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Fielding errors end season for Virden Oilers

“We finally started hitting the ball a little bit and we had a few mental lapses which cost us the game,” is how player/co-manager Des Koop summed up the Virden Oilers exit from the South West Baseball League playoffs.
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The Virden Oilers hold their final post-game huddle after their season came to an end earlier this week in Oak River.

“We finally started hitting the ball a little bit and we had a few mental lapses which cost us the game,” is how player/co-manager Des Koop summed up the Virden Oilers exit from the South West Baseball League playoffs.

On Monday, July 29 in Oak River they fell 10-7 to the Dodgers, their third loss in the best of five game series. Koop says it was fielding errors – miscatches and poor defensive play – that cost them the game, the series and the season.

Despite the disappointment, there was plenty for the tight-knit Virden team to celebrate.

“The post-game talk was positive because we knocked off the number one seed (Hamiota) in the first round, and we made it further than anyone gave us credit for, going in with a 7 and 8 record.

“Next year, we’re gonna have the same guys come back and hopefully get a better result.” Koop expects to have most if not all his current team return in 2020 including top pitchers Jeff Peel and Curtis Plett.

He also gave a shout-out to the team’s dedicated fans who filled the stands for home games and made a strong showing at away games. “Even on the road, there’s 20 or 25 fans that go along. Some parents, some fans…. It’s just nice to know we have that support when you go on the road.”

So what do athletes do when there’s still some summer left at the end of their ball season?

Golf, says Koop. Almost every member of the team is a weekend warrior on the links so you’ll find them at Oak Island, Wellview or courses further afield.  

Meanwhile, the Oak River Dodgers advance in the SWBL playoffs to take on the Boissevain Centennials in a best of five series starting July 31 with Game Two on August 6 in Oak River.

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