By JOE McFARLAND

When the Red Deer CarStar Braves clinched the Baseball Alberta Elite League championship this summer, a massive weight came tumbling off their shoulders.

Feeling like they were a favourite heading into each of the last three seasons, the Braves had great regular seasons only to have the playoffs end in heartache.

Little did they know, bigger things were on the horizon as the team would run the table to capture the Baseball Canada 18U National Championship in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

They had actually done something no Alberta team had done since 2012 and shortstop Jake Brooks says it was a grind right to the end.

“We were all tired when we ran out to the scoreboard for our picture,” the 17-year-old told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. “On the way back, we took a look around and we’re under the lights and it’s like, ‘Wow, we actually did win nationals.’”

The national championship put an end to what turned out to be a rollercoaster season for the Braves, who believe some early-season adversity helped them in the long run.

SOME EARLY ADVERSITY

You never want to put too much stock into the opening weekend of a regular season.

But when the Braves lost three of their first four games against the Parkland Twins, head coach Josh Zanolli was surprised at the showing.

“That was a challenge for them early,” he said. “We didn’t get off to a good start this season and we challenged their toughness to see if they would respond.

The Braves responded by sweeping a four-game series against the Midwest Prairie Pirates.

Crowned! 👑

📸: https://t.co/1hGcYBvsIZ #BAPC2024 • #OneGoal pic.twitter.com/l81vl0weeH
— BAEL (@BAEliteLeague) July 29, 2024

However, Brooks felt like the team was still missing something, which became apparent the next weekend.

“We went to a tournament in Vauxhall and we were terrible,” he admitted. “Everyone was looking down and we were all … whatever.”

The team came back home to practice and Brooks says they all started working together to find solutions, and the work paid off with three wins against Webber Academy and four against the Edmonton Padres.

Despite a few ups and downs, the Braves finished the regular season with a 24-12 record, good enough for second place behind the St. Albert Cardinals.

TOPSY-TURVY TOURNEY

While a top-two regular season finish should give a team some confidence heading into the playoffs, the Braves had seen this script play out before.

Having lost in the final in 2022 then not making it to the last game as tournament hosts in 2023, Zanolli says this year’s team never got into a comfortable groove during the season, which is something the previous two teams did.

“We were winning games but it wasn’t always pretty,” he said. “We lost some games where we hadn’t lost like that before, so that was a bit different.”

The Braves opened up the round-robin with a 3-2 win over the Sherwood Park Dukes, then lost to the Calgary Cubs, beat the Pirates and lost to the Parkland Twins Gold.

Their 2-2 record forced them into a situation where they would have to win three games in one day to hoist the championship trophy.

Given that they had dealt with some adversity, Brooks says they tried tapping into that experience instead of letting history repeat itself.

“I think when we were struggling at the start of the year, it kind of taught us to stay in it, even when we weren’t doing too good.”

They knocked off the Twins Gold 3-1 in the quarterfinals, then doubled up the Twins Blue 6-3 in the semis, setting up a date with the Cardinals for the gold medal and a berth at nationals.

RELIEF, EXCITEMENT AND JOY

During the regular season, the Braves offense was the best in the province with 318 runs scored, while their pitching and defense allowed the fourth-fewest runs with 199.

That offense seemed to run dry during the playoffs, which wasn’t the best situation as the Cardinals were the stingiest team with just 117 runs allowed.

But something came alive in the final game, as the Braves scored early and often in a 17-5 romp.

When pitcher Evan Russell threw the final pitch to seal the victory, Zanolli says the team almost couldn’t believe they had accomplished the unthinkable – winning three-straight games on championship Sunday.

The Final Pitch… 🪓#BAPC2024 • #OneGoal pic.twitter.com/zLh19fxNoo
— BAEL (@BAEliteLeague) July 29, 2024

“Definitely some emotional release, some relief, and pure excitement and joy,” he said. “It was pretty cool to watch the kids enjoy that moment.”

The team then took a week off to recover before hitting the field again to get ready for nationals.

Zanolli says it was tough going in, not knowing any of the teams or what they might be bringing to the table.

It forced them to focus on themselves to make sure they were ready for whatever everyone else threw at them.

ROLLING TO NATIONALS

The momentum of the final win against St. Albert clearly carried over into the Braves’ performance at the Baseball Canada 18U National Championship.

After an opening game 6-3 win over Manitoba, the Alberta contingent came away with wins of 15-0 over Newfoundland and Labrador, 13-2 over Nova Scotia and 12-2 in a rematch against Newfoundland and Labrador.

“All year, it’s been our pitching and defense that’s carried us through games,” Brooks said. “It was nice to see that we won a few games by putting up four in the first inning and then letting the pitchers just go an attack the hitters.”

Instead of being an underdog heading into the medal rounds, the Braves automatically went onto the semi-final, where they survived a scare from Quebec to come away with an 8-7 victory.

In the final against B.C., Nicholas Westendorp came through with an RBI single while Ryder Petryshen drove in two more with a double in the third inning, and that was all they would need in a 12-2 victory.

pic.twitter.com/WFzmzH45DW
— RD Minor Baseball (@reddeerbaseball) August 20, 2024

After a long and winding road, the Braves were provincial and national champions, although Brooks admits the latter felt a little different.

“It was more shock and almost bittersweet, because you know there’s nothing after that,” he said. “It’s the last time you’re with the team. It’s still really cool and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

Zanolli says it was nice to stand back and watch some of the veterans celebrate the championships, as the challenges of the season made victory that much sweeter.

“We kind of scratched and clawed all year,” said the skipper. “This definitely wasn’t easy at any point for this group. They knew how to grind, that’s for sure.”

The Braves will be hoping the journey is a little easier in 2025 with the national championship set for Aug. 14-17 in Fort McMurray.