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Women’s fastball provincials in Blackfalds this weekend

Provincial Senior A and Intermediate A, B and C tournaments are July 27-29 at All Star Park
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Shannon Jaremcio of the Badgers winds up for a pitch in the first inning of a Red Deer Ladies Fastball Association game against the Lacombe Matrix earlier this month at Great Chief Park. The Badgers will compete in the Intermediate A Women’s Fastball Provincial Championships this weekend in Blackfalds. (File photo by BYRON HACKETT/Advocate Staff)

Three Central Alberta women’s fastball teams will fight for gold at provincials weekend in Blackfalds.

Four Softball Alberta divisions – Senior A and Intermediate A, B and C – will crown provincial champions at tournaments, which go Friday to Sunday at All Star Park.

The Red Deer Ladies Fastball Association’s Bandits and Badgers will compete in the Intermediate A tournament and the Innisfail Diggers will play in the Intermediate C tournament.

Trudy Haraldson, a coach on the Bandits and president of the association, which is hosting this weekend’s event, said she thinks a Central Alberta could win the Intermediate A tournament – the Badgers won gold last year and the Bandits won silver medals in 2015 and 2016.

“I think we both have good chances. We’re both strong teams, but it will be a tough one because there are many good teams in the division,” she said.

Haraldson said she thinks the Diggers will do well in the Intermediate C division.

It feels good to have this event at home, she added.

“Of course it’s more work than it would be to just pack your suitcase and play in a different city, but it means a lot knowing you have home advantage. A lot more family and friends can come out to watch this way,” she said.

Haraldson said she’s excited to watch the three-team Senior A tournament because the women in the division play “phenomenal ball.”

“You’ll see players there who could make the Canadian Olympic fastball team,” she said. “Most of those girls have played college-level and have scholarships down in the states.”

Women’s fastball is “fairly big” in Central Alberta, Haraldson said.

“At one time it kind of died off, but Red Deer minor ball changed and started getting more little girls coming out. Now we see a great abundance at the U8 and U10 level. There are a lot of talented girls,” she said.

An event like this weekend’s tournaments can help the sport continue to grow, she added.

“The more we’re out there, the more people come out and watch to see what a great game it is. I think it’s just going to keep growing,” Haraldson said.

There will be a concession and washrooms available throughout the tournament.

For a full schedule and more information visit www.softballalberta.ca.



Sean McIntosh

About the Author: Sean McIntosh

Sean joined the Red Deer Advocate team in the summer of 2017. Originally from Ontario, he worked in a small town of 2,000 in Saskatchewan for seven months before coming to Central Alberta.
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