Rainy River fastball season set to play

Ken Johnston

PLAY BALL!
That will soon be the cry across the Rainy River District as the fastball league gets set to play another season starting Tuesday May 11.
Treasurer Guy Arpin said that for the most part the league will remain much the same as last year with all eight teams returning from last year. They include last year’s champs Sight and Sound (Fort Frances), Rainy River Legion, Big Grassy, Big Island, Pinewood Bears, Stratton, Barwick and Rainy Lake.
Games will be played Tuesday and Thursday evenings across the district (a finalized scheduled has not been released yet).
Arpin said that the All Star Game will be hosted by Stratton in late June this year and the wind-up awards banquet will be held in Fort Frances.
A number of teams, including Rainy River, are looking for new players this year. Arpin said, “We are really trying to encourage young people to come out and play.” Personally he feels grade 9 is a good age to play, but he noted there are a few elementary school aged kids playing in the league already. One change that will affect them is the league is encouraging teams to purchase face masks for any player 16 and under. Last year a player was hit in the face by a wild pitch and had to have reconstructive surgery.
To join the league Arpin said that people can contact the following team reps: George Olster (Barwick), Don Gall (Rainy River), Carl Big George (Big Island), Tim Archie (Big Grassy), Kyle Langlais (Pinewood), Tom Vandenbrand (Stratton), Derek McKinnon (Sight and Sound) and Sheldon Kelly (Rainy Lake).
Another team facing change this year will be last year’s champs. Pitcher Warren Voth moved to Eastern Ontario. That will leave a big hole in the Sight and Sound roster and Arpin says it will be interesting to see how they fill it.
Arpin said that he has spoken to many young people and they often do not feel they are good enough to play. However, he notes, “None of us could play at one time. Jump right in and play. It will come to you.”
Teams like Pinewood and Barwick have proven with the influx of younger players in the past couple of years that it makes a big difference in the win column.