There is a possibility that the two Junior Cardinals pitchers could finish their baseball season as national champions.
Ross Stilborn and teammate Logan Calanchie are going to be in for an awful lot of baseball beginning on Aug. 16 when they depart for Ontario.
Both have done the fair bit of travelling for baseball games and now they're in for a little more as the two pitchers from the Alexander's Mens Wear Yorkton Junior Cardinals have been asked to join a Saskatoon based club that won the right to represent the province at the 2011 National Championships of Junior baseball.
"I am super excited to play," says a beaming Stilborn, days before being scheduled to leave with teammate Calanchie. "We are going with a really strong team (the Saskatoon Stallions)."
As the Stallions won first place at the provincial tournament in Yorkton over the last long weekend, the Stallions advance to nationals this year and opted to take the part of the Junior Cardinals' bullpen with them.
"You need a lot of pitchers for nationals," added Calanchie.
The Cardinals found out last Monday that the Stallions were interested in taking both pitchers with them to Windsor, a large city in the southern part of Ontario. There are 5.5 million people living in the city and its surrounding area.
They will even get the chance to take in a Tigers vs Indians game at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit.
Stilborn told Yorkton This Week that both the Cardinals and Stallions are familiar with each other from past tournaments, including the AAA Junior Provincials here in Yorkton last weekend.
Both players were part of the Cardinals team that advanced to nationals last year.
That experience gained last year could wind up helping to make the difference, at least Stilborn thought so.
"I think it will definitely help. Playing that competitive baseball. The crowds will be unreal."
Stilborn added that he won't feel much pressure to do what he can to win; Calanchie suggested that as Junior-level athletes, there will always be a little bit in the back of his mind to do well.
"There is some pressure to perform."
He added that each year, the teams that come usually add to their rosters with players who can compete.
Calanchie said its almost impossible to determine which province(s) will have the best team this year.
"Every year, the teams get better."
The two leave Yorkton together for a flight to Calgary, where they will turn right back around and go east to Ontario.
Stilborn told the paper the night of their SESBL title win that he and Calanchie will be leaving Saskatchewan on Aug. 16.
The tournament this year will be round robin style with two pools of five teams competing at the nationals. Stilborn said two will represent the host province (Ontario), one from Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and one from Manitoba. British Columbia and Nova Scotia will also play.
