Supers 2021 Season Preview

Senior baseball is back in full swing for the 2021 season, as the Supers will be out to defend their 2019 SESBL championship. After the 2020 season was lost due to Covid-19, the Supers and the rest of the league are itching to get back on the diamonds in the Parkland.

Al Sapieha Field will be new and improved this season, featuring a new mound, batters box, and a grass infield with irrigation. The days of unpredictable hops on ground balls will be a thing of the past. A big thank you goes out to the Town of Canora, rec director Aaron Herriges and staff for the hard work and dedication with the upgrade to Al Sapieha Field.

The league unfortunately will be losing a few teams. The Willowbrook Royals, Back Forty Brewers, Parkland Padres, and Yorkton Orioles will all be taking a one year leave of absence. The two remaining Manitoba teams are not allowed to cross over the border due to restrictions, so the Roblin Stars and Grandview Lakers will be taking the year off, but not be penalized a years leave due to not having any control in their situation. Hopefully some teams can return for the 2022 season.

For 2021, the league welcomed two new teams, the Yorkton Marlins and the Yorkton 18U Cardinals. The Supers, Parkland Pirates, and Langenburg Legends will all be back. The Cardinals will play each team once, and not qualify for playoffs. The rest of the teams will play each other three times for a ten game season. The regular season begins June 14, and will end approximately July 15. Playoffs will begin shortly after.

The Supers will return the majority of their championship squad from 2019, with a few additions and subtractions. Colby Parachoniak, Logan Parachoniak, Jordan Evans, Tanner Melnychuk, and Brogan Legebokoff will depart the Supers to join the Marlins. New faces to the Supers will include former Willowbrook Royals pitcher/infielder Greg Pelechaty, and former Melville Bison and Yorkton Oriole power hitting infielder Jason Waldbauer. 

Returning players will be the following:

Kody Rock - P/INF - Canora SK - Aside from being the ace of the pitching staff, he will be a fixture near the top of the order, and infield. He is the straw that stirs the drink. He hits for power, average, steals bases, and dominates on the hill. He can do it all

Sean Kolodziejski - C/INF - Hyas - Sean will bat near the top of the order and provide solid defence behind the dish. He was a key table setter for the potent power hitting behind him, and will be counted on for much the same. He will get plenty of stolen bases, and can also play infield and outfield if necessary

Zach Rakochy - C/UTL - Canora - After a 2 season hiatus, Rakochy will make his return. His speed and potent bat was known throughout the league from 2011-2017, and will continue in 2021. When not catching he can play anywhere except pitcher, so his versatility will be key to the defence

Dylan Toffan - INF/P - Canora - Toffan's availability will be limited, but hopefully he can make enough games to qualify for playoffs. His bat is steady, he can play most positions in the field, and can pitch. When available he adds another dimension to the team

Travis Mentanko -INF - Canora - Travis will be counted on for more power hitting and rbi's in the #3 spot in the order. His availability is generally limited in the regular season, but come playoffs is in full swing. We look forward to another big season

Kholton Shewchuk - INF/P - Rama - Shewchuk will be back to patrol third base and drive in runs in the middle of the order. He is reliable as it gets, and his production is nearly unmatched throughout the league. He will also be counted on to throw some key innings on the mound

Ian Quewezance - SS - Kamsack - Ian is another slick fielding, big bat in the middle of the order. He will continue to hit for a high average and make dandy plays from shortstop

Evan Rostotski - OF - Norquay - The man known as "Rook" will be back to play some steady outfield and contribute a consistent bat. He has been a mainstay for over a decade, and continues to be very reliable

Derek Palagian - OF/P - Hudson Bay - Palagian has been with the Supers since 2004, and has pitched the most innings in that time period. At 38, he still has the consistent pitches to keep batters off balance, and provides steady outfield defence and a good bat

Darcy Blommaert - OF/P - Yorkton - A member of the Supers since 1999, Darcy just keeps coming back for more. He has lost a few miles per hour off the fastball, but this crafty lefty still gets the job done on the mound. He should continue to do the same in 2021

Phil Sobkow -OF/INF - Calder - Phil has been the cleanup hitter for the majority of his Supers career. He will continue to bring some power from the middle of the order, and solid defence where needed

Jayden Heskin - P/INF - Norquay - Heskin will add depth to the strong roster. After finishing his 18U career with the Canora Reds in 2019, he is eager to continue playing with the big club. He has a good arm and with a little fine tuning can turn into a solid pitcher.

Jorden Cherewyk - OF - Yorkton via Norquay - Cherewyk will return for his third season in the outfield. He has good speed and a strong arm, and an infectious team first attitude. 

Greg Andreychuk - Coach/OF - Yorkton - Greg has been in charge of the Supers since 2011, as a player and coach. He can still play in the outfield when necessary, but will spend a bit more time coaching third base and from the dugout than in years past. He has been a Super since the 1999 Championship season

Restrictions in place at outdoor sporting events include capacity of 150 or less, spectators to be social distanced unless they are from the same household. Hand sanitizer to be provided at the facility. Equipment such as bats, helmets, catchers gear to be sanitized if shared. No sharing of water bottles. Contact tracing to be done by the home team for players, coaches, officials.

The Supers will have a deep lineup once again, and are itching to win another league title. It's tough to get to the top of the mountain, and tougher to stay there as everyone will be gunning for you. But the Supers look forward to the challenge, but more importantly look forward to getting back to normal