Spitz Canadians Baseball Club: Welcome

Welcome to the online home of the Spitz Canadians Baseball Club based in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.  The Spitz Canadians are entering their 12^th year of operations of providing quality high performance opportunities to youth of Lethbridge and beyond from February to October.  The program remains committed to this end and working with other baseball programs to provide an even better learning experience in a cooperative environment for each player with the goal to move the player onto other programs in the future. With the tremendous support of Spitz International, players are given an extraordinary opportunity to learn baseball and life skills while practicing, traveling, and playing baseball.

THE MISSION STATEMENT

“To provide the top learning experience in Southern Alberta for aspiring baseball athletes primarily aged 15 & under in the areas of skill development, game understanding, and life values”

VALUES OF THE PROGRAM 

The Lethbridge Spitz Canadians want to wish all the luck to Tristan Thiessen, Derek Strate. Dawson Strate, Garett Burton, Nick Tetzlaff, Jack McDonald and Tanner Shirikawa who have earned the privilege to play in the Junior Little Leauge Championships which run from August 6-12 with the Lethbridge South West Allstars. This team of 13 boys will battle for one week in this tournament to try and represent their Country in the Little League World Series in Taylor Michigan.

The Spitz Canadians ball club wishes all the boys who are appart of the Lethbridge South West Allstar team all the best in their pursuit of the Little League World Series.  

The Spitz Canadians trying to get some work in befor they depart friday morning for Belgrade Montana. There will be 2 optional batting practice today tuesday June 22nd at 4pm at Spitz Stadium Batting Cage, also Wednesday the 23rd same time same place. We are currently working on getting some field time for thursday at any possible field. We will be keeping everyone posted on this practice time and place within the next 24 hrs.

Thursday the 24th, the Lethbridge Spitz Canadians are going to practice at Lloyd Nolan Yard at 4:30pm for 1hr and a half. This is a mandatory practice and it will not interfere with your Little League All Stars. We have worked with Coach Bell and we have come to a practice agreement. See you all there at 4:15

Monday June 21 Spitz Canadians Practice will be canceled due to poor weather conditions and a mix up of Bulls games. We are trying to fit in a practice in the upcoming days to prepar for our weekend trip to Belgrade Montana. We will keep you posted on the website and give out phone calls.

 Sorry for the short notice

Cole Lencucha

The 2010 Spitz Canadians will be playing their second tournament of the year on the May 21-23 weekend.  The team will make the trek to Regina, Saskatchewan and be the first even Canadians team to play in Saskatchewan.  This will mean the 11 year old team will add its 3rd and possibly 4th province to play against (teams from Manitoba are expected at this event as well) to go along side the 16 states they have seen over the years.

Weather in Southern Alberta is causing havoc today and the Spitz Canadians program is no exception. 

The Spitz Canadians are waiting to make an announcement at about 4 pm on activities for today.  Because of the departure for Washington on Thursday, efforts will be made to have a workout and parent meeting starting around 7 pm.  This will be contingent on conditions improving by 4 pm.  Check back for an update at around 4 pm.  Thanks for your patience in this.

The Spitz Canadians attended a tournament in Lacey Washington from April 16th-18th. Despite the club losing 4 games while they were there they had a great experience. For most of the players this was their first time ever playing an American club on their own soil. The 2010 Spitz Canadians got to witness first hand what kind of talent the U.S holds at their age level. 

This weekend was the first time the official 2010 Spitz Canadians club got to play as a team in a competitive setting, also most of the players first game of the season since High School and little league have not yet gotten into full swing. With that being said the coaching staff was impressed with how the boys handled them selfs on the ball field and battled their way through their first tournament of the season, getting 20 hits and put up 17 runs in 4 games.  

The club has a lot to work on in the upcoming weeks to prepare for their next tournament. Next practice will be April 3:30 April 25th at Spitz Stadium. Also the Junior Spitz Canadians are invited to come out and participate in practice that day. 

The Spitz Canadians are pleased to announce that they have their 2010 rosters. For the first time ever we are very excited to announce that we have had the opportunity to form a younger team, called the Spitz Jr. Canadians comprised of younger Southern Alberta talent.

"We are excited about the 2010 program. The Spitz Canadians have eleven players who will be with us for 2 seasons, coupled with some veteran leadership that will provide some needed maturity. The Junior Canadians will be challenged to develop and mature so they can step up in the future." commented Field Manager Kevin Kvame.

