With a strong contingent of Virden area contributors, the U15 Westman Magic placed in the top eight at the AAA national fast pitch tournament.
The team was led by coach Joel Charles of Virden and included area players Kendall Charles, Alexa Banga and Presley Hodson. The squad earned its berth to U15 nationals in Saskatoon by winning the provincial tournament.
“Playing against the best competition from all around the country was an honour,” Hodson said of nationals. “I loved how I got the opportunity to play against the best teams in Canada.
“It was an unforgettable experience being able to be with my teammates throughout the week and especially taking part in the opening ceremonies.
“Once you get a taste of playing at that level, it makes you want to strive to be the best
“Just the memories for my coaches, my teammates, myself, and my parents during the tournament is something I will always cherish.”
The Westman Magic went 5-3 at the 21-team national tournament. The team acquitted itself well against stiff competition.
“We had harder competition at nationals, which made the game more enjoyable as most teams were evenly matched,” Kendall Charles said. “I enjoyed playing defence against the strong hitting teams as you always had to be on your toes and had more opportunities to make plays. Playing with my friends made nationals a greater experience as we worked together as one big family to get there.”
During a long softball summer, the local Magic players were pleased to have the unrelenting support of their families.
“My family was very supportive and helpful during my ball season,” Banga said. “They always got me the extra practice and gave me lots of encouragement. At nationals, I had over 30 extended family members there. It made me a little bit nervous, but I am very thankful they were all there cheering me and my team on.”
Presley Hodson
Hodson is the daughter of Lindsey and Jamie Hodson. At nationals, she threw 7.1 innings for the Magic. As well, Hodson batted .364 in Saskatoon with eight runs batted in, fourth on the team.
“Presley was one of our younger players and was thrust into pitching some big innings and was put into some pressure situations for our club when we were battling some injuries and being shorthanded at times and handled it very well,” Joel Charles said. “Presley continues to work very hard and puts the extra time in to improve and it shows, great teammate and always willing to put her team first and you can’t ask for anything more than that. She is developing into a dominate pitcher in her age group and swings a good bat.”
Alexa Banga
Banga, the daughter of Darin and Nicky, played catcher for the Magic. She had four RBIs at nationals.
“Alexa carried the load behind the plate for us when again the injury bug hit us,” Coach Charles said. “She’s developing into a very good catcher and puts the work in behind the scenes to get better and it shows. She provided some big innings catching for us and was hitting the ball well, another team first player and continues to develop into a very strong player in her age group.”
Kendall Charles
The daughter of Joel and Dori Charles played various positions for Westman. She drove in three runs in Saskatoon.
“Kendall is a hard worker and was a very versatile player for our club again when we were battling some injuries, at times being put into three to four different positions on any given weekend which isn’t easy to do at the AAA level and doing tasks that helped her team out without hesitation and putting her team’s needs first,” Joel Charles said. “She provided strong defence whether it was as an infielder, outfielder or going behind the plate and provided help offensively with her hitting.”
