Jets win home tournament

Times Photo by Meg Noguchi. UP IN THE AIR: The Vauxhall Academy of Baseball Jets were at home over the weekend to play host at their Haven Agencies Tournament at Jets Stadium.

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times

After plenty of road tournaments to start the spring, the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball Jets were at home this past weekend to play host at their Haven Agencies Tournament. Looking to continue their momentum from the previous weekend, the Jets were also looking to see improvements in all facets as the spring season rapidly approaches its end. 

The tournament kicked off for VAB on Thursday evening when they hosted the Lethbridge Elks. In a game that went down to the wire, VAB saw Lethbridge take a late lead in the top of the seventh. Despite putting two base runners on, the Jets were unable to mount a comeback as they fell 3-2 in the opener. The Jets had four hits in the game, including Alex Laurence’s two, which included a double. Rogan Rivard and Jaxon George had the other two VAB hits. Aiden Sloan got the ball to start the game, and he gave the Jets four innings, allowing two runs (one earned), on three hits and three walks. The right-hander also struck out nine batters. Kaleb Bozek threw the final three innings and allowed one earned run over five hits while striking out four Elks’ hitters.

“ We came out on Thursday night really flat. Credit to the Lethbridge Elks, you know, we came out flat, and they pitched it well, and we weren’t ready to play. We pressed late in the game, and by the time we were pressing, it was over. Your backs are against the wall, and basically you have to run the table to get in,” stated Les McTavish, head coach of the Jets. 

The loss was a bit of an eye opener for VAB as they started off on the wrong foot. The coaching staff was quick to address the mistakes made and get everyone to turn the page as they went into the final two round-robin games.

“I think my message was pretty firm to them. We’ll take ownership as coaches, you know, we gotta do a better job of being ready and prepared on a Thursday night game like that. At the end of the day, the players play the game, but as coaching staff, I think we could have had them better prepared on Thursday night. Typically, we take care of that Thursday night game against the Elks, and obviously we didn’t that night, and full credit to the Elks,” continued McTavish. “They played really well — they pitched it really well and they beat us straight up. It wasn’t that we played poorly; they played well, and I think we were pretty flat. Our message was pretty firm to the boys, but credit to the players and the leadership group in the locker room.”

The early loss wasn’t ideal for VAB, but they came back the following day looking to get into the win column when they faced off against the AHP Renegades. It was another close game, and the Jets were staring down a tie game after allowing four runs in the top half of the seventh inning. VAB was able to load the bases, and thanks to a Renegades error, the Jets took the game 9-8. Both teams had their fair share of hits as the Renegades had 11 while VAB had 10. Callum Thomson led the way with three hits, including a two-run home run. Laurence, Matt Getz, and Graham Thiessen each had two hits, and Noah McIntosh had one. Sheamus Ryan was the starting pitcher for Vauxhall and went six innings, where he allowed five runs (four earned) over nine hits and no walks. He also struck out six batters over his six innings of work. Kaden Coldwell pitched the final inning and surrendered three earned runs on two hits and a walk, while also striking out one batter. 

“We had two tough competition teams in AHP and Webber. The boys came out and credit to the group — they came out ready to play Friday night. We had a 7-2 lead and they came back, tied it up 7-7 in the seventh, and we walked it off in the bottom of the seventh,” said McTavish.

In the final round-robin game, the Jets took on the Webber Academy Wildcats. Thanks to a big eight-run second inning, the Jets were able to win 12-7. Laurence and Kaz Harris each had two hits as VAB amassed 10 runs over six innings of play. Thomson and McIntosh each hit a home run while Ben Simmons and Jacob Austin had a double each. Rivard and Getz had a hit each en route to the win. Calum Andersen started on the mound and went three innings, where he allowed seven runs (five earned) over eight hits and two walks. The right-hander struck out two batters. Carter Bevans finished the game with four solid innings as he walked three but struck out eight batters.

“And then Saturday night, you know, we played Webber. There’s a big crowd at your home tournament, and the boys came really ready to play,” explained McTavish.

In the semi-finals, VAB took on the 19U Gulls Prep while the Lethbridge Elks played the AHP Renegades. The Jets got off to a fast start in their game, and they poured it on as they beat the Gulls 12-4. The Jets had another nine hits, and Simmons led the way with three hits, including a three-run home run in the first inning. Thomson had two hits, while Laurence, Getz, Austin, and Langdyn Cummins all contributed with a hit. Thiessen got the ball to start and held the Gulls in check with 11 strikeouts over six innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) and walked a pair. Charlie McMillan pitched the final inning, where he struck out one and allowed an unearned run on one hit.

“We came out in the semis, Graham Thiessen started on the mound and was really, really good. And then we just kind of rolled — I’m really proud of the group. After losing Thursday night, I mean, you win two good ball games, Friday and Saturday,” added McTavish.

After the Renegades took down the Elks on the other side of the bracket, VAB and AHP rematched with the banner on the line on a brutal weather day. This time, the Jets’ offence was full throttle from start to finish, and they received solid pitching en route to a 13-2 win in the final. Overall, the Jets had seven hits, including doubles from Simmons and Austin. Thomson, Getz, Cummins, Thiessen, and McIntosh all had a hit. Cedric LeBlanc pitched the first three innings, where he only allowed two hits, an earned run and two walks while striking out three. Coldwell pitched the final two innings with a single strikeout and one unearned run on two hits. 

“Sunday’s cold, rainy, windy, and it’s just like our group embraced the elements. They were happy being dirty in their cleats and slipping all over. I was proud of the group, especially on Sunday, you know, when the elements aren’t good. It was a game of whoever was going to make the least amount of mistakes. Both the Gulls and AHP made a few mistakes, and we made them pay — we limited our mistakes. I guess that’s baseball sometimes,” stated McTavish.

The Jets now prepare for their final tournament of the spring season as they head to Missoula this weekend for their Memorial Day Tournament. 

“We certainly want to keep it rolling. I think our message is pretty clear — just take it all in and embrace the last few days together as a group. You’re only in high school one time — don’t take anything for granted —  just go enjoy yourself. Play hard and enjoy your teammates and enjoy competing with one another — I think that’s the key to it all, and I fully anticipate we will. Missoula’s a great tournament, they put on a good event and we’re certainly looking forward to it,” said McTavish.

And with the season nearly complete, the coaching staff is happy with the strides that the players have taken. Whether it be at the plate, defensively or on the mound, all the coaches have been happy with how players have progressed after the winter months and into the spring. 

“I think the whole group’s really taken a good step forward. On the offensive side, I would say Cal Thomson — he’s been our leader and catalyst in a lot of fronts. He leads us in just about every offensive category. It’s hard to single out certain players, but Rogan Rivard, who’s a tenth grader, he’s our youngest position player, and he single-handedly carried us through a few games this year. We knew he was a really good player, but I think he’s even a better player than we anticipated. His competitive nature is through the roof,” explained McTavish. “On the pitching front, I think, you know, a couple of guys come to mind, but for sure, Sheamus Ryan — every time out, he gives you a quality start. He didn’t allow a run for five starts in a row, so it’s tough to ever say somebody else besides Sheamus.” 

The Jets kick things off on May 24 with games against the Bozeman Bucks and Badlands Academy.