The Moose Jaw Little League Major AAA Miller Express didn’t leave much to chance in the North Regina Little League playoffs last week -- and now they’re turning their focus to what they’ve been building toward for years.
The Express went unbeaten on their way to finishing off the league championship on Monday, June 27, rolling to an 11-3 win over the Regina Storm Chasers. That win capped off an undefeated NRLL campaign that included a 9-2 win over the Storm Chasers in the semifinal and 10-0 victory over the Kiwanis Cubs in their opener.
To say winning the championship trophy was all but anticlimactic might seem a bit overconfident, but it’s essentially a fact -- Moose Jaw was rarely challenged during the regular season as their talent-laden squad rolled to many a double-digit win.
If that all seems like the beginning of a familiar tale, it’s for good reason. The last time a local crew put together this kind of a run, it was the likes of Javin Boynton, Max Simmons, Gerritt Gulutzan, Noah Thul and Nathan Pisio doing the damage, and they’d go all the way to the Canadian Little League Championship tournament.
“We’ve literally been building for this for quite awhile,” said Express head coach Troy Turner. “I’ve been coaching most of these kids since they were seven and eight, and this is the big year because it’s the year we’re trying to get through Canadians. We’ve had a strong core group at this age and we’ve just been practicing and working over the years, and it’s obviously gone well.”
The 12-and-under crew even opted to play in a handful of Baseball Sask 13-and-under tournaments through the spring and ended up with an 11-4-1 record overall, despite duelling older players.
“We’ve done pretty well so that’s helped our confidence quite a bit, too,” Turner said.
The majority of the Millers immediately moved on to the All-Star program after the title win, with a handful of players also having seen winning success in 11-and-under Baseball Sask action last season.
Seeing movement between the two organizing bodies at this age group isn’t unusual given what the Moose Jaw All Stars will be shooting for -- first a win at provincials, then a Canadian championship and finally, a visit to Williamsport, Penn. in mid-August.
“It’s the mecca for 12-year-old baseball, everyone wants to have a chance to play at the World Series,” Turner said. “It’s what we’ve been working towards, and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can do.”
The All Stars have wasted little time getting to work, too. Their first practice was the day after the Major Miller Express won their title, they were back on the field for one more run-through the next day and are in Calgary this weekend to take on many of the potential challengers they’ll be up against should they get to Canadians.
“It’ll be a good test, it’s a 10-team tournament and most of the teams that’ll be there will have a good shot of representing Alberta and B.C.,” Turner said. “So if we can do well there that’s a really good sign.”
Provincials run from July 22-24 in Regina, followed by Canadians Aug 4-13 in Calgary. A tournament win there, and it’s off to the World Series, Aug. 17-28 in Williamsport.
