By JOE McFARLAND

Ethan Pittman’s final inning in a Fort McMurray Oil Giants uniform will be one he’ll remember for the rest of his life.

Holding onto a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning at the Baseball Canada 18U Nationals in his hometown, the graduating senior had to face the top of the Manitoba batting order.

He struck out Josh Randle and got Jackson Thiessen to fly out to centre field.

Up against infielder Tyler Mollons, Pittman got a first-pitch strike and two foul balls before twirling his second punch-out of the inning to help the Oil Giants capture the bronze medal.

The hometown crowd at Legacy Dodge Field in Fort McMurray erupted in celebration.

“Seeing the batter swing over that pitch brought pure joy to me,” the 18-year-old Pittman told Alberta Dugout Stories. “I could never thank the Fort McMurray Minor Baseball Association enough for all they have done for me – the team winning bronze was the perfect way to go out as an Oil Giant.”

The path to the podium for the home squad wasn’t easy, but one many attribute to being together for quite some time.

GOOD VIBES AT HOME

Hosting major national tournaments has become second-nature to Fort McMurray.

The community hosted the 18U championships in 2022 and 2023 before taking a break in 2024 to host the Baseball Canada Cup.

Many on this year’s roster played in the 2023 event, while a trio – Pittman, Ethian Mayuk and Michael Szpak – also suited up for Alberta at last year’s tournament.

Head coach Joey Iannetti says most of the team has grown up together, so there was an air of comfortability they had going into a tournament on home turf.

“We were confident in our abilities to compete against the teams in the tournament,” he said.

“We came off an excellent regular season and, as a host team after participating in previous national championships, we had a good understanding of what to expect.”

They faced their first test right out of the gates with a game under the lights at Legacy Dodge against the St. Albert Cardinals, who were coming off winning the Baseball Alberta Elite League championship a few weeks earlier.

It was a back-and-forth battle that needed extra innings, where the hosts got RBI singles from Landon O’How and Pedro Barazarte to put them up by two in what finished as an 8-7 Fort McMurray win.

“It was an electric game for sure,” said Mayuk, who picked up the win after allowing just one run on three hits and eight strikeouts in five-plus innings on the mound. “It meant a lot for us, being our first game at nationals and taking the win.”

The Oil Giants then beat New Brunswick 2-1 before losing 16-2 to Ontario and then beating Quebc 5-1 to finish the round-robin with a 3-1 record and a berth in the semi-finals.

OVERCOMING HEARTBREAK

Heading into the tournament, Pittman says they knew it wouldn’t be an easy road in what they viewed as a strong pool.

They set the goal of making it to the final four, and when they did that, it was time to focus on making sure they kept one medal at home.

“We told them just to be confident in their abilities and understand that they have prepared for this moment,” Iannetti said. “Let’s do the small details right such as hard 90’s, being good teammates and body language.”

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Their resolve was put to the test against a tough B.C. team, who also only lost once in the round-robin before knocking off Quebec in a quarterfinal matchup to get into medal round.

Despite strong pitching performances from Mayuk and Tavin Anderson, the B.C. tandem of Noah Corrente and Linden Gemmell tossed a three-hit gem en route to the 5-0 victory.

While disappointed that they wouldn’t be moving onto the championship game – which B.C. ended up winning 2-1 over Ontario – they still had a medal on their minds.

“We knew we had to end it on a high note,” the 18-year-old Mayuk said. “After that loss against B.C., it brought us together and made us stronger.”

They didn’t have a lot of time to mull over the loss either, as the bronze game was set for just a couple of hours after the semi-final.

BIG-TIME BOUNCE-BACK

The Oil Giants’ final game of the 2025 season started off well enough, with Szpak hitting a single to score Pittman in the first inning, then tacked on another run in the third when Szpak struck again with a sacrifice bunt to plate Nolan Lacey.

They then faced some adversity when Manitoba scored three in the bottom half of that inning.

Szpak’s outstanding performance continued with an RBI double in the fifth, where he scored on an error caused by an O’How grounder.

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It was déjà vu for the hometown squad when O’How hit another ground ball in the seventh and reached on an error, scoring Szpak, who had hit a triple a batter earlier.

Then it was up to Pittman to preserve the two-run lead, which he did in dominant fashion.

“To play in nationals in Fort Mac is and was a great honour as the community was cheering us on every game – they were so loud,” said the utilityman.

“It was one of the best memories of my life.”

He says it meant that much more getting to do it with teammates he had played with since they were kids, creating a stronger bond after working so hard together.

“I knew our team was strong and I knew we could do it,” Mayuk said. “Winning a medal at home is just unbelievable. It’s just so unreal to me … it’s hard to explain.”

It’s a feeling echoed by their head coach, who says winning bronze meant everything to the team and to the FMMBA.

“Having the opportunity to play in front of our hometown crowd and listen to their cheers and outpouring of support gave the team an extra boost of confidence,” Iannetti said. “We couldn’t thank everyone enough for their support throughout the tournament.”

And they’re not done yet, as Fort McMurray is set to host the Baseball Canada 18U National Championships again in 2026.