August 22, 2010

Westlock played host to the NCABL semi-final weekend amidst their annual Agri-Fair. One series saw the Legal Indians take on the Edmonton Blackhawks, while the other featured our own Parkland Whitesox facing the defending champion Mayerthorpe Mets.

Game 1 saw Josh Turner get the start, and he threw a game for the ages. Turner went the distance as the Sox shut out the Mets 4-0, he would strike out 13 batters along the way to his first post season victory with the Sox. Garrett Haylin provided the majority of the offense as he tallied 3 RBI in the win.

Game 2 featured Jamie Cameron on the mound against a desperate Mets team not wanting to relinquish their 2009 title. Once again Cameron managed to shut down the Mayerthorpe bats and get some timely runs in his favor as the Whitesox would take game 2 by a score of 4-2. This also clinched the series and booked them a date in the Championship Finals vs a familiar foe in the Legal Indians. It was the Sox who swept the Indians back in 2008 to claim their first title in the franchises existence, and the Indians would be looking for revenge in their home town.

The NCABL LCS will take place next weekend, August 28/29 in Legal. Game #1 begins at 1:00pm, game #2 starts at 4:00. Their will be an award ceremony between games so make sure to stick around for the presentations.

July 25, 2010

Over the weekend the Whitesox traveled to Legal to take part in the annual Fete Au Village tournament. Their first opponent would be the Sherwood Park A's, and on the back of a solid pitching performance from Jamie Cameron and some offensive fire power provided by Brad Walde and Andrew Slinko in the form of back to back homeruns, the sox would prevail by a score of 14-4.

Next up was a date in the semi-finals with the Westlock Red Lions. Garrett Haylin would take to the hill and give yet another strong Whitesox pitching performance as he, along with Jamie Cameron's bat, would silence the Red Lions in a 7-3 victory for the Sox.

Sunday evening would see the Sox face off against their league rivals, the Legal Indians in the tournament championship game. Josh Turner got the nod to start and got in a little bit of trouble early on but would recover and settle down to throw a solid final 4 innings. Once again leading the way with his tournament MVP bat was Jamie Cameron. He would finish the tournament going 11 for 13 at the plate with 6 doubles! The Whitesox got to Legal starter Andrew Grafton in the 4th inning and again in the 6th inning as they blew the game open en route to a 10-5 final and another tournament championship.

July 14, 2010

This past week saw the Sox in action twice as they would head to Mayerthorpe on Tuesday, then host Camrose the following day. Despite only having 9 players in attendance for the road game in Mayerthorpe the Sox would hand the Mets their first home loss in 2 years by a score of 12-3. Jamie Cameron would throw yet another complete game, his 8th of the season, in earning the win. In his 7 innings of work he would allow only 3 runs, 1 earned, while scattering 8 hits and striking out 8. The offensive surge was lead by Scott Hoekstra and Brad Walde, each picking up 4 RBI. Hoekstra would earn his by way of a Grand Slam homerun in the 3rd inning, while Walde earned most of his on a bases clearing triple to right field. With the win Parkland extended its lead on 2nd place Legal to a full game.

Camrose would come to town Wednesday night for Parkland's first home game in 2 weeks. Unfortunately for the Axemen they were not welcomed into Henry Singer Park with open arms as the Whitesox would defeat Camrose by a 10-3 score. Chris Shaw went 6 innings in earning his first NCABL win with the Whitesox. Josh Turner would come in to close things in the 7th inning. Jamie Cameron, usually know more for his pitching prowess, took the game into his own hands offensively with a pair of hits and 4 RBI.

Parkland will now head to the new home of the Edmonton Warriors Thursday night to officially open Footz Field. Game time will be 7:15. The new Edmonton park is located across from Rexall Place on the East side of Wayne Gretzky Drive.

July 4, 2010

It has been a very busy week for the Parkland Whitesox that saw them play 3 games during that span. The Sox headed down to Kelowna for the annual Canada Day Blast Tournament hosted by the Kelowna Jays. Parkland would finish just short of the playoffs with a record of 1-2. The first game saw the Whitesox take on the Kamloops Sun Devils. Jamie Cameron got the nod as the opening night starter, and as usual would go the complete game. Despite picking up the loss Cameron pitched 7 very strong innings giving up only 2 runs, neither of them earned, against the Kamloops squad. Unfortunately the Sox bats fell silent on the night and could not muster any offensive support for Jamie.

