Saskatchewan brings home the Canada Cup title

Parker McRae and Danny Berg celebrate with the Canada Cup trophy. Photo: Robert Murray.

By: Dustin Saracini

Canadian Baseball Network

For now, the players who come from the green pastures of Saskatchewan are golden.

History was made when Dylan Bells, the 6-foot-5 product out of Regina recorded the final out against British Columbia in the championship game of the Canada Cup Thursday.

Gloves were tossed in the air as the players charged the mound.

The overwhelming support from fans and family poured in from all over the province. They had done the unthinkable. The championship was going to Saskatchewan for the first time since 1994 -- and it was anything but easy.

To get to the national stage, Saskatchewan first had to rally back from an 8-0 deficit against a Quebec team that lives to get under the skin of the opposition.

“They are pretty vocal, chanting really loud when they score a run,” head coach Greg Brons said of Quebec. “Things like when you take a pitcher out, there’s guys yelling ‘Fresh meat,’ but you know, we had the last laugh.”

The green and black chipped away at the lead and booked themselves a ticket to the finals in the 11th inning of an 11-10 game.

“Usually at that level of competition, if you give away three, you’re probably in big trouble,” Zone eight Governor for Baseball Saskatchewan Glenn McRae said.

“It says a lot about the character because they could have easily packed it in. It was an amazing game. One bad bounce and it’s all over either way.”

Parker McRae, born and raised in Nipawin, earned the nod against the British Columbia powerhouse, a province that had won the event the last three years. For most pitchers, toeing the rubber on the national stage may seem like a daunting task. This wasn’t the case for McRae, who owned the spotlight by throwing just 65 pitches in 5 2/3 innings of work.

“It’s the position you dream of being in,” he said. “It’s basically everything I’ve been working for my whole life. You get put right in the spot where you want to be so you want to do as much as you can to help the team win.”

The 180-pound pitcher is far from overpowering. His fastball sits in the low 80s, but it’s what he owns in between the ears that has him head and shoulders above other prospects. 

“Parker was cool as a cucumber,” Brons said. “He’s been there before, he knows how to change speeds and he throws strikes. He’s not going to beat himself out there. That’s exactly what he did. He got ahead of hitters and knew when to elevate his fastball and knew when to throw something soft, away.”

His performance in the Canada Cup was just a stepping-stone, as he will now move forward to play with a Division I school in Montana on a scholarship.

The trophy meant more to the team than just bringing baseball supremacy to the province. It was a shot at redemption against B.C.; one they capitalized on with a 6-1 victory.

“It was unbelievable,” Parker McRae said. “Going in as underdogs like we were, nobody really expected anything of us. It was really nice to prove everybody wrong and show that we are a great province for baseball.”

The championship speaks volumes towards Saskatchewan, a province that isn’t well known for their baseball talent. The exponential progression that has gone on throughout the years is immeasurable and McRae is more than thankful to be a small cog in the machine saying:

“It’s just been so good for me over the years,”

“All the trips they take you on to Arizona and Alberta, Manitoba. It really helps getting you exposure to what high level of baseball is like.”

Not only is Brons the head coach of Saskatchewan Baseball, he also ensures quality programming for the athletes. Sometimes that means teaming up with other organizations. Over the years, he has worked closely with SaskSport and the Sport Medicine and Science Council of Saskatchewan to provide his players with tools to improve their skill set.

“We’re getting kids more opportunity for strength training,” he said. “We have indoor facilities in Regina and Saskatoon that are used quite often where kids can come hit, field and throw. It’s all about getting more repetitions.”

If the Canada Cup championship is any indication, baseball is now flourishing in Saskatchewan. Enrollment is up 25 to 30 per cent at the grassroots level and one can expect an abundance of young athletes to follow in the footsteps of those at the 17U and 18U level.

For the time being, Saskatchewan will bask in the glory of what was an incredible run. It took 22 years to hoist the Canada Cup trophy, but the monkey is finally off their back.

“Nobody was expecting us to win it,” Brons said. “I told our guys ‘why not us?’ And we did it.”