Welcome to our Leduc Milleteers, three time defending PBL Champ's team web site.

 

 

 

 

In a move that seemed destined to happen eventually the Walker brothers, Ryan and Mark, will finally suit up on the same team in Leduc this season.  This should make their parents happy as now they only have to travel to one town to watch their boys play, not to mention it should now be less likely to see the two youngsters almost get into some fisticuffs with each other at Bardo Days this season.  For the past three seasons the brothers have faced off against each other on the diamond with markedly different results. 

 

 

 

 

Ryan burst onto the scene with the 2009 edition of the Milleteers where he quickly became one of the league's best and most hated hurlers.  Frustrating the opposition with both his arm and his attitude Ryan has shored up the Milleteers pitching staff as he has gone 12-2 to go with his three championship rings.

 

 

 

Mark on the otherhand has had a rough go of it so far in his PBL career.  After a productive rookie season as a 17 year old in which he batted 0.367 out of the lead off position and showed promise on the mound for the Armena Royals, two tough seasons have followed as the team finished in the basement and Mark regressed both at the plate and on the mound. 

 

Despite the stats the Milleteers have decided to take a flyer on the youngster as power arms like his don't grow on trees.  Considering the success the coaching staff has had recently turning their raw youngsters into All Stars it should be a good risk to take.

2011 PBL Season In Review 

 

 

 

2011 Camrose Roadrunners:  Drought Ends

 

 

The biggest bombshell of the off season was that the Tofield Lakers were packing up and moving down the highway to reboot the Camrose Roadrunner franchise.  It was nice to see Camrose back in the league, but it came at the price of one of the PBL's longstanding franchises.  The two franchises had historically been polar opposites as the Roadrunners seem to fold and be reborn every few years, despite enjoying a lot of success on the field with multiple regular season championships and one playoff championship, while the Lakers have operated uninterrupted for decades, despite a decade long playoff drought.  Hoping that the merger could marry the off season stability of the Lakers and the on field success of the Roadrunners Josh Banack and Larry Lewsaw joined forces.  The move payed off as the Roadrunners stunned the pundits and finished second in the regular season as they used stingy defense and  great pitching from rookie Alex Roth to host a home playoff series.  Despite getting swept, albeit in two very close contests, the season would have to be considered a success as many long time Lakers finally got their first taste of playoff action.  It will be interesting to see how they do in 2012 as they will no longer be able to sneak up on teams, but at the same time they have learned how to win, and that can take you a long way, and it also doesn't hurt to have one of the league's premier young pitchers in your rotation. 

 

 

 

 

 

If the 2011 season was considered a great success for the Lakers/Roadrunners, then the 2011 Bardo Athletics would be at the opposite end of the spectrum.  After multiple playoff runs and two championships the veteran Athletics finally started to look a little long in the tooth.  Thought to be a big benefactor of the Lakers move to Camrose as they garnered talented youngsters Dylan Berrecloth and Sean Melanson as they didn't want to make the move, it just didn't pan out as the team just never got it going.  Despite some great efforts from Hall of Famer Ray Lehman on the mound, the normally deep pitching staff was was inconsistent as hard throwing Donny Oslund and crafty veteran Chris Mittlestad missed much of the season.  Even more inconsistent was the offense as it seemed to lack cohesion and the clutch hitting that delivered their two championships.  The Athletics will have many questions to answer if they want to get back to their winning ways.  Was 2011 just an off year from their veterans, or has age finally caught up to them?  Are their youngsters talented enough to take the next step and start to be difference makers?  Depending on how those questions are answered will determine whether the Athletics can return to championship contenders or slide back into mediocrity.

 

 

 

 

 

The playoff success of the young Blue Jays signifies a changing of the guard in the pecking order of the league as the youngsters took the next step towards a championship.  After a bit of a sophomore slump in the regular season the Blue Jays stepped it up in the playoffs as they swept the Roadrunners in two one run games and then pushed the Milleteers to the limit in the final.  With the Blue Jays just two innings away from the prize they imploded defensively and allowed the Milleteers take their third crown.  It will be a bitter pill to swallow, but should also provide valuable experience for the young squad as they seem primed for many championship runs to come.  With good depth on the mound and lots of athleticism in the field the Blue Jays should only get better as they grow into their primes.  The youngsters will also have to learn to win on the road if they want to get to the next level as they had just two wins there this season. 

