The Southside Slammers U16 girls softball team had a bit of time between their sucess at provincials and their chance to go to nationals.
So coaches for the team set up a pair of exhibition weekends against the WestMan Magic out of Brandon in the weeks between the games. The Slammers, made up of players from the Southeast, won both games played Sunday at Pleasantdale, 12-0 and 12-9 but the scores weren't as important as maintaining their sharp play which led them to earn a spot at nationals.
“WestMan, is in the same situation as us,” said Trent Walter. “They're hosting Westerns so they need games too. We connected with them so it works well for both teams. We're getting that live action. It's key to keep things rolling as we head towards nationals. It keeps the girls playing at a high level.”
The Slammers earned a spot at nationals Aug. 9-13 at Delta, B.C. when they placed fourth at provincials earlier this month in Regina. The team focussed on situational hitting and some of the other aspects of their game including bunting, stealing bases and the mental aspects of softball.
“We tried some different things,” Walter said. “We had some different players in new positions and we also manufactured runs. We played some small ball today, which we kind of struggled with during the year. A lot of those type games at nationals, you're going to need to move a runner from first to third and squeeze to just maybe pull out a win. That's why we were working on such a small side of the game.”
Walter feels that if the Slammers can get runners in good positions for the key hitters at the plate, they'll be better served by the stiff competition at nationals.
“A lot of our game is speed,” he said. “We have a lot of girls who can run. We can go first to third on bunts, we can steal bases and get girls into scoring position.”
The team's ability to stay sharp in situations will be key at nationals, as will the ability to stay focussed when the games are threatening to get out of hand on the scoreboard, like their first game last week. While they could have let their feet off the gas pedal, the Slammers continued to score runs until they game was in mercy rule, which is important if suddenly the pitching stops being consistent.
The schedule for nationals hasn't been released yet.
