After suffering a soul-crushing defeat at the hands of their rivals, the Muenster Red Sox, in the 2016 provincial finals, the Saskatoon Diamondbacks have come back this season rejuvenated.
Timely contributions from everyone on the roster has been a major catalyst in propelling the Diamondbacks to a 17-5 record, good for second place in the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League (SPBL) midget AAA standings.
“I think everybody here deserves credit for the work they put into the offseason,” head coach Matt Kostenuik said.
“We have expectations for everybody but I think so far throughout the season everyone’s exceeded the expectations that we’d set out.”
READ MORE: Rookie pitcher turns heads as only girl in Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League
The even workload has been most apparent on the mound where the Snakes have seen positive production from all of their starters.
“We’ve had a couple of great surprises with a couple of first year kids stepping up to the plate and having a couple of really good starts, and we also have some second and third year kids that we knew we’d be able to rely on,” Kostenuik said.
“It’s easy to pitch with these guys behind me,” third-year starter Nolan Machibroda, who currently boasts a 1.75 ERA and a team-leading 39 strikeouts, said.
“They provide a good defense for our team, I just go out there knowing I have to throw strikes and I’ve got a good D to back me up.”
Pitching hasn’t been the only strength of the Diamondbacks this year, their explosive plate appearances have helped them to a handful of 10+ run victories this season.
“These guys just find ways on base for me to bring them in,” Machibroda, who has had a tremendous plate presence, currently holding a .418 batting average, said.
READ MORE: World record holder Ryan Dodd shares waterskiing passion with Saskatoon youth
Sophomore Erik Trakalo has been explosive at the plate thus far leading his team with an eye-popping .492 batting average. “Visualizing success” is what Trakalo credits with his second-year improvement.
“Just visualizing hitting the ball, going up there thinking you’re going to get a hit instead of thinking you’re going to strike out, it helps a lot,” Trakalo said.
He also credits his coaches’ pre-game approach of “me time” for helping him hone in on in-game action.
READ MORE: Bragging rights on the line in the annual Can-Am six-man football game
The composure and resiliency shown by the squad has been paramount something that Trakalo believes has truly helped them so far.
“We try not to overthink any game too much, we play it just like any other game, just go out and try to play our best,” Trakalo said.
“We know every game counts in this league and anybody can beat anybody, if we go out there and play the same every day we should be able to beat any team in this league,” Machibroda echoed his teammate’s statement.
His proudest moments of the season have been the Diamondbacks ability to claw back into close games.
“Knowing we’re a seven inning ball team, and that we can come back from anything,” Machibroda said.
Comments