Tavistock Minor Ball looking to continue player development
The 2024 baseball season is well underway in Tavistock and the organization’s president says pumping out high-quality players remains a priority.
The program has developed national team players such as the McKay brothers, Mitch and Mason, and Dave Nahrgang said there are several reasons why.
“We talk about this a lot as an organization, and I think there's a variety of factors. First of all, it's important to emphasize fun and athleticism at younger ages. We try to instill a passion in the game for kids and get them to return to the game every year. Also, the Cephas Roth Men's Tournament (July 18-21 this year) brings in the best of the best in men's softball, and our athletes can watch and interact with the superstars of softball. That inspires a lot of kids to stay in the game and pursue it at a high level.”
Tavistock Minor Ball holds a skills clinic every spring with the U11 and U13 age groups, and they are fortunate to have players from Team Canada, Team Ontario and women's colleges and universities to run it.
“We try to emphasize to the young kids that it's possible to get to a high level playing in Tavistock and to be a lifelong player of the game. Lastly, we're in a softball hotbed geographically. We are in the middle of a bunch of towns that all run strong softball programs and there are always opportunities for a great game,” Nahrgang said.
Like many other area minor-sports organizations, baseball is seeing registration grow within the younger age groups.
“We are seeing an increase in our registration numbers, especially at the younger ages (U5-U9), which isn't surprising with the growth we're seeing in the town,” he explained.
That growth, such as in Tavistock Tornadoes Optimist Youth Soccer, has resulted in pressure on field space. That group has publicly stated they could use another field or two but Nahrgang said they aren’t facing the same issue.
“We haven't been experiencing pressure for diamond time yet. We have a rental agreement with the school board to access the three diamonds on the public-school grounds, which we can use for our younger teams. Between Queen's Park and the Optimist Park diamonds, we can still accommodate all our minor-ball teams and the abundance of adult teams.”
This season, Tavistock Minor Ball has created a new U7 program to bridge the gap between its beginner program and the U9 age level. It will be a mix of T-ball and coach pitch, and Nahrgang said he’s excited to see how that program goes for the players. He’s also looking forward to a big night of ball coming in early July.
“Tavistock is hosting an exhibition night with the New Zealand Men's National Team against some of our local all-stars. It will be on Tuesday, July 2 at Optimist Park. It's an incredible opportunity for our town, and I hope we can fill the park with players and fans.”
New Zealand is also playing a pair of games in Hickson the following evening at 7 and 9 p.m.
The organization’s major fundraiser is the annual Cephus Roth tournament being held from July 12-14 and Nahrgang is hoping they will receive financial support from the community.
“We'll be reaching out to some local businesses for some sponsorship at the tournament. If we can offset some of our costs, we're able to raise more money for the organization. The Tavistock Men's Club sponsored a set of jerseys for us this year, and we're always grateful when clubs and businesses want to help.”
Tavistock is playing host to the Ontario Softball Association’s provincial tournament from June 28-30, something Nahrgang said is another great opportunity for Tavistock.
“Our U23 Merchants have built a great organization and they're looking after most of the tournament themselves along with the Tavistock Hops men's team. We're able to assist as needed, and I hope the park is full of players and spectators to watch some great ball, and hopefully another Merchants championship.”
Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Wilmot-Tavistock Gazette
