ST. PAUL – The St. Paul Storm hosted the Lakeland League games on May 27 and 28, hosting over 50 U15 softball and 9U baseball games. The teams came from throughout Lakeland and beyond.
Chris Moser, who helped organize the 9U games and a St. Paul Minor Ball board member, said that traditionally, the Lakeland League games were played throughout the weekdays. To minimize travel during the week, the games were hosted over the course of two days.
9U Baseball
For 9U, the scores were not tracked, according to Moser, and the games were played for fun, as well as to develop sportsmanship and skills development for young athletes. He said hosting the league games coincides with St. Paul Minor Ball’s mission mandate, which strives to teach sportsmanship, responsibility, team play, commitment and fair play among others.
“The St. Paul Minor Ball executive and board [aims to] ensure that ball remains a fun program for all players at all ages while building self-esteem,” said Moser.
He then thanked all the volunteers, Town of St. Paul employees, as well as the umpires. Moser reiterated the 53 games that were played in two days was “no small feat,” and would not have been possible without the umpires and volunteers.
He also thanked the Town and St. Paul Regional for providing the diamonds.
U15 Softball
Cory Robinson, who helped organize the U15 Softball, said the results of the round-robin games contribute to the order of team standings for the U15 Softball Year End tournament scheduled in June.
The St. Paul Storm remains undefeated, winning four games over the weekend. The team is currently ranked second in the standings, with seven wins and no losses, according to Robinson. Meanwhile, Vermillion’s Team 1 is ranked first with eight wins and no losses.
The U15 Lakeland teams include Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Elk Point, Lac La Biche, and Saddle Lake. Participating teams from beyond the Lakeland are Kitscoty, Marwayne, Pierceland, Plamondon, two teams from Vermilion, and three teams from Lloydminster.
He also thanked all those involved, as well as the people who came out to watch and gave their support.
Year End Tournaments
The softball year end tournament games will be on June 24 and 25, with the 9U baseball tournament to be held in Pierceland. The U15 softball year end tournament will be in Lac La Biche.
Also, according to information from Lakeland Minor Ball League, other softball year-end tournaments will be in the following locations: U9 in Bonnyville, U11 in St. Paul, U13 in Elk Point.
For baseball, the games will be in the following locations: 11U in Cold Lake, 13U in St. Paul.
