*This article was originally published on Saskatchewan Dugout Stories on September 24, 2024. You can read it here.

September 24, 2024

By Joe McFarland

Saskatchewan Dugout Stories

It wasn’t until after the game that Tucker Jesson realized what had happened.

With the goal of getting Saskatchewan into the semi-finals at the Baseball Canada 15U Ray Carter Cup in Laval, Quebec, the Regina product was focused solely on getting the win.

As the innings rolled along in a tight baseball game, he was completely oblivious to an extra zero on the scoreboard, under the hits column for their opponents for Ontario.

When Jesson struck out Sam Thiessen in the bottom of the seventh to secure the 1-0 quarterfinal victory, his teammates and coaches swarmed the pumped-up Jesson, who had thrown a complete-game no-hitter.

“I had no idea the no-hitter was going on,” the 15-year-old told Saskatchewan Dugout Stories. “All I was thinking about was going the whole game to save arms for our next games.”

When all was said and done, he had allowed no runs on no hits with three walks and seven strikeouts, all on just 88 pitches.

Jesson’s performance also earned him the honours of top defensive player for the national tournament, helping set the stage for a bright future ahead.

YEAR TO REMEMBER

Jesson’s performance shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone.

The winner of the 2024 Grade 9 “Golden Arm Award” from Martin Academy was also a workhorse for the Regina White Sox of the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League during the summer.

Jesson picked up six wins and struck out 107 batters in 71 innings, posting an earned-run average of 1.48.

When he wasn’t on the mound, the two-way threat was behind the plate, catching 133 innings while posting a .261 batting average with nine home runs, 35 runs batted in and 22 stolen bases.

Jesson’s performance made it a no-doubter to be selected for Team Saskatchewan heading into the 15U national tournament.

SWEET REDEMPTION

The tournament didn’t start the way Jesson would have liked.

Coming in as a reliever against Alberta in the round-robin opener on Aug. 22, he gave up all four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out two in two innings of work as Saskatchewan fell 4-2.

Jesson played catcher and right field, respectively, in games against Nova Scotia and New Brunswick before getting the call to start for the quarterfinal against Ontario.

“When he gets on the mound, he has a quiet air of confidence and calmly goes about his business and dominates,” Team Saskatchewan head coach Blair Beck said. “It’s a calm kind of aggression, if that makes sense.”

With long-time friend and batterymate Kaden Carson behind the plate, Jesson came out firing on all cylinders by striking out Jaden Simpson.

An error allowed a base runner, then the hurler induced a pop-up before striking out Brady Martenuik to end the first inning.

From there, it was cruise control as Jesson never saw more than four batters in an inning while protecting a 1-0 lead provided by a Micah Taylor RBI triple in the top of the first inning that scored Cooper Knox.

With a no-no going on, it’s typical for teams to leave their starting pitchers alone for fear of doing something that gets them sidetracked.

Jesson, who hadn’t thrown a no-hitter in his career up until then, says that wasn’t the case on that Saturday night.

“The guys weren’t avoiding me at all,” he said. “They just didn’t mention anything about the no-hitter.”

THE NO-DANGER ZONE

Even after the final strikeout was recorded and the dogpile had lifted, Jesson remained team-focused talking about the momentous occasion.

“It felt awesome to be able to help get my team to the medal round,” he said.

It’s not a surprise to Beck, who says the right-hander’s pitching performance was one of the best he’s ever been a part of.

“Considering the magnitude of the game and the fact the margin of error was so small, it was unreal,” he said. “It never seemed like he was stressed and he just kept pumping strikes.”

“It never felt like he was in danger all game.”

Unfortunately for Saskatchewan, they ran into a hot B.C. team that beat them 11-1 in the semi-final before they fell to Quebec 6-2 in the bronze medal game.

While they fell short of repeating the province’s bronze medal performance of 2022, Jesson’s performance gave them an opportunity to get there.

It also provided a memory he and many others around the program will savour.

“I got the ball from the final out,” Jesson said. “A lot of people have also seen that final out video, so I’ll be able to remember this game for a long time.”

The 2025 Ray Carter Cup is scheduled for Aug. 21-24 in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.