UNITY — The talent is clearly there. The Baseball Nationals committee from Stonewall, Man. knew exactly who to contact when looking for a Saskatchewan team at their event, as there hadn’t been one in several years.
Life-long baseball enthusiast, baseball ambassador and baseball coach, former Jr. Cardinals coach, Dan Feser, was approached about bringing the 2022 Junior Cardinals team to their event.
Five Unity players will be part of 22U Team Sask. playing at Baseball Nationals.
“I informed him that our team, in fact, folded this season. Mike Ramage of Baseball Sask reached out and asked if I would be able to assemble a team,” Feser says.
“The caveat was that I had five days to commit. After a conversation with UMB president Regan L’Heureux, we decided we should try. So, we immediately went about securing some pitching and once we had that in place, we informed the host committee and Baseball Sask we were in,” says Feser.
Feser created a Team Sask. roster that includes five Unity-born players — Garin Scherr, pitcher/infield; Tommy Snell, catcher/infield; Skyler Mackie, first base; Easton McLean, pitcher; and Tommy Feser, outfield/infield. Meadow Lake pitcher, Dylan Esau, will also be on the team.
Other team members include Masen Anderson of Maidstone, catcher/outfield; Connor Neave, North Battleford, infield; and Joe Van Lagen, outfield. Six Saskatoon players round out the roster — Parker Frey, Wyatt Ernst, Cody Brown, Kalen Parent, Tobin Issel and Carter Kopp.
Feser said the opportunity to play at a national event wasn’t a tough sell and immediate agreement came from the players who were approached.
“The rest of the roster we added as we went along. With help from Going Yard and friend of UMB, Matt Kosteniuk, and referrals from friends you make over the years, the roster took shape.”
Feser notes Masen Anderson of Maidstone is a college catcher, while Parker Frey and Wyatt Ernst are both college pitchers. Joe Van Lagen plays for Prairie Baseball Academy, and Brown, Parent, Issel and Kopp are all college players. Connor Neave is a well-known NSRBL player. Skyler Mackie is a top hitter in the NSRBL and Tommy Feser brings versatility.
It will be a family affair as PBA pitching coach, Rhett Feser will fill the other half of the coaching team. Rhett was a player in this national event twice during his baseball career.
“The biggest factor in our recruitment for this team was character,” Dan Feser says.
“These young men will be representing the Unity Cardinals program and Baseball Sask, something Rhett, Regan and I have a tremendous amount of pride in, on the Baseball Canada National stage, so character was paramount. These guys love baseball and all were willing to fill any role necessary to play. They are proud to pull on the Baseball Sask cap.”
Feser said there is much to love about this roster as it includes strong starting pitching, two great defensive catchers, strong infield defence as well as good speed and what Feser describes as “real thunder in the line-up,” saying “We didn’t want to go just make an appearance, we want to make a loud impression.”
The 10-team Baseball Canada competition has most provinces represented as either provincial championship teams or like Team Saskatchewan, teams representing their province.
“Preparation is tricky. The players are spread out. We had a camp planned a couple weeks ago but Anderson plays club ball in Alberta as well as NSRBL, Van Lagen coaches youth ball, Snell plays AAA ball and other guys work shift.”
However, Feser feels that with players that are either currently playing NSRBL, city league or putting in extra work at the diamonds in preparation for their Team Sask. appearance, team members will be ready to compete.
In essence, Feser says the first time the team will all be together is on the bus on Aug. 2 travelling to the competition. However, their trip includes a practice stop in Regina on the way and Aug. 4, they go live, opening the event in a game against Ontario.
“As for where this leaves the 22U program in Unity, I cannot predict. The young players have strong roots in the Senior Cards but there are a lot of real good players in the pipeline. There are still only nine spots on the diamond, and we need to keep these guys playing baseball. A number of the players will age out though,” says Feser.
Fans can follow the national event on the website http://22u.baseball.ca/
