pools of four. Each pool will play out a round-robin to decide which teams advance to the semi-finals.

Bodie said he feels his team is well balanced coming into provincials and is confident that any of his players can fill any position they may need to.

“We’ve pitched really well, and we’ve got a lot of kids who can throw really well for us, so that’s definitely helped. I would say that’s probably our strongest point,” said Bodie.  “We are going to do the best that we can. We are going to play hard and at the end of the day, that’s all you can do.”

Leading up to the provincial tournament, the Reds have been focused on game situation play and preparing for a variety of different scenarios they might be faced with throughout the tournament.

Ultimately, Bodie said regardless of what happens, the priority is for the boys to come out, play their best, and have fun doing so. 

“I’m excited for the kids to go and have a good weekend of baseball,” said Bodie. “Anytime you can play at a high level is fun.”

The 2022 Baseball Alberta Provincial Championships will kick off on July 29 and will be on the fields until the 31. 

The Strathmore Reds are scheduled to play at 9 a.m. on July 29, at noon and at 3 p.m. on July 30. If they succeed in their round robin, they will play again on the 31.