July 20th, 2009

This week saw the Sox host the Sturgeon Paladins and travel to Camrose to face the Axemen. In the first game Parkland hosted the Paladins in what would turn out to be quite the thrilling win for the Sox. Parkland sent Aaron Huber to the hill while Sturgeon would counter with James Turnbull. Huber would go 5 innings surrenduring 3 runs and striking out 7 before giving way to Brandon Zelisko for the last 2 innings. Zelisko would give up 1 hit in his 2 innings while striking out 3 on his way to picking up the win. And he would get that win because of the late game rally Parkland would put on to score the tying and go ahead runs in the bottom of the 6th inning. Not only would Zelisko pick up the win on the hill, but he would also claim the 2 RBI that put Parkland ahead for good with a ground ball that scored both Dale Ewart and Jamie Cameron. With the win Parkland improved their record to 6-4-1 on the season, putting them 1.5 games ahead of Westlock for the final playoff spot.

The second game of the week was a televised event down in Camrose with the visiting Whitesox winning the game 2-1, despite only having 9 players in attendance for it. Jamie Cameron picked up his 5th league win of the season in spectacular fashion as he allowed only 3 hits, while striking out 11 Axemen batters in the 7 innings he pitched. Not even a 20 minute rain delay in the top of the 5th inning could slow Cameron down as the Camrose hitters kept coming back to the bench empty handed. Matt Jones, Scott Hoekstra, and Mike Stiver lead the way offensively for the Sox with each having multi-hit games. The Sox added to their win total in pushing their league record to 7-4-1, giving them a somewhat comfortable lead in the race for the last playoff spot. Also, if anyone would like to purchase a copy of the game tape from the Camrose TV station please contact team P.R. Rep Matt Jones and he will give you all the details.

July 12th, 2009

Upon returning from Kelowna the Whitesox faced the Edmonton Athletics back in the friendly confines of Henry Singer Park. Aaron Huber took to the hill in search of his first victory on the season, and he would get it as the Sox would take the game 10-3 over the visiting A's. Derek Ewart lead the way for Parkland offensively as he drove in 5 RBI's on the night, with a grand slam in the first inning to get things started. Scott Hoekstra, Adam Baron, and Brad Walde also picked a couple hits each in the win. Huber would go 7 innings strong giving up only 3 runs, 2 walks, while striking out 12 in picking up the win. With the victory the Whitesox jumped the Westlock Red Lions for the fourth and final playoff spot! Good luck boys the rest of the way.

July 11th, 2009

The weekend of June 25th - 28th saw the Parkland Whitesox travel to Kelowna for the annual Canada Day Baseball Blast Tournament. Over the course of 4 days they would see action against the host Kelowna Jays, Fraser Valley Red Sox (Surrey), and Red Deer Stags in the hopes of making the playoffs as a first year entrant to the tourny. The opening game of the tournament for Parkland was a night affair with the host Kelowna Jays under the lights of Elks Stadium. It was another pitching duel for the ages, as has been the case all season for the Sox, as Jamie Cameron took to the hill in search of an opening night victory. Now although he didn't get that win, as Kelowna would go on to take the game 3-1, Cameron sure did shoot out the lights on the mound. He would go distance surrenduring only 6 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 9 batters. Now it wasn't the outcome Coach Doug Jones was hoping for, but it was a great start to the tournament. "That was a fantastic battle out there. Both teams were just so strong defensively that no one was getting on base. Sure, we could've used a few more hits here or there to cash in some stranded base runners but overall I'm very happy with our performance tonight."

The second game of the Blast Tournament saw the Whitesox take on the Fraser Valley Red Sox at Lombardy Park. Blair Cowley (of the Legal Indians) would get the start for Parkland in what would turn out to be a very back and forth morning affair. Cowley struggled with control in the first inning which gave Fraser Valley the early 4-0 lead, but settled down after that. He would go 6 innings, striking out 4, while scattering a handful of hits. Meanwhile, the Sox struggles at the dish would come to an abrubt end as they would strike for 4 runs in the top of the 5th inning to tie the game at 4. The offensive outburst was thanks to some key hits from Scott Hoekstra, Aaron Huber, Dale Ewart, and Jamie Cameron as they each cashed in a run. Unfortunately it was just not enough as Fraser Valley would score 2 in the bottom of the 6th to take the game 6-4, dropping the Sox record to 0-2 for the Tournament.

