After only one year at the Badlands Baseball Academy in Oyen, Alta., Grade 11 student, Rhett Feser of Unity, has made a name for himself.
In the Badgers' Facebook page newsfeed, reviews on Rhett's performance have been outstanding. "May 19th Rhett Feser was sensational again on the mound in the shutout victory." "May 12th Rhett Feser set the tone on the mound going six strong." "May 11th Rhett Feser came through with the timely RBI single the Badgers needed to secure the victory." "May 5th while Rhett Feser made some spectacular plays over at first base " "Apr. 28th Stellar pitching performance from Rhett Feser who went 6 strong innings." These are only some of the many accolades thrown Rhett's way this season.
Rhett said, "I will be playing Midget AAA with the Saskatoon Cubs this summer. The first year at the academy has been incredible, an experience of a lifetime! It is hard to single out the best thing from the academy; the improvement for me has been off the charts. I've made some great friends that share a common interest. I will be returning to the academy for my senior year.
"Deciding to move from Unity and attend the Badlands Baseball Academy was one of the toughest decisions of my life, but it is turning out to maybe be the best decision I have made. Unity has kept my love of the game alive. The only reason I have ever stepped on a field is because I love this game, baseball is fun, and above all else it is fun! My coaches in Unity always ensured the game was fun when I was a kid. It was never about the wins, it was about playing the most wonderful game in the world with your friends. That is why I stuck with baseball so long."
Rhett doesn't remember any of the big wins as a kid as much as he recalls all the fun they had as a team, developing their baseball skills as well as a love of the game.
Rhett's dad, Dan Feser, proclaims, "The best thing for Lisa and I is to see how happy Rhett is and we are so glad it's working out this well for him. You worry if you did the right thing letting your teenager go and it wasn't an easy decision at the time, however, in hind sight it has all worked out." Dan adds, "We have been fortunate to see many of his games in Oyen, in Vegas, in Edmonton a couple of times and we got to see him pitch a one hitter on Sunday of the long weekend. We sure like to see as many as we can."
If you enjoy baseball and you would like to see a success story from Unity, you can catch one of Feser's games this summer as he participates in the Saskatoon Premiere Baseball League, playing for the Saskatoon Cubs. Log on www.spbl.ca for the schedule.
