'A' Mid Season Report
/ GPLS.ca | 1:35 P
Mid-Season Report
The Girls Prairie League Softball season goes by quickly, with each team in the A Division having had played their Pink Sox Weekend, with the East A Division teams playing in Lloydminster and the West teams played in St. Albert, each team is two weekend tournaments into the season with just two more weekend tournaments to go before MacLean-Ross Cup champions are crowned.
With the All-Star Weekend approaching in Prince Albert on June 15 to 17, there is still plenty of time to make some movement before the Championship Weekend and get locked in for a playoff spot. And with plenty of parity in the league this year, along with the largest number of teams the GPLS has ever seen in league history, competition is tight at the mid-way point of the year.
U16A Division
In the Lawrick Division, the Red Deer Rage are 8-2 through 10 games, but are only half a game up on the Sherwood Park Storm 03, who have played nine games this season and sit with a 7-2 record. And behind them are the Lloydminster Liners, who have played 12 games so far, and sit with a 7-5 record. What may be most surprising is that the Calgary Chaos are at 6-4, yet have scored the most runs of any team in the U16A Division, crossing 92 batters over the plate, while only giving up 52. However, Calgary has been on the wrong side of some close games, losing their last two games in the Pink Sox Weekend in St. Albert by a run each.
Meanwhile, Red Deer has victories over Sherwood Park and Lloydminster, both by one run in the Opening Weekend, so have the slight advantage heading down the stretch.
In the Cumpstone Division, it’s a two team race early on, as the Prince Albert Aces sit on top with a, 8-1 record, while the Calgary Kaizen are right behind with a 7-3 record, both having scored 82 runs so far this season. Elnora is in third with a 3-6 record, giving the top two teams some comfort heading into the All-Star Weekend.
U14A Division
There is a log jam at the top of both the Nichols and Sonnenberg Divisions in the U14A Division, with most teams having completed 10 games each. The Calgary Kaizen 04 and St. Albert Angels both have eight wins on the season, although, the Angels have an extra loss having played 11 games so far this year. Calgary has scored 10 or more runs in seven of their 10 games, including a 13-2 victory over St. Albert. Trailing both of them is the Prince Albert Aces, who through 10 games have a 7-3 record, finding themselves winners of four of their five games during the Pink Sox Weekend in Lloydminster. The Red Deer Rage are just two wins back, with a 6-2 record.
In the Nichols Division, Sherwood Park had their only loss of the season come at the hands of Prince Albert, but other than that, have a 9-1 record and sit on top of the division. They lead the Calgary Adrenaline and Edmonton Rivercity, both of which have a 7-3 record, having scored over 80 runs each. The Battleford Bandits follow closely behind with a 5-5 record.
U12A Division
The St. Albert Angels have a 10-1 record and sit on top of the U12A division, one game in front of the Calgary Kaizen, who sport a 9-1 record. St. Albert did get the victory over Calgary in their meeting during the Opening Weekend, winning 8-3, but after a perfect weekend during the Pink Sox Weekend, Calgary will look to make the most of the five games during the All-Star Weekend and make up the final ground on the Angels. Both have scored 104 runs this season, the most of any team in the league.
With Calgary and St. Albert running away with the division, it leaves Red Deer, Lloydminster’s two teams, Battlefords and Sherwood Park fighting for positioning come playoff time, as each team is below .500 currently, but can change positioning quickly with a solid weekend at the All-Star Weekend.
With only a handful of games remaining across all divisions, the All-Star weekend will prove to be a critical weekend as teams look to lock in their playoff spots and seeds, and aim for a run at a GPLS Championship.