The third and final game of the tournament for the Sox would see them play the Red Deer Stags. They were looking for a little retribution after losing to those same Stags 5-1 in St. Albert the previous weekend.... And boy would they get that retribution in this one. The bats came alive early and often in this one as Parkland would jump all over the Red Deer pitching en route to a 6-0 shutout victory. Matt Kukovica (of the Legal Indians) would pick up the complete game shutout for the Whitesox in a dazzling performance. He would strike out 8 batters while giving up only 3 hits all game in the victory.

When asked about the weekend Coach Jones had this to say. "We had an absolute blast down here this weekend, and I'm very proud of the performance our boys gave. We gave 2 of the top teams in the tournament a serious run for their money in only our first year of being in this tournament. I think that speaks great volumes of the calibre of ball our team is capable of playing. We had a great time and are already looking forward to coming back here next year!"

July 10th, 2009

Following the Tigers tournament the Sox had a Tuesday night date with the Edmonton Blackhawks. Despite the Sox bats seeming to come alive over the weekend in St. Albert, they were nowhere to be found against the Hawks as they would drop a 2-1 decision to the Edmonton club. Parkland would only muster up a handful of hits as Regan Hoet pitched a gem of a game for the Blackhawks. Parkland sent Adam Baron to the hill in search of his first win as a starting pitcher. Unfortunately he would not get it as he left the game in a 1-1 tie after going 5 strong innings. Aaron Huber would come in to finish out the game, but the Hawks would get to him in the bottom of the 7th as they would score the game winning run on a walkoff single. Next up the Sox would head out on the road to the Kelowna Jays Canada Day Baseball Blast Tournament.

July 6th, 2009

It's been a hectic month for the Parkland Whitesox as they've played in 3 tournaments and a number of league games. We'll start at the beginning of the month with the Harvey J. Doherty Memorial Tournament hosted by the Westlock Red Lions. Going into the tournament the Sox had been slumping offensively in league play, however that all changed over the weekend as the Parkland Whitesox were crowned tournament champions. The road to the title wasn't easy though, as they had to go through 3 tough opponents in Grande Prairie, Westlock, and the Edmonton Blackhawks. In the first game Jamie Cameron stole the show as he pitched a complete game "no-hitter" en route to a 7-1 Parkland victory. Next up was a wild back and forth affair with the Red Lions in the Semi Finals. It took 10 innings to decide a victor but in the end the pitching of the Sox staff, combined with a few timely hits would be the difference as they would move on to the tournament finals. In the finals it was again a back & forth battle with the Edmonton Blackhawks as the hawks jumped out to an early lead, only to see it evaporate over the course of 7 innings as the Parkland Whitesox were once again victorious!

Next up the Whitesox had a date in Bon Accord with the Sturgeon Paladins, and once again the Whitesox bats came to life as they scored 10 runs en route to a 10-4 victory. Jamie Cameron picked up his 4th victory of the season with another solid performance on the hill. With the win Parkland improved their league record to 3 wins and 3 losses

The next 2 games would be played at the friendly confines on Henry Singer Park against the league leading Legal Indians and Edmonton Warriors. In the first game yet another classic pitchers duel would ensue as both Jamie Cameron of the Sox and Matt Kukovica of Legal would shoot the lights out in Spruce Grove. Unfortunately for Kukovica and the Indians a rough first inning in which the first 5 batters the Sox sent up were walked and they jumped out to an early 2-0 lead from which Legal never quite recovered. They would score 1 in the 5th inning to make it interesting but the Whitesox would ice the win with the insurance run scored courtesy of an Aaron Huber double in the bottom of the 6th. With the win Jamie Cameron's record grew to an impressive 5 wins and 0 losses on the season! The 2nd game of the homestand saw the Whitesox take the field against the Edmonton Warriors. This game would yet again be another one to remember as it saw both teams score 6 runs a piece on the way to a 9-inning tie game that would be called due to darkness. Although the game ended in a tie the Sox had a very strong showing despite only having 10 players in attendance for this one. Pitching duties would be split between Brandon Zelisko, who started and went 4 innings strong, and Adam Baron who threw the last 5 innings.

