march2013

Sting Juniors remembers players, ’93 nationals

March 31, 2013

Sebringville, ON

 

ORIGINAL STORY by Rita Marshall, Mitchell Advocate

 

As most coaches can tell you, having the best players doesn’t mean you’ll have the best team.

It takes the right mix of skill and chemistry for a group of players to become more than the sum of their parts.

The 1993 Sebringville Sting Juniors had that mix, said former manager and head coach Doug Eidt.

“They had 13 guys that all played together for the good,” said Eidt who was coach and manager. “We did everything together.”

Doing everything together included winning the 1993 Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) Junior Eliminations and earning a spot at the 1993 Canadian Jr. Men’s fastball championships in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.

It was the first and only time, so far, that the Juniors made it to nationals.

It’s been 20 year since that nationals’ appearance, and the accomplishments of the ’93 Sting Juniors will be celebrated on Don Scott appreciation night this Saturday, March 30.

Scott played on that Juniors team, along with Jody Eidt, Dale Levy, Greg Vader, Darryl Eidt, Jeff Smith, Jeff Roth, Bentley Murray, Chuck Chessell, Mike Gettler, Brett Long, Bryan Fink, Trent Hilpert and Darrell Simmons. Murray Junker was coach with Doug Eidt, who had begun coaching in 1988.

In 1993 the Juniors won all five games to win the OASA Eliminations. They became one of two Ontario teams to make it to the nationals.

Unfortunately, injuries and a number of tiebreaker games (they played 10 more games than the eventual champions) took their toll on the Sting at the nationals that August.

They came home fifth in the 16-team tournament.

“Everybody played good and we had a great tournament,” a disappointed but proud Doug Eidt told the Advocate in 1993. “We’ll be back next year.”

“We thought we had lots of chances,” remembered Eidt last week, adding that the Sting Juniors kept many of the same players.

Although the Sting Juniors made it to the Ontario Eliminations after ‘93, finishing in the top four until 1996, they never made it back to the nationals.

“It was never the same cohesive group,” Eidt said, adding that many Sebringville players were picked up by other teams after the Sting’s impressive 1993 performance.

By 1997 a lot of players had moved on to the men’s leagues. Levy and Jody Eidt, as well as Sebringville player Ron White, went on to play in the International Softball Federation (ISF) for Canada’s national team.

Eidt, Levy and White’s accomplishments will also be celebrated at the March 30 event.

“We had good coaches and a good minor system,” said Doug Eidt when asked why Sebringville was an important fastball centre.

“Now ball is coming back in Sebringville,” he said. “It died and now it’s back.”

Randy Fink now runs the Sebringville fastball program. Call 519-393-5247 for more information.

The Don Scott appreciation night takes place at the Sebringville Community Centre March 30, from 7 p.m. until midnight. Cash bar and donations at the door.

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