In the second game Josh Turner got the call against the always dangerous Langley Blaze. Parkland would jump out to an early lead thanks to some walks from the Langley starter and some timely hits from the Sox. This would turn out to be all the cushion Turner needed as he shut down the Blaze in picking up a 6-3 victory. With the win Parkland would set themselves up with a "win to get in" game against the Everett Merchants out of Washington State.

The third game of the tourney proved to be the toughest test for Parkland as they would end up losing to Everett 10-4 and would be eliminated from further play. Aaron Huber got the start for the Sox and would hold the powerful bats of the Merchants for 4 solid innings before his defense would let him down. Parkland held a 4-3 lead entering the 5th inning, but a few key errors would prolong the inning and allow Everett to score 5 runs en route to giving the Whitesox the loss. Matt Kukovica of the Legal Indians would come in to pitch the 6th and 7th innings to round out the game.

Although Parkland failed to make the playoffs for a 2nd consecutive year, they had another strong showing and will be back in Kelowna for the 2011 edition of the Canada Day Blast.

June 23, 2010

The Parkland Whitesox hosted the 2-9 Sherwood Park Athletics Wednesday night at Singer Park, but the A's sure didn't play like a team with a 2-9 record as they took the Sox to 10 innings before eventually losing. The game would a defensive battle to the finish as neither team would really get on the sticks. Sherwood Park would throw 3 different pitchers in the 10 innings holding the Parkland batters to just 2 very hard fought runs. Meanwhile, Whitesox pitcher Josh Turner would go the entire 10 innings without any relief in picking up his 4th win of the season. Turner's pitching performance was one of the most dominating in franchise history. In 10 innings of work he would allow only 7 hits and 1 walk, while striking out a single game franchise record 17 batters! When asked about Turner's performance coach Doug Jones had this to say. "It was absolutely incredible watching him pitch a game like that. At no point was I nervous about losing the game, even when we were in extra innings I had this calm feeling knowing that he was pitching the way he was. It was almost as if he was gaining velocity as the game went deeper."

The Sox will now have a few days off before hosting the 4th place Westlock Red Lions this Sunday night at Henry Singer Park. As usual gametime will be 7:15pm, so come on out for a Sunday evening ball game and cheer on your Parkland Whitesox. This will be their last home game for 2 weeks as they will be heading to Kelowna to participate in the Kelowna Jays Canada Day Baseball Blast tournament.

June 20, 2010

Sunday saw the Sox travel to the North side of Edmonton to face the Blackhawks in a pivotal doubleheader. Game 1 saw Jamie Cameron take to the mound to face Joel Bottinger of the Hawks, and once again the Parkland bats fell silent as they were only able to muster up a handful of hits vs the Blackhawk pitching staff. Luckily for Parkland, the Edmonton club was struggles of their own at the dish against the Sox ace. Cameron would only give up 2 hits and strike out 8 in an 8 inning 1-0 victory for Parkland.

The 2nd game of the double header would see Aaron Huber get the nod against Reagan Hoet, and unfortunately for Parkland Hoet would win this battle as the Hawks topped the Sox by a 4-1 final. For a third game in a row the Whitesox bats were nowhere to be found as they could only muster up 4 hits in the loss. Huber had a decent outing on the mound despite giving up a season high 4 runs, he was able to add 5 K's to his totals while giving up only 6 hits in the effort. Next up for Parkland will be a home date versus the Sherwood Park Athletics Wednesday night, gametime is 7:15pm at Henry Singer Park.

June 13, 2010

This past weekend saw the Parkland Whitesox travel to St. Albert for the annual Tigers Invitational Tournment where they would split their 4 games and end up with a 3rd place finish. The tournament began Friday night as the Sox squared off against the reigning National Champion Fort Saskatchwan A's. The game was defensive battle right to the end as Fort Sask would hand the Sox their first loss of the season by a score of 1-0. Jamie Cameron would go the complete game holding the A's batters to only a couple hits en route to his first loss of the 2010 campaign. It was a tough outcome for the pitcher to swallow after such a stellar performance, but that's the way it goes in the game of baseball.

The 2nd game was against the Red Deer Stags, and the Stags would jump out to an early lead off starter Chris Shaw. Shaw would last only 4 innings in the outing while giving up 5 runs, 4 earned. Josh Turner would come into the game in the 5th inning, and that seemed to spark the Sox bats out of their coma. Going into the bottom of the 5th inning Parkland was down 5-3, but the score wouldn't stay that way for long as the Sox hitters put up 9 runs between the 5th and 6th innings on the way to an impressive 12-6 come from behind win. Scott Hoekstra would lead the way offensively by hitting his 3rd homerun of the season into the trees in Right Field.