 

 

2011 Ryley  Rebels:  Hard Hitting Rebels Fall On Hard Times

 

After making it to the finals in 2010, the Rebels seemed poised to take the next step and be a force in the league for years to come.  Early on they looked the part, but then self destructed as they could barely field a team most nights as they often played with only eight guys and fell out of playoff contention.  They then showed some resiliency by squeaking into the playoffs with hard fought come from behind wins against Leduc and Bardo, powered by big home runs as the big bats finally came alive. They looked to ride the momentum into the playoffs and were on their way in game 1 versus Leduc before a demoralizing walk off defeat broke their spirit and lead to a first round sweep.  Then the Rebels were rocked in the off season with sudden passing of their ace and one of their team leaders Curt Stensrud.  The Rebels are going to have show even more resiliency in 2012 to recover from the tragic loss and the tumultuous and frustrating previous season if they want to get back on track into becoming a perennial championship contender.

 

 

 

2011 Armena Royals:  The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

 

Frustration would be the word to sum up the Royals' season as they missed the playoffs for the second straight year and matched their two wins from the previous season.  While in pro sports you at least get the consolation prize of the number overall pick and a potential exciting future talent when you finish last, in the PBL all you get is bitter disappointment.  With the rebuild going on four years now in Armena the fans are starting to get restless.  The youngsters that were brought in that were supposed to mature into impact players have yet to deliver on their promise and the veteran holdovers from the dynasty years haven't been able to get them over the hump.  With the second consecutive last place finish management has called for major changes as it seems their patience has run out as well.  What these changes will look like is any body's guess, but a 2 win team has many leaks to plug so they are going to need a few buckets to bail out this ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2011 edition of the Milleteers looked a little different as they turned into an offensive juggernaut.  This lead them to a 12-2 regular season, but for a couple of walk off losses could have been undefeated.  The playoffs were a bit of different story though as the games tightened up and the Milleteers were pushed, first by Ryley, and then by Holden.  After getting by the hard charging Rebels the Milleteers had to dig down deep against the Blue Jays.  Injuries started piling up and the coaching staff's inability to identify a reliable second starter for the playoffs after the retirement of Scott Peterson nearly sunk them as Holden was able to force a third and deciding game.  In the finale the Milleteers came out a bit flat, but kept the pressure on and eventually got their young foes to crack on the way to their third championship to officially become a dynasty.  Now it remains to be seen if they can break the PBL three peat curse as no team in the modern era has been able to take four in a row.  The powerhouse Rebels of the 80s and 90s failed twice to do it and the Armena Axemen became perennial bridesmaids after their three triumphs.

 

 

 

 

 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
HOLDEN	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	3	5	7
LEDUC	0	0	0	0	2	3	X	5	8	1

 

The Milleteers made history Wednesday night as they became the third PBL franchise in the modern era to win three in a row, joining the Armena and Ryley dynasties.  Early on though it looked like the baseball gods had it in for the Milleteers as on the first play of the game the Milleteers lost their starting catcher Shane Gerein as he tripped over the hitters bat throwing to first on a third strike curve ball in the dirt and wrecked his back.  Losing the best blocker in the league proved to be a big blow to starter Steven Pahl as it took his big overhand curve out of play.  In stepped backup catcher Brad Engel, who had played sparingly the second half of the season due to work and wedding commitments.  After a clean first the injury bug would hit again as Engel took a foul tip off his throwing hand in the second.  The swelling and disfigurement was apparent immediately, but showing legendary toughness he refused to come out and taped it up and finished the game before going to the hospital to get the break surgically repaired.

 

Holden used the injuries to their advantage as they didn't have to worry about the curve in the dirt that had gave them fits all year and they stole second at will as Engel could barely even grip the ball.  In the third they capitalized after the number nine hitter lead off with a single and a stolen base.  Then a dropped fly ball to right and another stolen base put runners at second and third.  Then with the infield drawn in Holden veteran Pat Kawaliuk hit a chopper up the middle to score two.  Holden would add to the lead in the fifth as Kawaliuk got another RBI single to put the young Blue Jays ahead by three.

