The Napanee Express fastball team is confident they can win the national crown, with this year’s tournament taking place in their own backyard.
It’s no long shot, either. The Express won the silver medal last year at the Canadian Under-19 Fastball championships in O’Leary, P.E.I.
“It’s an exciting time for the boys,” said Napanee’s head coach Bryan Brooks.
“They’ve played together for a really long time and this is a tremendous opportunity to play at home in front of family and friends.”
Napanee lost the gold medal game in 2017 to a team from Teeswater, Ont. With virtually every player returning, they are a favourite to cop the Canadian crown.
“We hope to better our position from last year, and I think we can do it,” Brooks said.
“There are five or six quality teams in the competition and we believe we’re one of them. We’re looking forward to the challenge of bringing another national title to Softball Napanee.”
The 12-team tournament gets under way on Tuesday. Napanee’s opening game is against Quebec at 1 p.m.
The six-day event concludes on Sunday with the championship game scheduled for the Napanee Fairgrounds at 3 p.m.
The Express plan to be in that championship final.
Win or lose, coach Brooks wants the boys to experience and embrace this tournament.
“Its all about creating memories and being good people. I want the boys to be ambassadors for the sport of fastball and the town of Greater Napanee. You can’t lose in a tournament like this.”
Comments