Posts in Sandlots
McFarland: Cascades claim CCBC crown

“Thirteen has become a lucky number for the University of Fraser Valley Cascades in their quest for Canadian College Baseball conference supremacy.

On the way to their first title in 2019, they lost their first game of the final tournament before running the table which ended with a 13-hit performance and a 13-2 win over the Okanagan College Coyotes.”

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SandlotsJoe McFarland
McFarland: Melville's Houston has no problem in first college season

“What do you do when a former Major League Baseball player tells you to check out a young high school prospect?

Moose Jaw Miller Express coach Eric Marriott did what any sensible human would do: listen.

In this case, it was Marriott’s pitching coach and former Detroit Tigers hurler Dustin Molleken who was singing the praises of Nathan Houston.

The Melville teenager signed on with the Miller Express as an affiliate player in 2023, and Marriott says he fit right in.”

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McFarland: Oudie-Senger looking forward to third summer with hometown Regina Red Sox

“Zander Oudie-Senger will never say “no” to signing an autograph for a young fan around Currie Field.

After all, it wasn’t that long ago that the Regina Red Sox pitcher was a kid with a Sharpie and a baseball in hand, hoping to get his favourite players to do the same.

Not only was he a regular to games with his Nana, but Oudie-Senger’s family also billeted several players over the years.

“Each player that came into our house felt like an older brother,” he told Saskatchewan Dugout Stories. “All of those guys have shed light into our family and I couldn’t be more grateful for each of them.”

Now entering his third season with the hometown team, the 21-year-old will be a veteran presence on a team looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2023.”

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Verge: Ex-Jay Snider sharing experiences to be mental health advocate in youth sports

“Alone in a hotel room, with no screaming crowd and bright lights to distract him from his own mind, Travis Snider spirals.

The Toronto Blue Jays outfielder is struggling at the plate, with his self worth, and with unhealed childhood trauma that he’s tried to repress.

“I still never got to the point of grieving, of processing these emotions to where I could just let go of it and go play the game,” Snider said. “I was always carrying that baggage with me.”

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