Building back the baseball ranks in Whitecourt, one tournament at a time

The Whitecourt Slo-Pitch Association is looking to grow its membership in a big way. The group has
dwindled over the years, leaving players unable to fulfill the season as they would like. For player Brian
Hatch, it’s hard to watch. “When I moved here fifteen years ago, there were 34 teams. This year there
were eleven.”
A small number of teams meant a shortened season. “The season usually runs three months, May
through July, with playoffs at the end of July. This season ended at the beginning of July with no
playoffs,” said Hatch. When asked why he thought the player numbers had gone down, Hatch said
COVID didn’t help as many people picked up different hobbies, like golf, and haven’t returned to the
diamond.
As a whole, slo-pitch is a popular sport provincially. “It’s a huge thing in Alberta. In the cities, there are
96 teams in each league. In Grande Prairie, there are 250 teams,” he said. Hatch said he enjoys slo-pitch
because it’s easier to hit the ball and it’s easier on the body to play when compared to fastball. “You
don’t want to get hit by a ball from a pitcher doing 60 or 80 miles per hour.” He said the lower risk of
injury is a bonus.
The main issue now is building the league back up to where it once was and not worrying about having a
shortened season again. Hatch said they are trying to build it up by holding several tournaments each
season. “We hope these tournaments will help bring more local people to the sport. They might want to
play but don’t like travelling, so the more tournaments we do here, the better. Also, we hope people
who used to play will come out and watch and maybe decide to get back into it.”
The 2nd Annual Whitecourt Classic is one of the tournaments Hatch said they hope entices the masses
back into the dugout. “We are going to have 32 teams here for the tournament this weekend.” As one of
the most centralized locations between Edmonton and Grande Prairie, Whitecourt has the advantage of
bringing teams in from around central Alberta for weekend events without having to drive too far.
Food will be on-site, games, beer gardens and great action to cheer on. “We are going to try and do
eight games Friday night (August 11), and then we will likely be using all six diamonds all day Saturday
(August 12). Then we will start playoffs Saturday night, and on Sunday, we hope to be done by 4 pm.”
Another way to grow the sport is through younger ages playing it and growing up loving the game.
Hatch said Whitecourt Minor Baseball recently advertised about starting a slow-pitch league for youth
with a tentative start date next season. Teens interested in slo-pitch can join the association as young as
14, provided they have parental consent. “It would be nice to have 30 teams again. Hopefully, we can
get more people in next season.”
On Thursday last week, over twenty league members got together for a Glove Toss evening at Graham
Acres. With a shortened season, many people weren’t ready to call it done and wanted more
opportunities to play. Thursday was the second time since the season ended that a make-shift night of
baseball was put on. “We will keep it going as long as people are having fun and want to continue,” said
Hatch.

For Ashley Johnston, baseball has been in her life since she was a young child. Over the last eight years,
she has become more competitive with her play, travelling to tournaments with her Smokin’ Bases
teammates. I love smashing a ball. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a vibe to hang out with the crowd and play with
friends. It’s a good bunch of people around here in the league.” She encouraged anyone interested to
give it a go. “We have a good mix. It ranges from competitive players to first-timers just starting and
learning the sport and everyone in between them. Our main goal is trying to get people back out. Even if
you’ve never played before, come out and try it and see if you like it. We don’t care if you’ve played
before or not. We want to get more people out to play because it’s better when you have more people.”
With only thirteen players needed per team, it’s easy for friends and family to come up with a name and
join next year’s league play. Those interested in joining the Whitecourt Slo-Pitch Association are
encouraged to join the Facebook page.