The weekend of the 20th & 21st of June saw the Parkland Whitesox in action in the Annual St. Albert Tigers Invitational Tournament. In the opener the Sox faced off against the Red Deer Stags of the Sunburst League. Although they would go on to lose the game by a score of 5-1 Coach Jones saw a lot of positives. "We hit the ball really well but just couldn't come up with the key hits when guys were in scoring position. Once again we left way too many runners on base and once again it hurt us in the win column. And despite a rough first inning defensivly, Aaron (Huber) had another great pitching performance fall by the wayside. We had a couple little mental blunders early on that cost us 3 runs in the first inning, if you take those away it's a very different ball game." One of the bright spots offensivly was the return of Greg Gagnon to the lineup as he went 2 for 3 and picked up the lone RBI in the loss.

Game 2 of the tournament saw the Whitesox take on the host St. Albert Tigers in what would turn out to be the game of the tournament. The game would need 9 full innings to decide a winner as the Tigers would eventually outlast the Sox for a 5-3 win. Parkland would explode offensivly against the Tigers pitching staff, but as was the case a game earlier they simply couldn't push the runs across when needed. The Whitesox scattered 14 hits across 9 innings but could only manage 3 runs, however Coach Jones was again very pleased with his teams showing. "The boys were showing great confidence up to the plate today and it translated into some great hits. Now all we need to do is get better in situational hitting scenarios and we'll be set. A flare here or a dying quail there and we win this game without having to go to extra innings, but that's what's great about the game of baseball.... You never know what's going to happen and you have to play accordingly." Jamie Cameron took to the hill in this one and went the full 9 innings in the loss. "Everything felt great today, I was hitting my spots and had good control. Unfortunately they just got a few hard hits at the right time, and that's just the way it is" Cameron remarked.

Game 3 of the tournament was an interesting affair to say the least. The game was called after just 2 short innings as the umpires decided to eject the entire Parkland Whitesox team during a despute. In the end the Calgary Redbirds claimed a 4-2 win, but the victory was marred as the umpires took the game into their own hands.

June 2nd, 2009

The Legal Indians handed the Parkland Whitesox their 3rd loss of the season as they defeated the Sox 2-1 this evening in yet another great pitchers duel. It was an all rookie matchup on the hill as Parkland threw newly aquired Brandon Zelisko while Blair Cowley drew in for Legal. Both pitchers were absolutely lights out for their respective teams, however Legal was able to squeek 2 runs across on a couple early errors by the Sox. Those 2 runs turned out to be all Legal needed as Cowley shut down the Parkland bats and surrendered only the 1 lone run in picking up the victory.

When asked what he sees to be the problem when it comes to the lack of offensive production, Coach Jones said "To me it simply looks like the boys are too up tight up there. They're watching too many strikes go by and getting down in the count early, then having to battle back from 2 strikes down. We just need to start having some fun out there... The production and wins will follow."

The Whitesox are now off to Westlock to play in the annual Harvey J. Doherty Memorial Tournament this weekend. Hopefully this weekend will mark the turnaround point for the slumping Sox bats so they can get back on track and into the win column. The first action the boys will see is against the Grande Prairie Cougars Saturday June 6th at noon.

May 27th, 2009

The Westlock Red Lions edged the Parkland Whitesox tonight 3-2 in 8 innings in what was truly a pitchers duel. Parkland sent Aaron Huber to hill to face Adam Sawatzky and the Red Lions, and did they ever put on a pitching clinic. Huber went the distance in the loss giving up only a handful of timely hits while striking out a season high 11 batters. But despite his best efforts on the mound, the team simply could not hold on to the 1 run lead they carried into the bottom of the 7th inning as Westlock was able to tie the game and eventually score the winning run the 8th. With the loss the Whitesox record falls to an even 2 wins and 2 losses. Next up is a date at home vs the Legal Indians Tuesday June 2nd. The Indians will be looking for some redemption as they were swept in last years final series by the Sox. Gametime will be 7:15pm at Henry Singer Park.

