By TERRY PUGH
After winning the U17 Boys provincial softball championship in Prince Albert July 12, the Laird Valley Bluejays are now setting their sights on the national crown.
The Bluejays will represent Saskatchewan at the 2026 U17 Men’s Canadian Fast Pitch Championship in Surrey, BC August 5-9.
“This team is the deepest roster we’ve ever assembled,” said Bluejays Head Coach Josh Dueck of Laird. “We have 12 extremely talented players who are great teammates, and even better people. I think one of the big factors in our success is how tight these guys are, on and off the field. They all get along so well, which is rare considering how many different communities we represent.
“Everyone is pulling for each other, we have no selfish players and I believe that contributes to our success on the field as well,” added Dueck. “Personally for me, its the most fun group I’ve ever been a part of. I feel very blessed.”
`The team includes: Madden Dueck and Holden Funk, both from Laird; Rhys Curren, Anthony Dingwall and Eli Ens of Rosthern; Eli Marshall of Hague; Kaleb Romanchuk, Micah Green and Will Standish of Wakaw; Avery Duret of Warman; Alex Poirier of Debden, and Chase Zimmer of Langham.
In addition to Dueck, the coaching staff includes: Assistant Coach Dave Prout of Saskatoon, Assistant Coach Allan Zimmer of Langham, and Assistant Coach Harley Bergen of Neuanlage.
Dueck said while the Bluejays only played in two tournaments this season against teams in their age group, one in Prince Albert and one at their home field in Laird, they honed their skills by playing 12 doubleheader games against Division One men’s teams in the Saskatoon Amateur Softball Association league.
“Playing against adult men’s teams was a good test for us,” said Dueck. “It’s on a level that we’ll likely see at the national tournament.”
While this is the first appearance of the team at the U17 nationals, the coach said he doesn’t expect his players to be overwhelmed or intimidated.
Almost everyone has been down this road before.
“This is actually our third trip to a national championship,” said Dueck. “We went to Manitoba last year for the U15 nationals, and we finished in fourth place at that event. The year before that the U15 championship was in Quebec. The majority of our players are first-year U17, so we’ve got a lot of valuable experience we’re taking into this tournament.”
Dueck added that the team set its goal at the start of the season to win provincials and qualify for the national championship. “The provincial championship in Prince Albert was a tough tournament, but the national one is a whole different level,” he said. “We’re excited for the opportunity to represent our province.”
He added that the eastern provinces have dominated softball national competitions for years. Quebec and Ontario generally bring two or three teams to the Canadian championship, but he’s hoping this year Saskatchewan will come out on top.
“We played well during provincials, and we’re confident we can carry that momentum into nationals,” he said.