BONNYVILLE - The Bonnyville Braves 15U A Tier II boys’ team ended the 2025 season with provincial silver medals after a well-fought battle on their home field.
The Bonnyville team dropped a 19-5 decision to the Provost Pilots in the gold medal game.
Janell Unrau, baseball director for the Bonnyville Minor Ball Association, said winning a provincial medal, especially for a team from a small rural community, is a pretty big deal.
“I think at first the boys felt disappointed to not be going home with a gold medal, especially because the boys knew that they were capable of beating this team, but overall, I think they are pretty proud,” Unrau said.
According to Unrau, the Braves faced off against the Provost Pilots, as well as other teams, during the 15U Tier II provincial tournament, which took place in Bonnyville from July 18-20. The tournament, Unrau explained, featured six teams, that were divided into two pools.
Bonnyville’s pool play started on July 18 at 3 p.m. with a 14-8 win over the Red Deer Rangers.
“They then played 9 a.m. Saturday against the Pilots, in which Bonnyville mercied Provost, ending in a score of 18-8 for the Braves,” she explained.
This win put Bonnyville first in their pool, moving the team to the semifinal game, which played out on July 20 against the Leduc Giants, who ended up second in their pool.
The Braves came out strong and took a commanding lead right away, beating the Giants 17-2 in five innings.
“Undefeated throughout the weekend gave the Braves the best record and resulted in home team advantage against the Provost Pilots for the gold,” she said.
The Pilots, Unrau said, came out ready to play, and took an early six-run lead after two innings. The visiting team won gold in five innings with a final score of 19-5.
Ryan Sabatier, a coach with the Bonnyville Braves 15U Tier II team, said, “Provost was challenging but not out of our league." He felt the score really didn't represent the overall game.
Jodi Parmer, manager of the team, noted that while Bonnyville had beat Provist earlier in the season and in pool play, “their bats were hot and so were their gloves. They came out for the gold, and it showed."
The Bonnyville Braves 15U team did well throughout their season. Earlier in the season, there were two 15U Bonnyville teams that took part in the Lakeland League, with team two finishing first overall in the League, and taking home the championship.
The provincial team, according to Unrau, consisted of many of the same players who played on team two, including Xavian Heyer, Drew Worthman, Keatyn Sabatier, Noah Parmer, Lucas Taylor and Colton Strzepek. These players were joined by Damon Van Iderstine from team one and three players Cold Lake, Jack Hiebert, Everett Fehr, and Ryder Hall.
“As the baseball director, I have so much appreciation for this group, particularly the coaching and managerial staff,” said Unrau.
Regarding the provincial tournament that were held in Bonnyville over the July 18 weekend, Unrau continued by saying that a considerable amount of work goes into hosting an event like this, and she thanked Parmar for taking the lead.
“A lot of time and effort goes on behind the scenes that people just don't see, and she did an amazing job, which resulted in a very successful provincial weekend, and not just because the host team came home with a medal,” said Unrau.
While Bonnyville also has a great AA program, the minor ball association has some amazing athletes throughout all of its divisions.
“I hope that this will encourage more of our house league teams to extend their seasons and attend provincials in the future, at all levels of play,” she said.