May 26th, 2009

The Whitesox Home Opener took place tonight at Henry Singer Park, and for those in attendance the game did not disappoint. The Sox edged the Axemen by a hard fought final score of 3-2. Starting pitcher Jamie Cameron turned in yet another gem in the win, going the distance while allowing only 2 runs. The victory improves his record to 2-0 on the season. Although the Sox came away with the win tonight their bats were silent for a 3rd game in a row as the Camrose pitching staff held them in check pretty much all game long. But as the old saying goes, "perserverance pays off" and the Sox bump their record to 2-1 on the season. Tomorrow night they will travel to Westlock to take on the Red Lions in what will surely be another great ballgame at Keller Field.

May 23rd, 2009

With the May 20th Home Opener postponed due to both snow and cold weather, the Sox have had this week off for games. However the upcoming week will prove to be a busy one as the Home Opener has been rescheduled to this Tuesday May 26th vs Camrose, and the following night will see the Sox travel to Westlock to battle the Red Lions. Camrose is currently sitting winless after 2 games but will be hungry for their first win coming into the confines of Henry Singer Park Tuesday evening. Gametime for both games will be 7:15pm

The finishing touches have now been put on the new Henry Singer Park as the foul lines were painted, bases were laid, and sprinkler system was officially activated earlier today. The Parkland Whitesox Organization would like to thank Wilco Construction for doing such a great job on the construction of their new home, as well as City of Spruce Grove Mayor Stuart Houston for aproving the project.

Pictures of the finished diamond are now up in the photos section.

May 13th, 2009

The Parkland Whitesox suffered their first defeat of the 2009 season at the hands of the Mayerthorpe Mets by a final score of 4-0. Despite a solid start from pitcher Aaron Huber the Sox couldn't get their bats going as they only mustered up 2 hits courtesy of Matt Jones. Huber went the distance scattering 4 hits while striking out 7 in the loss. Coach Jones was visably frustrated with his clubs offensive performance after the game. "We have to start seeing the ball better while up to the plate. Too many guys are watching fastballs go by for strikes then fishing at the junk when down in the count. Needless to say we'll be addressing these issues in the upcoming practices before the home opener next Wednesday."

With the loss the Whitesox's record falls to 1-1 on the season. They will look to rebound when the Camrose Axemen come to town for next Wednesday's home opener at Henry Singer Park. The Axemen are coming off a tough loss to the Legal Indians over the weekend by a score of 4-0. Both teams will be looking to get back into the win column and get their sticks going after the shutouts. Gametime will be 7:15pm.

May 10th, 2009

Opening day has come and gone in the 2009 NCABL season and the Parkland Whitesox are sitting at 1-0 thanks to a 4-0 win over the Edmonton Athletics. With some timely hits by Mark Gogerla and Miles Walker, heads up baserunning, and a few errors on the A's behalf the Sox were able to squeeze 4 runs across the plate against a very tough pitcher in Mark Trela. Not to be outdone however was Parkland pitcher Jamie Cameron who turned in quite the gem of his own, going the distance to pick up the shutout while striking out 13 along the way. It looks like Jamie is picking up right where he left off last season.

When asked to comment about the lack of production at the plate, coach Doug Jones said "it was just a case of an effective pitcher hitting his spots and our team maybe showing a little rust at the plate. It's nothing I'm overly concerned about, I know how our boys can hit the ball and it won't be long before they get back into that rhythm again."

The Whitesox are now off to face the Mayerthorpe Mets Wednesday night in Mayerthorpe at 7:15pm. The Mets opened their season today against the Westlock Red Lions, however the outcome of that game was not released before press time.

