: Snapper News: Snappers In the News

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Stephen Leithwood (Niagara This Week)

In a year when the Niagara Snappers finished on top of the Golden Horseshoe Fastball League and centre-fielder Scott Young was named Most Valuable Player of the league last week. For Young, 32, the highlight of the season was in a game the Snappers lost.
The Elmira Cubs of Kitchener, from the South Perth Fastball League, were in town earlier this year competing in the fifth annual Snappers Shootout tournament in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

With the game tied 4-4 and a Cubs' runner on second, the batter hit a line-drive right up the middle in the direction of Young.

"I charged the ball hard and gave it all I had," said Young. "Threw to home and got the guy out at the plate to keep it tied. That was my highlight play of the year."

After 22 games this season, the Snappers finished 16-3-3, good for first place in the GHFL.

"The big difference for us this year was playing in the world tournament in Kimberly, Wisconsin," he said. "We were playing senior ball, which is the best ball you can play in the world. We had been playing in a couple of tournaments and in a local travel league that has those pitchers and experience, but this was our first real attempt at playing in the senior worlds tournament. The pitchers there are the best pitchers in the world and the players, too, so it's nice to try and put ourselves up against the best competition that's out there, period."

Snappers head coach, Jason Paylove said the world tournament was rough, but good for the team.

"Our record was 1-3 and finished a disappointing 28th. This was our first year playing in the senior World Tournament," said Paylove. "In 2007 we lost in the semi-finals of the International Softball Congress II Tournament of Champions, it's kind of like the AAA of baseball, and figured we would move up this year to try our luck with the 'big boys.' Not sure what we will do next year, we may drop back down to ISC II or stay up and play senior."

In GHFL play, it's no wonder why Young was named league MVP after finishing the season with a batting average of .318, 19 home runs and driving in 50 runners on base.

"It's good. It's exciting. It's nice to get recognized when you have a good season," said Young. "But, it's not really one of those things that you can do by yourself. The team was really strong and the pitchers too."

Young has been here before, he took home the same MVP award in 2004 and when the Snappers played in the Erie Fastball League in 2002.

"I'm very aggressive. A free-swinging batter," he said. "I steal and hit for power, more so than average."

Young, orginally from Brampton, lives with his wife and two-year-old daughter in St. Catharines. He teaches Grade 7 at Connaught Public School and has been with the Snappers for nine years. Despite playing other sports, he said baseball is his true love.

"Baseball is the perfect mix of athleticism and getting out there and having fun with friends. I wouldn't say I'm a jack of all trades, but I've played a bit of everything," he said. "I played competitive volleyball and I coached the Niagara Rapids volleyball team a few years back. I use to play hockey back up in Brampton, but I haven't touched a pair of skates since then. I played competitive badminton and swam and did everything else."

The Snappers play tomorrow in quarterfinal action in the GHFL playoffs at 8:30 p.m. at Lancaster Park against the Mississauga Arrows. The winner moves on to play the Hamilton Hawks in the semi-finals. The Niagara Falls Dawgs have already secured their spot in the finals.