The last game of the round robin was a win to get in scenario versus the Calgary Red Birds, and win they did. The Whitesox would come away with a dominating 9-1 win on the back of another great pitching performance from Aaron Huber. He would go the complete game giving up only 3 hits, and 1 walk, while striking out 9. Kyle Radke lead the way on the sticks with a pair of hits and 2 RBI. With the win Parkland clinched first in the Waples pool and would face the host St. Albert Tigers in the Semi-Final Sunday at noon.

In the Semi-Final the Parkland Whitesox would get something they hadn't seen up to this point in the 2010 season, a team that would hit their pitching staff hard. Jamie Cameron got the nod on only 1 day of rest, and that may have had an effect on his stuff as St. Albert would jump all over him early. For the first time in his senior career Jamie Cameron would have to leave the game without completing it. Josh Turner would come in in relief, but unfortunately would fare not better against the Tiger bats as they would add to their lead. Adam Baron would come in for the 6th and 7th innings to close things out. Not helping the cause offensively was Matt Jones who got himself ejected after striking out and questioning the umpires call. However, Parkland would score some late runs to make it a ball game but it just wasn't enough as they would lose by a score of 9-6. St. Albert would go on to defeat Fort Saskatchewan in the tournament final.

June 10, 2010

It has been a busy week for the Parkland Whitesox as the last 7 days have seen them play 4 games and have 1 rained out. Last Thursday the Sox traveled to Spartan Park in Edmonton to take on the Edmonton Athletics. Backed by a near perfect performance on the mound from Josh Turner the Whitesox would take the game by a 7-0 final. In earning the shutout Turner allowed only 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out a season high 12 batters. The offensive leader on the night would be Aaron Huber whose 3 run homerun in the 5th inning would seal the deal and keep the Parkland undefeated season going. Their Regular Season record now sits at 6 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie.

On the weekend the Sox would head to Westlock and attempt to defend their 2009 Harvey J. Doherty Memorial Tournament championship. In the opener Parkland would face the same A's team they defeated only 2 nights prior. The Sox would end up victorious by a 7-6 final, but the score is not indicative of the dominating performace by Parkland. They got up early and held onto a 7-1 lead going into the 7th inning where Edmonton would score 5 runs on 2 errors by Parkland. Chris Shaw earned his first win in a Sox uniform by throwing a complete game while giving up only 2 earned runs.

Game 2 would see the Whitesox face off against one of their biggest rivals in the Legal Indians, and this game would be a great defensive dual. Jamie Cameron took to the hill for Parkland while Legal would send Andrew Grafton. The sox scored all 4 of their runs in a strong 2nd inning lead by another Aaron Huber homerun, this one was of the 2-run variety. After that though, both teams would settle down and it would become a pitchers dual that eventually Cameron won for Parkland. The final score would end up 4-1 with Cameron earning his 3rd win of the season in yet another complete game effort.

Parkland now had a great opportunity to defend their 2009 tournament title, with the only thing standing in their way being the Westlock Red Lions. The Sox sent Aaron Huber to the hill, and like the others before him, he threw an absolute gem. He would go the distance in helping his team capture the title for a 2nd straight year with a 7-0 victory. As impressive as Huber's single game performance was, his overall pitching performance this season has been even more astounding. In 27 innings of work he has yet to allow a single run to cross the plate, this is a new franchise record for the longest shutout streak. Leading the way offensively for Parkland in the final would be Scott Hoekstra, whose 2-run homer in the 4th inning, to go along with a single, was all Parkland would need. Other players that had multi hit games included Adam Baron, Chris Shaw, Josh Turner, and Kyle Radke. With the tournament victory the Whitesox have now extended their season opening unbeaten streak to a franchise record 11 games.

Next up for Parkland will the St.Albert Tigers annual tournament where they will face the defending Senior 'AAA' National Champion Fort Saskatchewan A's in the tourny opener Friday night at 6:00pm. Those wishing to attend this game are advised to get there early as this will surely be a very exciting game, and the toughest test this season for the unbeaten Parkland squad. Following Friday night's game will be two games on Saturday, 10:15am vs the Red Deer Stags, and 4:00pm vs the Calgary Red Birds. All games will be played at Legion Park in St. Albert.

