Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Connor Brooks and his Team Canada U-17 Fast Pitch teammates will begin their pursuit of Pan American Men’s Championship gold this Saturday in Guatemala.
The Napanee native and member of his hometown Napanee Express will take on Panama to open the tournament. On Sunday they’ll face the USA and then take on the host team on Monday followed by Mexico on Tuesday.
After an off day on Wednesday they’ll close out the preliminary round with a match against Argentina Thursday and Belize on Friday. The top four teams advance to the Nov. 9 finals.
-Softball Canada and Rawlings Softball released its final 2019 rankings for the U14 boys, selecting the Napanee Express as their top team, ahead of the Wilmot Thunder and Chatsworth Dodgers. The Express’ Ethan Tombs (pitcher) and Gavin Brooks (infielder) were named to the U14 tournament all-star team with Brooks being named top player and teammate Ty Kemp selected as top batter.
-A pair of Napanee natives are among the 44 athletes named to the 2020 Men’s National Team Athlete Pool. Pitcher Riley Manion and catcher Brendan Hagerman were both added for the first time in their careers. Players named to the pool are eligible to be invited to the Men’s National Team training, development and selection camps.