Senior Giants crowned AAA champs

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/07/2019 (2572 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Elmwood Giants are champions once again.

On June 23, the Giants took home the 2019 senior AAA provincial baseball championship at a tournament held at Koskie Field.

“We played very well,” said player-manager Bryan McIntyre.

The mid-season tourney featured Elmwood, St. Boniface, and Oak River battling to represent the province at the Baseball Canada Senior AAA Championships in 2020, to be held in Sydney, N. S. 

On Sat., June 22, Elmwood beat the St. Boniface Legionnaires 7-6 in round robin play. Oak River Dodgers then beat St. B 4-1, while Elmwood went on to best Oak River 6-1. The next day, Oak River won the playoff game vs. St. Boniface 9-1, then lost to Elmwood in the final 5-0.

For the tournament, each team was allowed to add a few outside players to their roster. McIntyre bolstered his lineup with three players from the St. James A’s, and a pitcher from Brandon, Man.

“Earlier in the season, we’d been struggling to score some runs,” admitted McIntyre, who grew up in Transcona and played junior ball in Elmwood. “The pickups generated a bit more offense for us.”

McIntyre, who also pitches while attending to managerial duties for the Giants, said the team’s strength of late has been on the mound.

“We have a few more arms than anyone else, so we’re not taxed as much,” he said. “Going into playoffs we should be in pretty good shape.”

A little over halfway through their Winnipeg Senior Baseball League Schedule, the Giants are 5-7 after 12 games.

“Early on we had some offensive struggles, but the bats have started coming around a bit,” McIntyre said. “In years past, we’ve started off hot and been burnt out by the end of the year. Hopefully we can flip that this year, and carry some momentum into the playoffs.”

McIntyre added that the seven team league remains a competitive place for former junior and college players to play ball.

“It’s a very competitive league,” McIntyre added. “On any given day games can go either way.”

With a core group of players each pulling their weight on the field, McIntyre is confident his squad could go the distance, whether in league play or in Baseball Manitoba’s AA provincial tournament later in August.

“Everyone contributes in their own way,” he said. “It’s up to them to produce at their best level, which makes it easy with the group of guys that we have.”

Sheldon Birnie
Managing editor

Sheldon Birnie is the managing editor of the Free Press Community Review. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca or call him at 204-697-7112

   Read full biography