Softball Canada Men’s National Team Camp is being held in Kitchener thisweekend. The camp will include 29 players from across Canada, including 13 fromOntario, all vying for a roster spot on the Men’s team travelling toMexico this fall for the Pan-Am qualifying tournament.
As per my note below, there are a few players from previous teams not attending for various work and injury reasons.
The focus of the camp will be to assess ability on game situations and as such there are 8 inter-squad games scheduled, beginning on Friday night and continuing Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.
In addition to the Men’s Camp, the Ontario Amateur Softball Association and Team Ontario will be conducting a youth evaluation camp at Peter Hallman Ball Yard on Saturday and Sunday. Their camp will also include skills testing and 4 exhibition games.
With National Jr. and Sr. Team coaching staff in town, representatives from both Softball Canada and the OASA, and the best men’s softball players in the country, there will certainly be a great deal of action and interest at the ball yard.
The coaching staff has added a couple newmembers. In addition to Head Coach Mark Smith and assistant Ray Tilley, Marty Kernaghan (ex- of Penn Corp and National Health Care ISC dynasties, and Canadian National Team) has joined the team as a hitting coach and Don Bates from Saskatoon is the new pitching coach. Guest coaches for this camp include John Stuart, head coach with Vancouver Grey Sox, and Bill Horne and Chuck Hendricks, coaching tandem with 2005 National Champions, St.Thomas Evergreen Centennials. I will also be donning a uniform again and coaching one of theteams with John during 8 scheduled inter-squad games.
A number of local players will be in camp including 2006 Hallman Twin members Jody Eidt, Paul Koert, Bill Simmons, DaleLevy, and Chris Shewfelt. Long time National Team members attending will include Ryan Wolfe, Rob Gray, Sean O’Brien, Frank Cox, Darren Box and Gerald Muizelaar.
The coaching staff will arrive and beginmeetings on Wednesday while players will arrive Thursday. Player assessments ,hitting drills and meetings will highlight the day Friday, with inters quadgames beginning Friday evening at 7:00 pm. Games will also be played on Saturday from 5:30 until 10:30 and wrap up with games on Sunday from 1:00 unti l6:00.
Following a closing team meeting early Sunday evening the coaching staff will finish off the camp with a player reviewand assessment meeting, and all personnel will head home on Monday.
Larry Lynch