May 4th, 2009

As we enter the final week of the preseason, preparations for opening day are taking place both on and off the field. The positional battles are heating up as the last couple practices will decided who cracks the starting roster for Sunday's season opener with the Edmonton A's. The opening pitch is scheduled for 2:00pm at Spartan Park in Edmonton.  Parking is limited at Spartan Park this year due to nearby construction so those wishing to attend are asked to be there nice and early. The starting pitcher for Sunday looks to be a 2 horse race between fireballer Jamie Cameron and 2008 Playoff MVP Aaron Huber. It's not an easy decision for Coach Doug Jones, having to choose between these aces, but that's a problem he's happy to face this season.

In other news, Henry Singer Park is nearing completion as the final touches are being put on before the Whitesox home opener May 20th vs Camrose. This will mark the official opening of the newly renovated Henry Singer Park. New construction pictures, taken May 2nd, have been posted in the photos section. The diamond is really starting to take shape and we here are extremely excited for its official opening. The Sox organization would like to ask all fans in the Spruce Grove and Stony Plain area to come out and cheer on they boys as we look to pack the stands May 20th. Those planning on attending are asked to be there by 7:00pm for the ceremonial first pitch to be thrown by Spruce Grove Mayor Stuart Houston. Grandstand seating capacity is slated at roughly 250 for the 2009 season so let's fill those stands and catch a little SOX FEVER!!!

April 22nd, 2009

With the first full outdoor practice under their belts the Parkland Whitesox are feeling pretty good about the 2009 season. Everyone seemed to fall right back into midseason form during their fielding and hitting drills. Unfortunately the weather won't be co-operating for the Sox this week as colder temperatures have forced the team back indoors for a few days.

On a different note, the new diamond at Henry Singer is looking really good as Spring fully hits. The snow has finally melted and grass is just starting to green up. The Sox are really looking forward to being the first team to play on this new park with their home opener May 20th vs Camrose. You can catch all the action beginning at 7:00pm with the ceremonial first pitch to be thrown by Spruce Grove Mayor Stuart Houston.

Also, the Parkland Whitesox would like to welcome both Competition Insurance and Winncor Contractors to our 2009 Corporate Sponsors. Thank you both for your support and we look forward to seeing you at the park this year!

April 8th, 2009

The Kelowna Canada Day Blast Tournament schedule is now up in the schedule section. The Sox will see action against the host Kelowna Jays, Fraser Valley Red Sox, and Red Deer Stags in round robin action. The game against Kelowna should be a fantastic test for the Whitesox as it will be played opening day as the 8:00pm night game under the lights, in front of the hometown croud. The round robin games for the Sox will be split between Elks Stadium and Lombardy Park, with the playoffs being played at Elks Stadium. The playoff games will be split between Saturday night and Sunday morning with the finals being played Sunday afternoon.

Once again we would like to wish the boys good luck in Kelowna and hopefully it will become an annual tradition to attend this fine tournament.

In other news, Spring Training is coming along great as the Sox prepare for the upcoming season. While the snow has not yet completely melted from their new home at Henry Singer Park, indoor practices are seeing good progress. Almost the entire team looks to be healthy coming into the '09 season with the exception of 4 players: Matt Jones, Brad Walde, Dale Ewart, and Scott Hoekstra.Three are recovering from arm injuries suffered during the off season, but they all seem to be on track for opening day appearances.

March 31st, 2009

Spring Training is officially underway for the Parkland Whitesox as they began indoor training at the Tri-Leisure Center in Spruce Grove last night. The team looks very excited to begin the upcoming '09 campaign and and attempt to defend their 2008 League Championship. The majority of players from the '08 season will be returning, only 2 will not be, and a few fresh faces will also join the squad for 2009. Such new members include Dustin Greanya, Miles Walker, Scott Hoekstra, Greg Gagnon, and a few more to be named later. Greanya and Walker come to the Whitesox after a disappointing season with the Edmonton Stars, which saw the team fold with 3 games remaining in the regular season. Scott Hoekstra joins the Sox after playing the last 2 summer seasons with the Sherwood Park Dukes of the WMBL as well as playing  for the Malaspina Mariners in the fall. Greg Gagnon will join the Whitesox pitching staff after taking the last couple years off. Previously he had played in the St. Albert Tigers baseball program.

