13-year-old Benjamin Ortman, affectionately known as Benny by teammates and coaches, recently returned from the sun-soaked state of Arizona after being a part of the Fall Ball and Travel Team, hosted by the Going Yard Baseball Warehouse in Saskatoon.
At the end of a very busy long weekend, Ortman and his teammates did their province proud by making it all the way to the semi-finals in their tournament.
The Going Yard Baseball Warehouse in Saskatoon is a program that aims to extend the playing season for young baseball players by giving at least four hours of instructional practices per week, as well as weekend game schedules for the fall months.
Ortman made the team in mid-August, and under the program played several top teams in Western Canada before traveling down to Phoenix, AZ, to compete in the Veteran’s Day Salute Tournament held over November long weekend.
Ortman and his teammates played five American teams in the tournament, mercying the first team, and winning tight games on the following three before ending in the semi-finals after a tough American team—the Copperheads—gained the upper-hand.
“It was a really cool experience,” said Ortman in a recent interview. “I made a lot of good friends, and the team was one of the best teams I have played on.”
Ortman’s team was made up of boys from all around the Saskatoon area, and while many of the boys didn’t know each other before coming together as a team in August, they hit it off during practices and the initial games. “We got to know each other throwing the ball around; we’d start talking and joking while catching and we just got to be friends from there.”
The tournament in Phoenix was the final and biggest tournament of the year for Ortman and his team. “It was great to travel and see all sorts of cool things in Arizona like the Grand Canyon, and to play the best baseball against some of the best teams down there.” Ortman said that some of the teams had practiced months longer than the Saskatoon Fall Ball and Travel Team, but that didn’t stop the Saskatoon team from playing straight from the heart.
“We didn’t let each other get down, we would tell each other, ‘we are here because we are good players, and the team needs us to play our best.’” No doubt this positive outlook was a massive point in Saskatoon’s favour as they met with strong teams in every matchup. The sanguine attitude also kept the boys smiling after they took their loss in the semi-finals. “The Copperheads were a good team and they played very well, but we made them work for every point;” Ortman recalled with understandable pride in his voice.
Home from his whirlwind experience, Ortman already has plans to try out for the Fall Ball Travel Team next year, and take his skills to the next level. “The team pushed me and challenged me to do better than my best. I could see other players who could play better than me, and so I learned from them and worked even harder to be a part of the team. I like that, and I like getting better at baseball, so I’m ready to try out for the team for every year that I can.”
Ortman thanked his sponsors from Kindersley, including G-macs, Cameron’s Clothing Company, Source for Sports, and Kindersley residents who hired him and donated bags of bottles.
Congratulations Benjamin on your achievement this year, and best of luck for the next!
Feature Image Source: Submitted by Benjamin Ortman
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