July 25, 2022

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

The 15U Terriers went 5-0 to claim The Player’s Championship in St. Louis, Mo., this past week.

The tournament got underway with a 12-4 win over the Gateway Bruins. Noah Lee and Adyn Schell both had a pair of hits in the opener. Steven Trkulja and Brandon Hoo drove in three runs apiece.

Next up was a 10-0 victory over the Missouri Mariners. Gavin Baraniuk, Xavier Steiginga and Josh Skuce combined for a seven-inning no-hitter, striking out 11. Trkulja fueled the offence with a 3-for-4 performance and a RBI.

Pitching stole the spotlight once again in Game 3. Left-hander Russell Kwinter spun a four-inning perfect game in a rematch with the Mariners. Kwinter fanned six, throwing 31 of his 40 pitches for strikes. Lee and Trkulja both had two hits, with Lee driving in three runs.

The semifinals saw a rematch with the Gateway Bruins. Trailing 8-6 heading into the bottom of the sixth, the Terriers scored three to secure a 9-8 win and punch their ticket to the final. Seven different Terriers recorded a hit, with Schell and Hoo collecting two each.

Waiting for them in the finals were the Adidas Athletics. Two hits from Schell, Trkulja, Skuce, Max Postic and Ben Bradley powered the offence to a 7-3 victory and the tournament title.

Director of Baseball Operations and 15U head coach Rick Johnston was proud of the way his players came together over the course of the tournament in some unfavourable conditions.

“Our pitchers had great command of the strike zone, rarely falling behind on hitters,” Johnston said. “It allowed us to transition quickly from defence to offence all tournament. It was a hot week, our players did a great job of overcoming the extreme heat and almost unbearable temperatures.”