 

At the dish the Milleteers looked lost early on as they couldn't figure out surprise Holden starter Maury Micklich. Micklich kept them off balance early as he mixed his pitches effectively.  When the Milleteers did hit the ball hard the Holden fielders were positioned well to make plays and when runners got on All Star catcher Dylan Boyko was gunning them out as he went two for two on steal attempts.

 

With the championship within their grasp the young Blue Jays got a little tight as in the fifth the Milleteers finally broke through after nine hole hitter Adam Pahl got on with an error to the third baseman, then Kelly Landaker hit a deep fly to left the was dropped to put runners on second and third with no out.  After an infield pop, Trevor Pahl hit another deep shot to left for a long sac fly to finally get the Milleteers on the board.  Then they scratched another one across as a wild pitch scored another run.  Then after back to back singles the call to the bullpen was made and Jake Throworsky came in and promptly walked the next guy to load the bases.  With Engel and his broken hand up to bat all Throworsky had to do was throw strikes as he couldn't swing it, and he eventually did after running the count to 3-0, he came back with three straight strikes to end the threat with the lead barely intact.

 

In the sixth the Milleteers then turned to the bullpen as well as they brought in flame throwing closer Jon Anstey.  The Blue Jays would quickly start a rally however as the leadoff hitter stroked a single, then Anstey threw away a sac bunt, but a heads up play by 2B Shawn Brinkworth saved a run as he backed up first and snared the errant throw.  Brinkworth was not finished flashing the leather yet as on the next play he made diving over the shoulder catch on a bloop to again save a run.  Anstey would then settle in as he K'd the next two batters to keep it a one run game.

 

Brinkworth continued to lead the comeback charge as he led off the bottom of the sixth with a deep shot to straight away center that looked catchable, but with the CF hustling back it tipped off his glove and Brinkworth rumbled into third.  After a safety squeeze from Adam Pahl turned into a base hit to set up first and third with no out the wheels fell off for Holden.  After a strikeout a passed ball scored Brinkworth, then a liner off the pitcher set up another first and third.  Two more passed balls followed to give the Milleteers a 5-3 lead heading into the seventh.

 

In the seventh Anstey got off to a good start as he struck out the first batter, but then walked the second.  Another strikeout and walk put the tieing run on first with two outs.  With the sun going down and the clouds rolling in Anstey got the next batter to hit a weak come backer, but he threw it away again to first, but this time 1B Steven Pahl sensed the wild throw coming and was already off the bag to nimbly snag the throw and slap the tag on to put away the championship.

 

After a some champagne out of the cup the Milleteers that didn't have to go to the hospital went down to Leanne's to drink some more out of the cup and celebrate another championship.  Now that the Milleteers have become an official dynasty the pressure will be on to defend again next year as the young Blue Jays will be a year wiser, to go along with the rest of the PBL that will be gunning for them.

 

 

Back Row:  Brian Pahl, Steven Pahl, Murray Doyle, Shane Gerein, Andrew Toner, Trevor Pahl, Brad Engel, Kevin Doyle, Kelly Landaker

Front Row:  Adam Pahl, Shawn Brinkworth, Jon Anstey, Greg Zilkie 

 

 

 The Final Out:

 

 

 

For the second year in a row the Milleteers recieved the Community Spirit Grant from the Provincial Government.  The grant will go to operating costs and possibly the construction of a new diamond in Millet.

 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
HOLDEN	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	3	4
LEDUC	2	3	0	2	0	1	X	8	11	1

 

 

For the third time this season the two Stevens faced off tonight as Steven Pahl of the Milleteers took the mound against his counterpart Stephen Hrabec from Holden.  The two had split their previous two meetings, but tonight the stakes were higher as game one of the PBL Championship Series was on the line. 

 

The Milleteers used their championship experience to their advantage tonight as they kept the pressure up with their contact hitting and aggressive base running and it paid off early as they were able to plate a couple in the first and a three spot in the second.  The normally strong Holden defense was a little leaky tonight as the youngsters looked a tad nervous in their first finals appearance, and it showed as a couple of errors lead to some runs.

 

This was all starter Steven Pahl would need as he had the curve and the slider working tonight and mowed down the Holden hitters as he took a no hitter into the fourth and ended up with a three hitter and twelve strikeouts.  The only blemish came with two out in the seventh when Pahl fielded a weak grounder to potentially end the game, before throwing it away and allowing Holden's only run to score.

