The Yorkton Yankees are the class of the Â鶹´«Ã½AV East Senior Baseball League after finishing regular-season play in first place with a 13-0-1 record.
"We knew going in to the year we had a good team," said Yankees team captain Mark Jacobs. "We weren't quite sure how good we would be, but we expected to have a good season and do well in the league play."
For the most part, the Yankees didn't pull off wins, they pulled of shellackings. They accumulated 144 runs and just 34 runs against throughout the season, averaging a 10-2 score.
"I don't want to slight our opponents, but we did have some very strong performances," said Jacobs. "We have a handful of some really good ball players. Not every team has that in this league. We are fortunate to have the talented we have on our team."
The Yankees' lone tie came against the Willowbrook Royals in a 3-3 affair. Although Jacobs notes it would have been nice to capture a perfect 14-0 record, he would rather have the Yankees make a hiccup in the regular-season than in the post-season.
"You want to win every game and it would have been nice to win that one," he said. "I'd rather us make the mistakes in the season than in the playoffs, though. That's what the regular-season is for - making mistakes so you're ready for the playoffs."
There is no shortage of stars on the Yankees, but Logan Calanchie shinned the brightest as their star pitcher, while leading the team in runs with 40 and hits with 38.
"We have a bunch of really good ball players," said Jacobs. "We are a really well-rounded team from hitting to pitching. But Logan had a great year. We really counted on him a lot."
The Yankees and second-place Canora Supers, who finished with an 11-3 record, were rewarded a bye in the SESBL survivor series. Yorkton will play the lowest-seeded club in the second round.
"We are really looking forward to the playoffs," said Jacobs. "Since we've had such a good year, we think we can go all the way. We got a great group of guys and are determined to win. It would be disappointing not to win the title after having such a good year."