May 26, 2010

Wednesday night saw the Parkland Whitesox host the Edmonton Warriors in what would become another Aaron Huber pitching gem as the Sox won their 5th game of the regular season 6-0. The Parkland hitters would get on the board early in this one by putting up 4 runs in the bottom of the first inning. From there Huber set cruise control on the way to his 3rd win of the season. Over the course of his 7 innings pitched Huber would strike out 10 while only giving up 2 hits and 2 walks. This was his 2nd consecutive complete game shutout to equal a franchise record that Jamie Cameron set earlier this year. Leading the way offensively on this night was Jamie Cameron who cashed in 3 RBI in 4 plate appearances.

The Sox now get a bit of a rest as their next game is not until Thursday June 3rd in Edmonton versus the Athletics. However that rest will be very short lived as they will follow up the A's game with the start of the Harvey J. Doherty Memorial tournament in Westlock on the weekend. Their first opponent will be those same Edmonton A's from just 2 nights prior.

May 20, 2010

It was a cold and windy day in Camrose as the Parkland Whitesox arrived to take on the Camrose Axemen. Gametime temperature was only 8 degrees to go along with winds gusting up to 60km/h. Conditions were tough to say the least, but the Sox and Axemen played on in what would turn out to be a defensive battle to the end. The final score would end up a 1-1 tie as the umpire crew called the game due to both darkness and extreme weather. Sox ace Jamie Cameron got the nod, and as always, did his part. Although he did not earn a decision in his complete game performance he was still on his game and kept the Camrose batters guessing. He would only allow 4 hits, and 3 walks while striking out another 8 hitters in the effort. The only thing lacking in this game was his usual run support. The Whitesox had been scoring runs by the handful coming into this game, but seemed to struggle with manufacturing them on this night. It wasn't due to a lack of hits or baserunners, but rather hits in timely situations. The Sox left too many runners on base throughout the game and that would end up being the difference.

Next up for Parkland will be a home date versus the Edmonton Warriors next Wednesday, May 26th at Henry Singer Park. Come on out and cheer on your league leading 2010 Parkland Whitesox as they look to keep their undefeated season going. Gametime is 7:15pm.

May 16, 2010

Today's double bill against the Sturgeon Paladins turned out to be a very impressive offensive output day for the Parkland Whitesox as they picked up a pair of 15-1 victories. Leading the way for the Sox offensively was rookie shortstop Kyle Radke. Radke went 6 for 7 on the day, picking up 6 RBI and even hit for the cycle in the first game! This is another first for the Whitesox franchise and Radke was very proud of his accomplishment, he now joins a very select list of players to have ever hit for the cycle in the NCABL. We send our congratulations to Kyle for reaching such a tremendous feat. Also having stellar days at the dish were Jamie Cameron who also picked up 6 RBI on the day, and newcomer Ryan Pohle who went 4 for 6 while adding 5 RBI to his totals for the year.

Not to be outdone, Jamie Cameron turned in quite the performance himself on the hill in the first game. He threw a complete game no-hitter (the 2nd of his career) to earn the win, improving his record on the year to 2-0. He also struck out 9 batters while giving up only 2 walks on the day. In the second game Josh Turner got the nod as he picked up his first win of the season after going 4 strong innings before giving way to Aaron Huber for the remaining 3 innings. The two combined to give up only 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 8.

The pair of wins boost the Parkland record to 4-0 and they now sit alone atop the NCABL regular season standings. Next up for the Sox will be a short road trip to face the Camrose Axemen Thursday May 20th. Gametime will be 7:15pm at Harry Andreassen Park in Camrose.

May 13, 2010

Tonight the Parkland Whitesox took to the diamond in their home opener versus the defending NCABL champion Mayerthorpe Mets, and in front of a strong home crowd they did not disappoint. The Sox won the game 3-0 behind yet another solid pitching performance, this time from Aaron Huber. It took Huber 6 games last season to earn his first win but that is not the case this year as he took matters into his own hands and threw a complete game shutout. This is the first time in Parkland franchise history that 2 different pitchers have combined to throw back to back shutouts. During his 7 innings Huber gave up 6 hits, 3 walks, while striking out 9 batters in earning his first win of the 2010 campaign. With the win Parkland's regular season record climbs to 2-0 as they sit tied for the league lead. Next up for the Sox will be a home double header against the Stugeon Paladins this Sunday, May 16th at Henry Singer Park. Sturgeon comes in tied with the Whitesox atop the NCABL standings with a 2-0 record of their own.

