Sweeney: Plenty of practice as Newfoundland & Labrador prep to host Canada Games

March 23, 2025

The Growth of Baseball in Newfoundland & Labrador Ahead of the 2025 Canada Games

By Ryan Sweeney

Premier Sports Academy

In 2017, a vision began to take shape: to elevate development across Newfoundland and Labrador. By 2019, that vision became more defined—with a focus on preparing for the 2025 Canada Summer Games, the first Summer Games to be hosted in the province since 1977.

The fall of 2019 marked the launch of Premier Sports Academy (PSA), Newfoundland and Labrador’s first year-round training facility, built to support long-term athlete development and performance.

Now, with the final roster set and the Games fast approaching, the community can look back on five transformative years of growth, collaboration, and competitive progress.

Establishing Year-Round Development

In the fall of 2020, PSA implemented its Development Program—a structured initiative that has since produced 12 university and college commitments and two athletes involved with Baseball Canada’s National Program.

By the fall of 2021, Baseball NL’s high-performance Provincial program began regular athlete identification, development, and earlier roster selection for future national competition.

Terra Nova’s Will Parsons (Portugal Cove-St. Phillips, Nfld.) is headed to the UBC Thunderbirds.

Ambidextrous Will Parsons (Portugal Cove-St. Phillips) is going to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, C Kieran Cutler (Paradise) is headed to the McCook Community College Indians, while RHP Luke Hatcher (Conception Bay South) and Graham Noseworthy (Paradise) are headed to the Prairie Baseball Academy in Lethbridge, Alta.

Building a Foundation for Success

In August 2022, the Canada Games coaching staff was finalized. The team was led by head coach Kevin Higgins (Corner Brook) and assistant coaches Aaron Flood (Corner Brook) and myself (Mount Pearl).

Together, the staff designed and implemented a comprehensive three-year plan to prepare a core group of athletes to compete at the highest level in 2025.

A key part of the program extended beyond traditional player development. The team placed a strong emphasis on cohesion, consistent high-level competition, and fostering athlete independence and maturity. Over the course of the program, the group took three trips to Quebec, two to Nova Scotia, two to Florida and one to Alberta. Most players in the program spent more than two months out of province competing over the last three years. In total, they played over 70 games and logged nearly 500 hours of training—more than any previous Newfoundland and Labrador Canada Games team had ever undertaken.

Year 1: Experience and Expectations

The program, under the umbrella of Baseball Newfoundland’s high-performance initiative in Year 1, began its tryout and selection process in the fall of 2022.

In 2023, the group’s first test came at the 15U Nationals, the Ray Carter Cup in Laval, Que. Leading into the event, the team completed weekly practices and competed in a four-game series against Newfoundland’s 18U Provincial Team. Arriving in Quebec four days early — a theme that would remain part of their approach for all future travel — the team held multiple practices and played two 10-inning exhibition games against Team Quebec and the host city of Laval.

The expectation from the coaching staff was clear: regardless of the outcome, a competitive showing was mandatory.

At the event, the team responded to the pressure, posting a 2-3 round-robin record and narrowly missing out on pivotal victories, including a 2-1 loss to Alberta and a 3-2 loss to Nova Scotia.

Terra Nova assistant coach Ryan Sweeney (Mount Pearl), left, head coach Kevin Higgins (Corner Brook) and assistant Aaron Flood ( (Corner Brook) address their troops.

Year 2: A Summer of Growth & Competition

Coming off their first season together, another round of open tryouts was held in September 2023. With an expanded group of approximately 30 athletes and the lessons learned in Year 1, weekly team training resumed, culminating in a March 2024 trip to Florida for a 10-day development tour that included training and competition against elite U.S. academy programs. For many players, it was their first experience facing top-tier American talent.

Upon returning from Florida, the group was reduced to 24 participants.

The summer of 2024 proved pivotal. The team entered the St. John’s Amateur Association’s senior league and played 14 regular-season games—providing valuable experience against older, more physical competition.

There was not a 16U national championship so the staff divided responsibilities across 15U and 17U teams to continue athlete development. Higgins and Flood led the 17U squad, while I served as Team Chef and later head coach of the 15U group.

The 17U team traveled to Fort McMurray, Alta., for early games and practices ahead of the Canada Cup at Legacy Dodge Field. Despite the youngest roster in the tournament—including four 15-year-olds and seven 16-year-olds—the team remained competitive. Highlights included a 3-1 loss to eventual bronze medalists Manitoba, a win over New Brunswick, and a walk-off defeat in the placement game.

