Squamish is consistently producing great fastpitch players and the next star from Squamish is set to make his mark.
Kenny Webb joined the B.C. Junior Men's fastpitch team a few weeks after the team was created in April. Webb was living in Victoria and moved back to Squamish. When Squamish's John Stuart, the B.C. Junior Men's team coach, found out Webb was in town the two spoke and Stuart asked Webb to join the team.
Webb, 22, didn't hesitate to take Stuart up on the offer.
Webb and Stuart will be in Scarborough, Ontario between Aug. 1 and 8 for the national championships. Stuart's team will be the lone B.C. representative at the event while Ontario has four teams entered and Saskatchewan and Alberta are sending two separate teams. The rest of the provinces and territories are sending a single team each.
Stuart says he's going because he thinks B.C. has a legitimate shot at winning. The local volunteer coach went to the same tournament in 2002 and his team won a silver medal. This time around, things are different. Stuart told the fastpitch officials that instead of working with an established club team he wanted to create a team made up of the best under 23 year olds from across the province. His request was granted.
The biggest challenge for the team is the lack of training together. They have played as a team in three tournaments. Webb was only involved in the most recent one. Other than a week of spring training in April, that is all the time the squad has spent together.
On top of the geographic challenges, Stuart said his team was missing two things."We were missing speed and a bonafide short stop," Stuart said. "Kenny filled those."
Webb will be batting second in the team B.C. lineup.
The Squamish raised athlete played ball in Squamish as a youth and went to the Delphi Academy in Langley for Grades 11 and 12. He went to the school to complete his high school studies and to hone is baseball skills.
He loves the game and will jump at the opportunity to play for the senior men's national team if he is invited.
According to Stuart, Webb has what it takes to compete on the senior men's national development team. Stuart plans to tell the officials with the senior men's team to take a look at Webb and consider him for the big team.
The task at hand, though, is to prepare for the tournament next month. Stuart says his team has a good chance of winning the top prize.
"If we play like we're capable then I think we have a real shot," Stuart said of his elite athletes spread throughout the province.