May 11, 2010

Opening day in the 2010 NCABL season saw the Parkland Whitesox travel to Sherwood Park to take on the Athletics. Jamie Cameron took to the hill for what would turn out to be a dominating performance as he earned his first win of the season with a complete game shutout. The Sox won the game 6-0 with a strong offensive showing to go along with the Cameron shutout. Newcomer Kyle Radke led the way offensively with a pair of doubles and 4 RBI. Jamie Cameron's outing saw him rack up 12 strikeouts, while scattering only 4 hits and 1 walk. With the win the Whitesox jump out to an early 1-0 record atop the NCABL standings.

Next up for the Sox will be the home opener Wednesday May 12th when they host the defending NCABL champion Mayerthorpe Mets. Gametime will be 7:15pm at Henry Singer Park in Spruce Grove. It's going to be a gorgeous day for baseball so why not invite the family and spend it watching your Parkland Whitesox!

April 28, 2010

Spring Training is in full swing as the Parkland Whitesox prepare for the upcoming 2010 season just over a week away. The team is looking very strong this year as they get ready for their first preseason games this weekend. The Sox will be hosting the 2010 NCABL champion Mayerthorpe Mets this Saturday in an exhibition double header at Henry Singer Park. Gametime is 1:00pm with the 2nd game to follow 30mins after the completion of the first. As always their is no charge to come out and watch some top notch ball, so come and catch a glimpse of the 2010 Whitesox on what looks to be a beautiful Saturday in early May.

The Parkland Whitesox organization is also looking for new sponsors for the 2010 season. In order to fund such a franchise we rely heavily on the local community for financial support to help with the day to day operating costs. Without this local support the Whitesox organization would struggle, therefore we greatly appreciate all the support we have received from the Parkland area over the last 2 seasons and look to continue it in the future. Not only does a sponsorship help to keep this franchise in the Parkland area, but it is also a fantastic advertising opportunity as well. If you would like any additional information on sponsorship/advertising opportunities please contact Matt Jones at 780-920-7364, or you can reach him via email at jonesy_matt77@hotmail.com . Thanks again for all the wonderful support we've received over the past 2 seasons and we look forward to growing that support in the coming seasons!

 

February 22, 2010

Welcome to the 2010 season of Parkland Whitesox Senior Baseball. After another successful season in 2009 the Sox will look to continue their winning tradition in 2010 as they continue to grow as a franchise in the NCABL. 2010 will mark the Parkland Whitesox franchise's 3rd year in the NCABL, and we have high hopes for a return to the NCABL Championship series. Although the Sox were unable to defend their 2008 league title, they still had an extremely successful season in 2009. Highlights from the 2009 season included being tournament champions at the Harvey J. Doherty Memorial tournament in Westlock, a very strong showing at the St. Albert Tigers Invitational tournament, another very strong showing in their first appearance at the Canada Day Baseball Blast Tournament in Kelowna, BC, a 2nd straight playoff appearance in only the clubs 2nd year of existance. And although the Whitesox were bested in the NCABL Semi-Finals by the Legal Indians, they still showed what it takes to be a championship team in 2009.

Looking forward to 2010 there will be some notable roster changes for the Parkland club. Leaving the team after 2 years with the Sox will be brothers Dale & Derek Ewart. They both made tremendous contributions to the overall success of the franchise and will be missed, but we wish them both the best of luck in their future endevours. Returning to the Whitesox after taking the 2009 season off for educational reasons will be Andrew Slinko and Josh Turner. Both are welcome additions back to the club and will look to pick up where they left off at seasons end in 2008. Also joining the Sox this season will be Stony Plain product Garrett Haylin. Garrett comes to the team from the Edmonton Angels of the Sunburst Baseball League where he spent the last 2 seasons as a pitcher and catcher. Both Haylin and Turner will be strong additions to the Whitesox Bullpen which already features league leaders such as Jamie Cameron, Aaron Huber, Brandon Zelisko and Adam Baron.

Indoor workouts will begin shortly for the Parkland Whitesox in their Spring Training facility at the Tri-Leisure Center in Spruce Grove. Practice times will be available on the calendar shortly so check back often.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our tremendous sponsors for their contributions in the 2009 season. Without your generosity we would not be able to move forward as a franchise and grow the game of baseball in the Spruce Grove and Stony Plain area. Our sponsors for 2009 were as follows:

Parkland Cinema 7

Thompson Brothers Construction

KC's Caverna

Original Joe's Restaurant & Bar

TIC Canada

Competition Insurance

Winncor Contractors

Stony Vacuum & Repair

Thanks again for all your support and we hope to continue gaining the support of the local community. For those interested in a sponsorship/advertising opportunity with the Parkland Whitesox Baseball Club please contact General Manager Matt Jones for details. Thank you!