Saturday’s rain was no-match for the enthusiastic players with the Bowen Island Co-Ed Slopitch Baseball League. They brought out their batting helmets (mandatory for the day) and gave it their all for the league’s final tournament. All three games were tight, but in the end, the team that had struggled most through the season came out on top.
“We were just a very happy team and had a lot of fun,” says Logger’s coach, Duy Son. “Out of our whole team, we had seven or eight players who were new to the league and mostly had never played baseball before. We practiced for about an hour before each game, re-enforcing the rules, things like, don’t run with your bat, for example.”
Son adds that in the tournament, he decided to mix things up a bit, in terms of strategy.
“Usually, the girls get put on the right side of the field because most hits go left,” says Son. “So I decided to put myself in right field. I wanted to show that every position is valuable. Also, usually the pitchers are usually guys, but I put Fenella (Jacquet) in as our pitcher. We also are the only team with a female shortstop.”
Jacquet, by the way, was also the shortstop, and was one of the team’s new players.
“I played in high school gym,” she says. “But I never really saw myself as a baseball player.”
Jacquette says she started the season in the outfield, but then moved on to first base.
“Duy moved us around, giving everyone a chance to try different positions through the season,” she says. “Apparently I’ve got a knack for pitching, but my arm did get really tired after the first game so I guess it helps to practice and build up strength. As for being a short stop, I think that’s a position where agility really helps.”
League organizer George Zawadzki says the game and tournament were all so great, details - like the final score, barely matter.
“As Spencer [Grundy] says, everyone just played ‘out of their body.’ And we all had a great time.”
