Boland at the recent 2012 Senior Men's Canadian Championship in Fredericton, NB. (Photo Credit - Karen Brown-Gosse)
In the span of 21 days from August 12-September 2, Shane Boland of the Goulds accomplished what is believed to be a first in Canadian Fastpitch History. Boland won three major championships and played a big part in each one.
First, on August 12th, Boland and his Kelly's Pub Junior Canadians captured the gold medal at the 2012 Junior Men's Canadian Championship in Owen Sound, Ontario. Boland was named top player of the Championship Round, batting .444 with 1HR and 3 RBI in three playoff games. In the round robin, he batted an amazing .467 over 8 games, driving in 8 runs along with drawing 8 more walks.
The next weekend, Boland was at it again in Midland, Michigan, this time winning the grand-daddy of annual fastpitch tournaments, the ISC World Club Team Championship with the Jarvis Travelers of Jarvis, Ontario. Coming off a tournament where he was a man among boys, Boland was instantly a boy among men, playing alongside members of the Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and American Senior Men's National teams. That didn't slow him down though as he appeared in more than half of his team's games as a pinch runner, outfielder, and pinch hitter. His final stats were a batting average of .167 with 2 runs scored, a stolen base, and a walk. Not a bad debut on the world scene!
Finally, Boland teamed up with the top players this province has to offer to compete at the 2012 National Senior Men's Championships in Fredericton, NB from August 28-September 2. Again, a junior aged player playing with a team laden with National Team talent, Boland was a key contributor batting .455 with 3 HR and 5 RBI.
Abby's Sports caught up with Shane Boland this week to find out the young superstar's take on it all: "It's pretty surreal to me right now to be honest. When we started training back in January, my main goal was to keep getting better and, of course, you always want to win every competition you enter. But to actually do it? I'm still in awe of this season," said Boland.
After struggling to begin the season in the St. John's Senior Men's League, the Kelly's Pub team seemed to put it together at the right time in Owen Sound. "We went there with a team with good pitching and hitting. We got in a few battles and had to dig deep to pull out some of those games. It really brought us together as a team and helped us come through it in the end," said Boland whose junior eligibility finally expires this season.
When asked about playing with the Travelers, Boland's youthful exuberance came through. "Playing with Jarvis on the world stage all year was just insane. You have to be at the top of your game every time you step on the field. It's really tough mentally and physically, but it was an amazing experience and I can't wait for next year already."
The cherry on the cake, so to speak, was the Senior Men's Championship in Fredericton. "It was unreal to be a part of that group that was finally able to bring home a gold medal for Newfoundland," added Boland, "We had come so close in the last few years it was a good feeling to get the monkey off our backs. I'm grateful to the guys for giving me the opportunity to play a part."
Boland has had quite the softball experience this summer and said he's learned one thing, "no matter what the stakes or where you are playing, have fun. The second you're not having fun, it isn't worth your time."
So what's next for the 20 year old from the Goulds? "My ultimate goal is to wear the red and white for Team Canada. That has always been my dream and I will work hard, strive to get better, and hopefully one day represent Canada at the ISF (International Softball Federation) Tournament."
From what we have seen from him so far, it should only be a matter of time before that dream becomes a reality.
