The baseball season isn't over quite yet for the East Central 18U AAA Red Sox as the team is gearing up for an appearance at the Western Canadian Championships which go from August 19-21. Westerns are slated for Regina with the Red Sox representing Saskatchewan alongside host team Regina Wolfpack. 

It's been a challenging season for the East Central Crew who returned with silver from the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League provincial tournament. That finish earned them the berth into the tournament which features representatives from Alberta, Manitoba and BC..

“We’re taking a bit of a break,” says Red Sox head coach Garret Korte. “It's been a grind for our guys, and some of them are a bit beat up and tired, so we’re going to take a bit of a break. We’re going to start preparing in August for Westerns. We’re looking at maybe an exhibition game along the way and some practices, and we’ll prep for that tournament.”

Korte acknowledges the tournament will crank up the competition to another level as the Red Sox challenge the best teams in Western Canada. Undaunted, the coach knows his players are up to the task.
“I think we’re prepared for it. We had a great season with certainly no disappointment. We lost (the SPBL final) to a really good Saskatoon Cubs team. We didn’t play our best game in the final and our boys would admit that. But in saying that, we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished and we’re ready for Westerns.”

Meanwhile some of the squad will be getting a little extra diamond time away from their usual James Korte field. Four Red Sox players have been selected for Team Sask at the Canada 

Summer Summer Games. Cam Marshak, Joel Bauml, Marek Yeager, and Adam Korte will join Team Sask in Niagara Falls for the tournament which runs from August 7th to the 14th. It's the largest representation on Team Sask from a single squad in the province, a testament to the strength of the Red Sox program. 

Once those events wrap up, then it’s onto business for next season. Korte says camps and tryouts will be conducted in September with an eye to working with veteran and new players on the 2023 edition of the East Central Red Sox.