Tyson Black's baseball resume continues to grow.
The 16-year-old pitcher, originally from Miramichi, New Brunswick, had recently returned to the city after having taken part in the 2014 Canada Cup baseball tournament in Saskatoon, finishing just off the podium as a member of the fourth place Team Saskatchewan that went 5-2 in tournament play.
While at the Canada Cup, Black, one of the youngest on the Provincial team, having just recently turned 16, pitched a total of 2.2 innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits and a walk while striking out two batters in two relief appearances.
Good numbers at any point for a relief pitcher, but even more impressive when one realizes that Black, who is used to starting games and not relieving, had to adapt quickly to his new role as a relief pitcher while facing some of the best young baseball players that Canada has to offer.
So with that in his mind, was the first year midget player nervous at all as he stepped onto the mound at the Canada Cup to face the first batter in his first relief appearance, an appearance that just so happened to come against his former home province of New Brunswick? The answer: Of course. "I was definitely nervous at the start," laughed Black, recalling his first pitching experience at a national level. "I had to get the jitters out the first inning or so but after that it was definitely cool and a good experience to face those types of hitters.
"It was a great experience getting to see all the great ball players there and seeing the top talent in Canada and to play against them, it was great."
Westerns
Black had only just returned to Yorkton from Saskatoon and the Canada Cup when he was off again.
This time his travels, and baseball skills, took him to Swift Current and the 2014 Western Canadian 'AA' Midget Championships as a member of the Saskatchewan champion Northeast Red Sox; a team that Black had personally caused trouble for each time Yorkton had played them in the SPBL regular season.
Unfortunately for Black, however, the Red Sox were unable to duplicate the success they had seen at a league and provincial level, going 1-3 in the tournament, losing 7-6 to Alberta's Clive Coyotes, 2-0 to the host Swift Current Indians and 6-3 to the eventual champion Rock Lake Regals (Manitoba).
One bright spot, however, was a 10-1 drubbing of B.C.'s Ladner Red Sox; a win sparked by a strong start by Black, who surrendered just one earned run on four hits and five walks over 4.2 innings of work while striking out two batters.
Over all Black pitched well, going 6.2 innings, giving up three earned runs on eight walks and seven hits while striking out five batters for an ERA of 3.15 for the tournament.
Black also performed admirably at the plate in limited at-bats, going 2-for-6 with a triple and a walk in seven plate appearances.
