Western Heat

Prince County softball All-Stars hope for strong finish at Eastern Championships

Ryan Quigley

Journal Pioneer

The Western Heat begin play at the Eastern Canadian Midget Girl’s Softball championships in Cornwall on Thursday.

The All-Star team is made up from 16 outstanding fast-pitch softball players from Borden to Tignish who played in the P.E.I. Midget Girl’s Softball league with Prince County teams.

The tournament includes 10 teams, from Ontario to Newfoundland, divided into two divisions of five. Each team will play four round robin games, requiring at least two wins to make it to the quarter-finals beginning on Saturday and then to the semi-finals and finals on Sunday.

The Heat will play at least four games during the tournament at the East Wiltshire Softball Complex starting Thursday at 12 p.m. against the team from Cole Harbour, N.S., followed by an evening date with Bathurst, N.B. at 5 p.m. Friday will see the team play one of the two teams from Ontario at 12 p.m. and finishing off the day with Lac St.-Louis at 5 p.m.

Ken Cashion, coach of the Western Heat and recent Provincial champion Summerside Heat, said he believes his team stacks up well with the competition.

“We’re in a tough division but we have a very solid team and so we’re hoping to be playing in the playoffs,” he said. “This would be the best team I’ve ever taken to an Eastern Canadians, no doubt about it.”

Cashion, who has coached in the Eastern Canadian Softball Championships for 15-years, said having three good pitchers in his rotation will help the team’s chances of a high finish,

“A lot of this comes down to pitching,” he said. “(Ontario and Quebec) come down with three or four exceptional pitchers, we come in with three pitchers and we come in with one that can pitch at the Ontario, Quebec level. So what tends to get us is pitching. But straight up this team can play with Ontario or Quebec, there’s no doubt in my mind.”

Cashion said having some good leaders on his team will help.

“When the kids are younger it’s tougher to compete. But as they get bigger they catch up in skill,” he said. “We have four or five leaders that have to play well for us to do well and that’s one of the key things with any team.”

Cashion said picking their spots in the round robin will be key to making it to the playoffs for the Heat.

“You got to pick your games you are going to go for. The goal for us in the round robin is to go either 2-2 or 3-1,” he said. “Once you get into Saturday, anything can happen.”