A total of 15 players from the Canada Games program took part in Fort McMurray that summer.

Immediately afterward, 14 players from that roster and the Canada Games Program — joined by Higgins, Flood and myself — returned home to host the 18U Nationals. The team didn’t have any 18-year-olds and only four 17-year-olds. After a humbling tournament-opening loss, they rebounded with a win over Manitoba, participated in a dramatic extra-inning Friday night showdown against Team Newfoundland 18U, and closed the tournament by avenging their opening loss to Nova Scotia.

One day later, seven players from the 18U Nationals — nine in total from the Canada Games roster — joined Sweeney in Laval for the 15U Ray Carter Cup. There, they played a thrilling nine-inning exhibition game against Team Quebec. For four athletes, this marked their third national tournament of the summer.

Led by its core Canada Games Program members, the team entered with expectations not strictly to compete — but to contend. The team finished the event atop the leader board in both runs scored and stolen bases and earned two decisive run-rule victories in round-robin play. However, three one-run losses — each time while tied or leading in the seventh inning or later — ultimately derailed their medal hopes. While the final standings were disappointing, the Canada Games Program was encouraged by their ability to consistently compete at the highest level.

Final Selections and Fall Competition

Following the Senior League season and a summer packed with national events, final roster selections were made. With the group now set, the year was closed out with a trip to Dartmouth over Thanksgiving weekend for a regional Canada Games tournament — the Atlantic Cup. Newfoundland and Labrador finished with a 3-2 record, capped by a come-from-behind, walk-off win in the final game — a breakthrough moment that set the tone heading into their last off-season as a program.

Year 3: Sharpening the Edge

The 2024–2025 offseason marked the beginning of final preparations. Players engaged in regular mental performance training with Professor David Hancock, and indoor workloads ramped up with live at-bats against top senior-aged pitchers.

In March, the team returned to Florida for another development tour — eight games and four practices in an 11-day span. Backed by experience and confidence, the group turned in a stronger overall performance than the previous year, including a win in Game 2 and a highly competitive opening match — not bad for being on the field for the first time in five months.

Back home, training resumed. Mental, physical, and skill-based work intensified for the season ahead.

The Close

As the program prepares to move outdoors, the final pieces are now in place. For a second straight summer, they’ll compete in the Senior league. In July, they’ll travel to Nova Scotia and Rivière-du-Loup, Que., before finishing with a week-long training camp at home — squaring off against local Senior and Junior All-Star competition — before entering the Memorial University Canada Games Athlete Village on Aug. 8, 2025.

Final Remarks

“The past three years have been a focused effort to prepare our players for what may be the most memorable moment of their lives — a rare chance to compete at the Canada Games on home soil. Having experienced five Games in various capacities, including covering the 1999 Winter Games in Corner Brook as a journalist, I know the pride that comes with a Games at home. Now, our players get to showcase their skills in front of family, friends, and thousands of supporters — an experience few athletes ever get. Thanks to the unwavering commitment of both players and coaches, this team will be among the most prepared teams Newfoundland & Labrador has ever fielded. On Aug. 10, they’ll be ready—and it will be something special to witness.” _ Kevin Higgins

“I’ve experienced the Canada Games as an athlete, mission staff member and games coordinator. What stands out most is the spirit of the Games and the lifelong memories and friendships. From growing up idolizing my father (Ed) and his involvement, chasing my own athletic goals, and cheering on my younger brothers as they competed, the Games have been a source of inspiration. Now, as a coach, my goal is to ensure my athletes have an amazing experience that leaves a lasting impact on and off the field. I am extremely proud of this group of athletes and my fellow coaches for the tremendous amount of hard work, dedication, and commitment shown throughout this three-year process. Through all the practices, mental training, trips, and competitions, the experience has surpassed expectations thus far. I am looking forward to participating in the Games and am even more excited for my athletes to experience what’s to come!” _ Aaron Flood

Personally for me, I think Opening Premier Sports Academy, beginning year-round high-level development programs, and coaching the Canada Games team has been a goal of mine since 2019. My personal six-year journey has been both extremely challenging and rewarding. The three-year process and the significant commitment of time and resources to follow the plan we put in place as a coaching staff nearly three years ago has been eye-opening for our players and families. The work is done; they player know the schedule; they know the teams. Now it’s about performing on the biggest stage — in front of our home crowd. This is a moment it feels like I’ve waited a lifetime for since my Canada Games experience as a player in 2005. I know our kids are ready for the final challenge and to cap off this remarkable journey on a high note.