 

Game two goes Tuesday in Holden at 7:00pm.

 

 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
LEDUC	1	0	8	3	0	X	X	12	19	0
RYLEY	0	0	0	1	2	X	X	3	8	4

 

The Milleteers ended their semi final series with the Ryley Rebels tonight as they scored early and often before the game ended early due to darkness.  The game started late as the Rebels again had trouble rounding up a team, a reoccurring theme to the second half of their season, and a big reason why their season ended earlier than they had hoped.

 

The Milleteers got on the board first against starter Craig Koughan, who was making his third straight start against the Milleteers.  Some good defense limited the damage as a timely double play got the Rebels through the inning only down one.  After leaving the bases loaded in the second the Milleteers would finally get to Koughan in third as they sent 12 batters to the plate and scored 8 runs.  They would add some more insurance in the fourth to put it out of reach.

 

On the mound tonight for the Milleteers was young right hander Ryan Walker, and he was tough early as he wiggled out of a few jams before the Rebels would finally get a run across in the fourth to break the goose egg.  They would add two more in the fifth courtesy of a Kyle Reinholt bomb to left.  The Milleteers would answer with a bomb of their own in the top of the sixth, but then the game was called due to darkness, so DH Steve Pahl saw his homer wiped off the board.

 

Next up will be the finals tomorrow night in Leduc as the Milleteers will take on the Holden Blue Jays.

 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Ryley	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	2
Leduc	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	5	1

 

The Milleteers are hoping history repeats itself as they started their third straight semi final playoff series with a come from behind win in their last at bat, with the first two being the launching point for championship runs.  After a dominating run through the regular season the Milleteers faced off against a determined Ryley Rebels squad who fought and clawed their way into the playoffs with a walkoff homer with their season on the line against the Milleteers in their last regular season game, and then staging a come from behind win in a sudden death playoff versus their arch rivals from Bardo.

 

Tonight the largest home crowd of the season was treated to an old fashioned pitching duel as Rebels starter Craig Koughan and Milleteers starter Steven Pahl were basically untouchable for the first six innings, albeit in different ways.  Koughan was efficient as after six he had given up only an infield single and a bloop single, to go along with only one strikeout and no walks.  Pahl on the other hand had the strikeouts going as he only had given up one bloop single of his own, but also had been a little wild with a couple of walks.  The wildness would hurt him as he hit shortstop Dylan Solberg with a slow curve to leadoff the seventh.  After a weak grounder got him to second and an error got him to third the Rebels were in business.  After pitching a great game Koughan then helped his own cause as he battled to a 3-2 count, then got a fastball he could handle to cash in the go ahead run.  After another walk, Pahl then showed some moxy as he struck out the next two batters with the bases loaded to keep the game close.

 

In the bottom of the seventh the heart of the order finally came through as All Star Trevor Pahl led off with a bloop single, then clean up hitter Kevin Doyle followed with a single of his own to put runners on first and second with none out.  Then the turning point of the game came up as the Milleteers all time home run leader Steven Pahl came up to the plate and laid down a picture perfect bunt to sacrifice the runners over.  With the defense caught off guard and the 240 pounder hustling down to first Koughan had to rush his throw and he threw it away to not only let Pahl reach safely, but also let his brother Trevor score the tying run.  After the Rebels walked the bases loaded to set up the force at home, the Milleteers hottest hitter Murray Doyle stepped up to the plate and drove a 2-2 pitch to the fence for a long single and a walk off, hard fought win for the Milleteers.

 

Game two will go in Ryley on Tuesday, with a big crowd expected to be on hand.

 

 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
RYLEY	0	0	0	1	0	X	X	1	1	5
LEDUC	0	6	0	3	4	X	X	13	10	1

 

The biggest crowd of the season on a hot, muggy night in Leduc was treated to a less than stellar ball game tonight as neither team showed much energy tonight.  The Milleteers had clinched first with a Rebel loss the night before, so they played like they were just using this game as a tuneup for a tournament on the weekend.  The Rebels, who needed a win of their own to sow up a playoff spot, again could only round up 8 guys and had to play shorthanded for the forth or fifth game in a row, and it seemed to wear on them.

