ESTEVAN - For the third straight year, Morgan Walter is organizing the Energy City Exposure tournament to showcase talented young softball players in Saskatchewan.
The event will run from June 28-30 at the Pleasantdale Softball Diamonds in Estevan. Skills camps will take place on June 28, and games will happen the next two days. Other highlights include a supper and a panel discussion on June 29, a concession and a 50/50 draw.
Five teams in the U17 age group will be playing. As of Friday afternoon, scouts from five U.S. colleges had committed to come to Estevan for the tournament. Three other schools will be watching games online. More than 60 schools have been contacted about the event, and Walter has created profiles on each athlete.
The Southeast Sun Devils will be joined by two squads from Lumsden and a team from each of Regina and Saskatoon. Each team will play four times during the weekend, but Walter said the emphasis isn't on wins and losses; rather, it's about playing to draw the interest of the scouts.
Last year three players were recruited at the Energy City Exposure, she said, and two more committed to teams during the first year.
"I wouldn't be surprised if this year there's quite a few more that get recruited, because I do know the group of players that are coming to this event really do have high aspirations to play at the college level and have a lot of talent," said Walter.
Six or seven collegiate players – including a couple who played at the Energy City Exposure previously – will be in Estevan to interact with the players during games and off the field.
"We're going to have a little supper and a … panel for our college players to answer some questions from the younger players about what it's like to play at the college level, how they got recruited, and basically it's just an opportunity for the players who are attending our event to grow some relationships with these players who are currently living out their dream," said Walter.
Last year the tournament had U17 and U15 divisions, but after requests from the collegiate coaches, Walter decided to go with just one division.
"At the U15 level, scouts aren't able to view them as much just due to recruitment rules and regulations at the NCAA, so we just decided to keep it all at the U17 level because then the coaches can actually connect with those athletes and actually start communicating with them about the recruitment process," she said.
Walter played her collegiate softball with the West Texas A&M Buffaloes. She completed her undergrad degree, and will be a manager and a student assistant with the team while going back to the school for her master's. She has fond memories of her time with the program.
"I enjoyed every minute of it. I not only grew so much as a softball player, but I grew so much as a person. Ultimately, I just really encourage anyone who thinks they might want to go and play at the college to do it, because that's four years of your life that you'll never get back, and I promise it will be worth it as well if you commit to the recruiting process, find a place that you're meant to be and you love."
