BASEBALL RETURNS TO TOFIELD
Posted May 12, 2017
Success came to the Bardo Athletics in the mid to late 2000’s when the team would famously lift the 30 year ‘Bardo Curse’ in 2006 with their first PBL Championship in three decades defeating the Armena Axemen. The same team would go on to win the 2008 PBL Championship over the Camrose Roadrunners making it two titles in three seasons. The Rebels would find success over there eight seasons in the PBL after re-emerging in 2009. A PBL Championship in 2014 and back to back PBL Pennants in 2015 and 2016 were the highlights of the Rebels that included trips to the PBL Playoffs in seven of the teams eight seasons.
Baseball fans would get to experience on the PBL’s best on field rivalries whenever the Rebels and Athletics would face off on the field. Many thought that one of the greatest games the PBL had seen in it’s recent history was the eleven inning 1-1 tie between the Rebels and the Athletics on July 13 2009 at the Bardo Recreation Grounds. The game would feature eleven inning complete games between two of the best pitchers the PBL has seen in Curtis Stensrud and Don Oslund. Overpowering pitching and great defence on both sides would leave fans talking about the amazing game and how it might be one of the greatest the PBL has ever seen. That is until the Armena Royals and Rosalind Athletics played thirteen innings of back and forth baseball over two days to determine the winner of the 2016 PBL Championship.
Bringing the Athletics and the Rebels together will without a doubt make the Tofield Braves a force in the PBL for the 2017 season as they will be looking to dethrone the 2016 PBL champion Rosalind Athletics. Over the last three seasons the Ryley Rebels have produced one of the PBL’s best offences since the wood bat era began in 2009. Led by players like Corey Epp, Kevin Reinholt, Craig Koughan, Chad Nelson and Shawn Pilgaard the Rebels put up 343 runs over three seasons, 41 more than the Armena Royals and Beaumont Angels who were second with 302 runs scored. “Tofield looks to be an offensive juggernaut in the PBL” said Neufeld “it will be exciting to have a very competitive team”.
The roster will be bolstered by a couple of additional pitchers to an already deep staff and bullpen with the likes of Pilgaard, Epp and Barry Truss from the Rebels as well as Chris Middlestat and Sean Melanson from the Athletics and newcomer Jeremy Legatt from Fort Saskatchewan. Local baseball enthusiasts are bound to recognize some names on the team. Longtime Bardo Athletic players Rob Berrecloth (since 1996) and Chris Middlestat (since 1998) will remain with the team while Corey Epp and Peter Neufeld have been playing in the PBL since 2002. The Braves roster will include four players who played with the original Tofield Lakers franchise in Epp, Dylan Berrecloth, Mark Lawson and Sean Melanson resuming their Tofield playing days with the Braves.
The 2017 Powerline Baseball League season is scheduled to begin on Saturday May 13 across the league with three games. PBL Opening Day will see the Braves travel to Rosalind to take on the 2016 Champion Athletics. The Rosalind Athletics would sweep the Ryley Rebels in their 2016 semi-final match up 2-0 as well as winning their 2015 best of three semi-final series 2-1 against the Rebels. Baseball will officially return to the Tofield Sports Grounds on Thursday May 18 when the Leduc Milleteers come to town for the Braves home opener.
