Baseball Sask » 2018

Please note that the 2018 Baseball Sask Semi-Annual General Meeting will take place on Saturday, April 14 in Saskatoon at the Radisson Inn.

The schedule will be as follows and is open to all of our members:

10:00 AM – High Performance Committee

11:00 AM – Playoff Committee

1:00 PM – Semi-Annual General Meeting (Or right after Playoff)

We look forward to seeing our members attend and help promote our great sport province wide!

The Team Saskatchewan baseball squad is made up of players from different families and backgrounds, but when they compete on the diamond they are truly one unit.

“Baseball is more than a sport for this team because of the lifelong friendships and bonds we have made with each other,” said team member Connor Sparks. “We have learned a valuable lesson that if you work hard and believe in yourselves, even if you are from a smaller place or are the underdogs, you can achieve your goals.”

Although the make-up of the team changes every year, the core group of players have been together for the past four years. As Sparks explains, the team has improved over the years by focusing on executing the fundamentals, while also showing respect for each other and the game.

Team Saskatchewan is a finalist in the 2017 Team of the Year for the Saskatchewan Sport Awards-an annual awards program of Sask Sport Inc. designed to celebrate and promote the outstanding achievements of Saskatchewan amateur athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers.

The team won a gold medal at the Jeux du Canada Games last year-the first gold medal won by Team Saskatchewan in baseball at a Canada Games event. It was the only gold medal in a team event won by Saskatchewan at the Canada Games.

Greg Brons has been coaching most of the players since they were 11 and 12 years old and felt that they were an outstanding group of athletes. “The thing that always got these players over the hump was they had the ability to grind things out and overcome obstacles. I know the term ‘grit’ is often overused in sports, but I can’t think of a better word to describe these kids,” he said.

Sparks also noted that the team had to fight through adversity to get the result they were looking for. “There are always times of adversity, especially over the course of a short baseball tournament, when you have an injury to overcome, or a call goes against you, bounces don’t go your way, and we had our share of that,” he said. “I think what makes this team special is we never let the adversity or situation get us down. Our coaches led by Greg Brons were always very calm and didn’t let us get too up or down, and we responded likewise as a group.”

Team Saskatchewan is grateful to be part of the amateur sport system in Saskatchewan.

“Without the volunteers, coaches, officials and organizations, aspiring athletes like us would not have the opportunities that we have,” Sparks said. “Thanks to all of them. Hopefully we have made them proud.”

What makes Team Saskatchewan #SaskProud?
“We loved representing our province and we’re proud to be from Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan and its players do not often get the respect they deserve from the larger provinces in the country. We hope that our achievement of back-to-back national championships, including the gold medal at the Canada Games, maybe changes that perception a little bit. We showed that it is not a disadvantage being from a smaller province and in some ways, it was actually our advantage with the closeness of our group.”

For more information on our Saskatchewan Sport Awards program please visit www.sasksport.sk.ca/SportAwards. This program can also be found on social media in support of the #SaskSportAwards and the #SaskProud campaign on twitter @CSCSaskatchewan and Facebook CSC Saskatchewan.

At a young age when many other children were playing in the sandbox, Connor Sparks was grabbing his glove and heading to the baseball diamond.

“My dad loved playing baseball, so I have been throwing a ball, catching and swinging a bat from the time I was a toddler,” Sparks said. “Since I was four, I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t playing some form of baseball: with my dad and brother, either in my basement as little boy, in the back yard, the street, or school park with friends and on organized teams.”

Sparks said it’s not easy to put his passion for baseball into words, but he simply feels at his happiest when playing the sport.

“There is no place I would rather be, than on the pitcher’s mound or in the batter box,” he said. “I like the atmosphere of baseball, the friends I have made, the skill it takes to compete at a high level, and being part of a team of individuals working together.”

Sparks is a finalist in the 2017 Youth-Male Athlete of the Year for the Saskatchewan Sport Awards-an annual awards program of Sask Sport Inc. designed to celebrate and promote the outstanding achievements of Saskatchewan amateur athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers.

He won a gold medal with Team Saskatchewan at the Jeux du Canada Games, posting a batting average of .417 and only giving up two earned runs while pitching 10 innings. He also ranked fifth at the Roberto Alomar Tournament 12 Showcase, competing against 160 other players, striking out 12 batters in five innings. He was asked to join U18 Team Canada to play against Major League Baseball (MLB) fall extended teams. As a part of Team Canada, he pitched six innings versus the MLB Fall Extended Team – Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays, giving up three runs. He will be joining the Junior National Team again and will be competing in spring training and extended spring training.

“It’s hard to put into words how 2017 felt,” Sparks said. “I can say it felt truly amazing to have achieved excellence alongside my coaches, teammates and some of my best friends. To be invited to play with the Junior National Team is a dream come true!”

Sparks is looking to build on his momentum and continue playing well at the college level, while earning a degree and making some new friends. One day he would love to play professional baseball. He also hopes to set an example for other athletes through his work ethic.

“I try to set an example of hard work, respect for the game, my coaches, teammates, opponents and umpires-I have to try harder for them sometimes-while at the same time enjoying myself and having fun playing the game I love,” he said.

The process of achieving success in baseball, he noted, is important for development outside of sport.

“Sport teaches life lessons about sacrifice, discipline, teamwork, humility, how to handle success and failure,” Sparks said. “Sport has given me confidence to face challenges and to set goals and strive to achieve them.”

What makes Connor Sparks #SaskProud?
“I am SaskProud because I truly love Saskatchewan and the people who are from here, and I have felt honoured to be able to represent the province at the Canada Cup and Canada games. I would truly like to thank the volunteer groups in Saskatchewan for the countless hours that they put into amateur sports. Without the volunteers, coaches, officials and organizations, aspiring athletes like myself would not have the opportunities that we have.”