The Grande Prairie Pirates with roots in Lloydminster have snatched a bronze medal in national men’s fast pitch – the first male Alberta team to medal in nationals in a quarter century.
“Great group of guys. Some team Canada members. Some guys who have come up through our system that have kept softball alive in Alberta,” says player and coach Donnie Atkinson, who has been involved for 24 years.
Back in the day, the program was known as the Lloydminster Dodgers. The team moved to Grande Prairie to host nationals. The recent nationals in Saskatoon saw the Pirates finish third behind Toronto Batmen for silver, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Galway Hitmen for gold. The Galway Hitmen have won the title eight times in the last decade.
As the season wraps, “to medal in an east coast dominated sport is a feather in their cap.” Atkinson and other team members like their leading pitcher are proudly sporting their national bronze medallion.
“We have a great lineup. People have put in the work. Our pitcher was fantastic at nationals. His name is Steven Normand. He’s from Calgary. The thing with a tournament like nationals is that it’s a short sprint. And a team that gets hot can change the landscape pretty quickly.”
Before being in Saskatoon from Aug. 28- Sep. 1, the team placed seventh at the International Softball Congress (World Championship) in Surrey, B.C.
Atkinson also salutes Brayden Arcand from Edmonton who came in at number three as having a fantastic week in the Saskatoon contest.
“He’s an absolute nightmare at the plate – smashed the ball and led our offence all week.”
The team will rest up over winter and start preparing in January for its next tournament in Las Vegas in April.