The Whitesox will be training indoors at the Transalta Tri-Leisure Center twice a week for the month of April, or until the remaining snow melts. The team is very excited about moving into their new home at Henry Singer Park this season. Final touches in the construction of the new diamond are underway and everything looks to be right on schedule for the Sox home opener May 20th vs Camrose. The only remaining items to be completed with the diamond are the dugouts and installation of the new foul poles and electronic scoreboard.

The Parkland Whitesox are still looking for a title sponsor for the 2009 season. Those interested in sponsoring the team are to contact either President Doug Jones, or P.R. Rep Matt Jones. Contact info can be found in the contacts section in the left menu.

Only 5-1/2 weeks until opening day in the NCABL!

March 16th, 2009

The 2009 Parkland Whitesox Season Schedule is now posted in both the Schedule and Calendar sections of the menu. The 2009 season will consist of 16 Regular Season games as well as numerous tournaments and hopefully a round of playoffs or two. As you will notice the Whitesox Regular Season schedule consists of all weekday games to be played Monday through Thursday. We hope this will help translate into a strong local fan base from the Spruce Grove and Stony Plain areas.

Also, we are currently seeking corporate sponsors looking to invest in the great game of Baseball. Without corporate sponsorship it is very difficult for teams to thrive on the local sports scene. We use our sponsorships to help cover the day to day operating, facility, and equipement charges we are faced with. We had tremendous local support from our 4 major sponsors last season and can't thank them enough for their generous contributions to this franchise. We can only hope to grow that great local support in the upcoming 2009 season. If you are interested in sponsoring the Parkland Senior Whitesox franchise we would ask that you contact either Doug Jones or Matt Jones. Contact info for both is listed in the Contacts section of the menu on your left.

March 2nd, 2009

The Parkland Whitesox would like to take this opportunity to thank it's sponsors for their great contributions to the 2008 Championship season. Without your generosity our franchise would never have gotten off the ground! And special thanks goes out to our Major Corporate Sponsors:

Thompson Brothers Construction - Platinum Sponsor

Arrow-West Equipment - Gold Sponsor

Original Joes Restaurant - Silver Sponsor

TIC Canada - Silver Sponsor

Thanks for all your support in the 2008 season and we'll see you at the park in 2009!

January 4th, 2009

*** NEWS FLASH ***

It's now official, your Parkland Whitesox will be attending the 2009 Canada Day Blast Tournament hosted by the Kelowna Jays! The tournament runs June 25th - 28th in beautiful Kelowna, BC. The schedule is yet to be set but we will have an update on that very shortly, hopefully by the end of the week. The tournament consists of 12 teams in total with 3 divisions of 4 teams. Top prize for this prestigeous tournament is $3000 and the title of Canada Day Blast Champions. Competition will be extremely tough though as the 3-time defending tournament champ Burnaby Bulldogs will look to add a fourth straight title. The teams attending this tournament are as follows:

Kelowna Jays, Kamloops Sundevils, Prince George Axemen, Trail Orioles, Red Deer Stags, Calgary Redbirds, St. Albert Tigers, Nanaimo Coalminers, Coquitlam Angels, Burnaby Bulldogs, Surrey, and our own Parkland Whitesox. Good luck boys!

November 19th, 2008

This past Saturday at the NCABL Fall Bi-Annual meeting the board of governors passed a motion to switch from Aluminum to Wood bats for the upcoming season. So as of opening day 2009 the NCABL will be a wood bat league! Talks are currently ongoing with a number of local batmakers to determine who will be the official bat of the NCABL. Also passed in that same meeting was a new host site for the 2009 All-Star Game. Congratulations to our own Parkland Whitesox as they will be hosting the 2009 NCABL All-Star Game at their new home in Henry Singer Park. The game will be held on Tuesday July 21st, 2009 with the first pitch to be thrown at 6:45pm. For those interested in seeing pictures of the building process at our new home in Henry Singer Park check out the pictures section. They will be posted there shortly.