The local squad held their final fundraiser and send-off Monday night at Boston Pizza North, with the event offering the latest example of the support the team has seen since advancing to the Little League Canadian Championship beginning Thursday in Ancaster, Ont.
Between the Sarcan donations, trio of Co-Op barbecues this weekend and just general support from fans and local businesses, many of the All-Stars costs will be covered before the first pitch is even thrown.
“It’s been absolutely phenomenal,” said assistant coach Darryl Pisio, who works with the team alongside head coach Tony Dreger and fellow assistant Pat Simmons. “We can’t believe it, we know Moose Jaw has always supported teams and been fantastic, but this is absolutely over the top, unbelievably crazy. So we’re excited and really thankful for Moose Jaw and what it does.”
The All-Stars have spent the last week preparing for the tournament, which they open against Quebec at 8 a.m. local time Thursday. The game can be watched on CBC.ca.
“On the ball side of things, it’s been really good,” Pisio said of preparations. “We took a few days off after provincials and gave the boys a rest, got the bumps and bruises looked after. They were a little stiff the first day back, but they ramped up really well and Sunday practice was really, really good.
“At this point in time the boys are ready to go, you don’t change swings or anything, all you’re doing is trying to get them ready as much as possible.”
That’s not to say they didn’t put in a bit of work – when you’re playing 12-and-under baseball, there’s always something to improve and refine regardless of how many runs you score or prevent.
“For us, one of the things was making sure our pitching was solid,” Pisio said. “We have a lot of guys who can pitch so we’re just making sure they’re getting their reps. Then of course our batting is always key, there are the three things, hitting, pitching and fielding and we’re solid in all three, but where we really shine is the hitting. So that was good there.”
One thing that’s for certain, the All-Stars are all-in on this whole national championship quest. No ‘just there for the experience’ and no ‘we just want to hope for the best’ – this is a team on a mission to win games and ideally find themselves booking a trip to Williamsport, Penn. in a week’s time.
“You usually only get one chance to play in a Canadian championship or even win a championship, so we’re going there to try to win and we’ll see what happens… you shoot high, that’s your goal,” Pisio said. “If you just say ‘we want to get to the semifinals’ and you get there, then how do you win the championship because you’ve already accomplished your goal.
So our goal is to win it all, that’s what we set out to do. We’ll still be proud of what our boys accomplished no matter what happens, but the goal is to win.”
The All-Stars hit the road on Tuesday and will have a day to settle in before playing their first game Thursday. Here’s their full schedule, with all times local.
All games will be streamed on CBC.ca. and MooseJawToday.com will have daily coverage.
For more information check out the Little League Canadian Championship website
Aug. 1 – Quebec, 8 a.m.
Aug. 2 – Ancaster, 3 p.m.
Aug. 3 – Atlantic, 12 p.m.
Aug. 4 – Rest day
Aug. 5 – Alberta, 9 a.m.
Aug. 6 – British Columbia, 7 a.m.
Aug. 7 – Ontario, 10 a.m.
Aug. 8 – Rain date, tiebreakers
Aug. 9 – Semifinals, 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Aug. 10 – Championship final, 8 a.m.