 

After a clean first inning for both teams the flood gates opened for the Milleteers as they found some holes and capitalized on miscues, which was the story for the rest of the game on offense for the Milleteers.  On defense they played alright, save for an error in the fourth that allowed Ryley player coach Kevin Reinholt to stroll into third.  Trying to send a message and fire up his team, Reinholt then stole home cleanly as he timed pitcher Ryan Walker who was going out of the windup.  The message went for not as the Rebels couldn't mount any offense after that and showed little life, except for an unsuccessful hidden ball trick that ended up in a balk with the bases loaded.

 

Both teams are in action tomorrow as the Milleteers take on the last place Royals, while Ryley has a pivotal game against Bardo where a win would punch their ticket to the playoffs and severely hamper their rival's chances of sneaking into the big dance.

 

 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
BARDO	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	3	7	4
LEDUC	0	0	1	1	0	3	X	5	9	1

 

 

The Milleteers were able to edge the Bardo Athletics on Thursday night in Leduc with a come from behind 5-3 effort.  Murray Doyle got the start for the Milleteers and gave his team a chance to win as he went five good innings only giving up 2 runs, striking out 4 and walking no one.  On the other side Bardo went with their big game pitcher, future Hall of Famer Ray Lehmen.  Lehmen was tough early as he kept the Milleteers off balance with his changing speeds, arm angles, and windups.  He also mixed it up when runners got on base to shut down a running game that had been wreaking havoc as of late. 

 

With the game tied going into the sixth the Milleteers turned to their closer Jon Anstey.  As they always seem to do with their backs against the wall, the veteran laden Bardo squad dug down deep and were able to scratch across a run to take the lead in their half of the sixth.

 

The Milleteers offense would come alive to answer back in their half of the sixth to chase Lehmen from the mound as they finally got to him with a three run inning to take the lead into the final inning.  The Athletics would not rollover as a leadoff error and a walk had them in business.  Then their number nine hitter tried to lay down a sacrifice, but the bunt was placed so well the third baseman just had to eat it to load the bases with none out and the top of the order coming up.  Anstey would then dig down deep as he struck out the next two batters and got the final batter to fly out to center field to preserve the win.

 

With the win the Milleteers have all but assured themselves a first place regular season finish as they would have to lose all their remaining games and Ryley would have to win out.  With the loss Bardo is now on the outside looking in for the final playoff spot and will need some help as they no longer are in control of their own destiny.  They only have one game a piece against the teams they are trailing, and are a 1.5 games back, which suits the Milleteers just fine as the Athletics always seem to find an extra gear, or four, and crank it up come playoff time.  With 2 championships in the last 5 years and a playoff series win against the Milleteers the Athletics have always been a playoff force, despite often underwhelming regular seasons.  If they can't make up the ground and find a way to squeeze into the playoffs the chase for the PBL Cup will look markedly different this year as for at least the last half decade the road to the championship had to pass through Bardo.

 

Peterson To The Rescue

 

 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
CAMROSE	0	2	1	0	1	0	0	4	4	6
LEDUC	6	0	2	1	3	0	X	12	11	3

 

Both teams looked rusty tonight in Leduc as the ten day lay off due to inclement weather did neither team any favors.  The Milleteers gave Shawn Brinkworth the start tonight and he looked good in the first, but ran into a little trouble in the second as an error and a few hits allowed the Roadrunners to get on the board.  The Milleteers countered with six in their first at bat as they jumped on starter Marcel Lesoway as they parlayed some walks, errors and a few bloops and bleeders into an early lead.  Lesoway would settle down after that as he showed signs of the form that got him an All Star nod last year the rest of the way.

 

The Milleteers then went to the bullpen to try and get the staff some innings as they sent Steve Pahl, Kelly Landaker and Jon Anstey to the bump, and it was effective as the trio kept the Roadrunners in check the rest of the way, save for two unearned runs on some defensive miscues.

 

The bats were somewhat quiet tonight as there were only a few balls hit on the screws, but the Milleteers made up for it in the running game as they swiped 12 bags tonight to pace the offense.  The Milleteers now get another week off as they don't play again until Wednesday when the host the second place Holden Blue Jays, then play another home game Thursday as they host the Bardo Athletics.