Creemore Minor Baseball 9U Select closes season undefeated

In September of 2020, after a summer of little to no activity due to COVID-19 and the impact it had on youth sports, tryouts were held in Creemore with the hope of putting together a baseball team that would compete the following summer within the York Simcoe Baseball Association (YSBA).
After a winter where indoor training could not occur, again due to COVID-19, and the loss of the head coach and his son due to a move across the country, the assistant coaches stepped up and began practicing as soon as provincial regulations would allow. The team practiced twice a week for the month of June and began to play exhibition games in the middle of July. By the time the YSBA round robin format playoffs began, this young team had a few games under their belt, and were yet to be defeated.
In July, the 9U Select teams were divided into North and South divisions for the round robin portion of the playoffs. Creemore was placed into the North Division and easily won all 10 games they played against Midland, Muskoka and Thornhill.
On August 28, the boys played a best of three series against the Thornhill Team 2. It only took two games to defeat the Thornhill team, with the second game being a shut out.
On Saturday, Sept. 4, Creemore faced Thornhill Team 1 for a best of three series, and a rematch from earlier in the season, in the final of the YSBA championship. It only took Creemore two games to defeat their opponents, the final game ending with a score of 26-18. The closest game the boys had all season.
Following a year where many of the boys on this team had not played any baseball at all, they came together with hard work, determination, and grit to make some amazing defensive plays, hit a lot of home runs, and grow together to become great friends and teammates.
This Creemore team was extraordinary in every way. Few baseball teams make it through a season undefeated, much less do so with style and class. The level of sportsmanship and baseball expertise these players displayed was well beyond their years. It will be a season every single one of these players will both cherish and remember. As will I.
Congratulations to the 2021 9U Select YSBA Champions!

Darren Little is Head Coach of the 2021 Creemore 9U Select Baseball Team.