A Miniota father-son duo played a part in the Midwest U15 boys baseball team’s success this summer.
Trevor Lewis coached the squad, while his and wife Marcie’s son Aiden contributed in various roles as a player. Last weekend the team posted a 2-2 record at the U15 AA Western Canada Baseball Championships in Estevan.
“Our team worked so hard together to get to that point and having the successes we did … Although our goal was to go there and win, we were relaxed, had fun and enjoyed the experience,” Aiden said. “It’s not always do you get the chance to go to Westerns so we wanted to make sure we enjoyed it.”
Midwest earned its berth to Westerns by winning the U15 AAA Tier II provincial title in Brandon. The team beat the Red River Pioneers, 13-1, in the provincial title game. Aiden drove in four runs in that contest.
“In terms of his strengths, he is a strong hitter, has very good baseball sense and was one of the leaders on the team. When he was fielding, he was also a solid player regardless of where he played,” his coach said.
During the season, Aiden usually caught or played third. The versatile player also saw some time on the mound and occasionally was used at first base. Aiden sustained a throwing arm injury while playing for Miniota at the A provincials. That caused him to be used as an extra hitter for Midwest from that point on. At Western Canadians, he was also able to play some first base.
Of the calibre of play in Estevan, Aiden said, “It was good ball and everyone had a good team. We had to play well to be successful.”
Midwest fell in its first game, 9-8, to Stettler. It rebounded for a 7-5 victory over Weyburn. Midwest then won by the mercy rule, 14-2, over the South Island Royals. Aiden had a grand slam. The team dropped its final game 8-7 to the hosts with Estevan prevailing in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“I was pleased with everything this group did really,” Trevor said. “They were a class act on and off the field, they played so hard and did everything that was asked of them. They were also extremely resilient all weekend. If something didn’t go in our favour or we had a bad inning or something like that, they kept fighting and responded in a positive way. That was the character of this team all year really and it continued this weekend.”
The team drew players from all around the Midwest league. Other than Miniota, players hailed from Hamiota, Forrest, Douglas, Rossburn, Inglis, Erickson, Roblin and McCreary. The squad also picked up a player each from Baldur and Brandon.
