By Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Sports
In need of an ace for the U14 Canadian Fastpitch Championship earlier this month, the host Palmerston Imperials turned to Napanee’s Connor Brooks — and he delivered in a big way.
He led the team to the gold medal, going 4-0 with a flawless 0.00 ERA, striking out 59 batters in 28.2 innings while allowing just seven hits. His efforts earned him tournament MVP, playoff MVP and a selection as an all-star pitcher.
“The rise ball was going good, nobody was really hitting it so my catcher and I stuck with that all week and mixed in some change-ups,” said Brooks.
He was quick to credit his catcher Keegan Fischer, dedicating his MVP award to him for his great game-calling ability.
Brooks was recruited by the Imperials in the offseason when they learned they would be the host for this year’s Nationals. He played the entire season with Palmerston, helping them clinch their spot at Nationals at the qualifier, which was held earlier this summer in Napanee.
In the gold medal game the Imperials met Shallow Lake in a showdown with the top-ranked teams in the country.
Naturally as the host team, the diamonds were packed with Palmerston fans.
“The adrenaline was really going,” said Brooks. “The whole experience was pretty crazy.”
He kept his cool from the pitcher’s circle however, firing four innings of one-hit ball, striking out five as part of his team’s 4-1 victory.
He also helped his own cause at the plate, leading the tournament with a .625 average in the round robin. He had 13 hits and six RBI in 24 at bats.
Brooks wasn’t the only Napanee connection with the Imperials, as infielder Bryce Gilpin was picked-up by the team ahead of the tournament to help strengthen their roster. He had a pair of hits and scored a run for the champions.
Napanee’s Aiden DiFazio also served as the team’s bat boy while Connor’s father Cory Brooks was a member of the coaching staff.