The 2010 Spitz Canadians Features 4 returning players. Justin Sturm and Tanner Layton plus the team's 2010 co-captains Trevor Sakatch (2nd year player & captain) and Ren Visser (3rd year player) will bring experience and baseball passion to the club. The balance of the 2010 club is Garet Burton, Ryan Kiczula, Nick Tetzlaff, Brett Tamayose, Jack McDonald, Dayton Johnston, Kris Phillips, Tyler Liebelt, Tanner Shirakawa, Tristan Thiessen, Derek Strate, Dawson Strate.

"Trevor and Ren are natural leaders.  They love the game of baseball, come from great families who understand sports, and know how to get the job done.  As 14 year olds, they led the team in many ways with Trev being our top hitter in California and Ren being our workhorse on the mound.  Ren got a great victory in the Championship game in the USSSA Riverside tournament where he pitched a gem," commented Kvame on the choice of captains for the Spitz Canadians. "Tanner is another great asset to our team.  Unfortunately for him in 2009, he battled through a injury riddled year, but really earned my respect for his perserverance through it all.  He gave it his all each time he took the field despite playing in pain a lot.  We hope he can have a injury free year and really show what he can do!"

The Younger team of 13-14 year olds is made up of Jordyn Johnston, Matt Onofrychuk, Kelten Jensen, Brandyn Lukenda, Aidan Moser, Brandyn Turchyn, Josh Foster, Kalin Marchuk, Marc Fillier, and Nick Runquist. They will be looking up to and learning from the 15 under Spitz Canadians.

We have recently came off of our 3rd annual spring training in which we had a record number of kids try-out for our program. We hope that in years to come the numbers continually rise each and every year.

Check the roster tab for the up to date rosters. The box in the top right allows you to check which team roster to view.

The Spitz Junior Canadians have left the opportunity to adjust rosters should they see talent in the 2010 High School and Junior Little League seasons.

The 2010 Spitz Canadians program is in its final stages of selecting the main club. In fact with a record number of players trying out the program is seriously considering expanding to a second development team for 2010. The decision should be made the weekend of April 10^th/11^th

“It’s really exciting to see the numbers that have come out in 2010”, General Manager Kevin Kvame says.

28 players out of 34 total who have participated in spring training are now trying out for the final squad. We’ve had not only players from Lethbridge but communities in the surrounding areas including, Magrath, Milk River, Coaldale, and Picture Butte.

The Canadians are expecting to finalize their squad that will include 12 to 15 players. The team will open their 2010 season in Washington on April 17^th& 18^th.

Drew Herauf has experience representing Canada.  For two years, the Lethbridge native roamed the outfields around North America playing for the Spitz Canadians.  He enjoyed his time with the club and loves the game of baseball.  Ironically, it was actually watching a Blue Jays game on TV in the summer that led to his latest opportunity, one he calls “a once in a lifetime experience which was really cool!”.  He saw the ad for the chance to be a RBC Torch Relay carrier for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  He applied and the entire family was ecstatic when they received notification he would participate when the torch came through Lethbridge on January 17. 

Drew was a mainstay in the Spitz Canadians outfield.  “Drew brought a strong work ethic to the field each day and was a asset to the club both years he was selected to the club,” commented Canadians Field Manager Kevin Kvame.  Drew felt like he matured over the two years and understands the importance of having clean fun on the road to ensure the team is respected at all times.  The Spitz Canadians played events in Alberta, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Washington, Nevada, and California during Drew’s years with the team.  “The players come to understand that when they are the only Canadian team in a tournament, they become by default Team Canada to the other teams,” Kvame said about the team’s reasoning for the importance they place on their reputation each and every day they are together as a team.

Meanwhile, maybe Herauf knows just a bit what Alexandre Bilodeau felt like claiming Canada’s first gold medal ever on home soil.  “We were all so excited for him.  We partied long and hard in Edmonton after that event,” Herauf said with a smile about the exciting Olympic event.  He said his most memorable moment was winning the USSSA Monster Tournament in Riverside, California in an exciting 2-1 final. As the winter continues, Drew says he looks forward to every new day as that means baseball season is getting closer.  He will be trying out in the American Legion program again in 2010 with a chance to be on the Lethbridge Spitz Elks or return to the Lethbridge Spitz Miners.  “I probably wouldn’t have been into sports and the Torch Relay without my experiences in baseball,” Herauf said in reflection about what it has been like to play competitive baseball. The new crop of Spitz Canadians players are starting their journey toward competing at events where they will represent themselves, their families, Lethbridge, Alberta, and also Canada. 

Drew was asked if he had any advice for the upcoming baseball prospects:  “Give it your all!  You will regret it if you don’t.  Most people do not make a career from being a baseball player, but I hope to get my education from being a baseball player.  I will give it all to reach that goal.&Quality advice from a Spitz Canadians player who knows the importance of enjoying life experiences, from baseball in Southern California to the VANOC Torch Relay!  

The 11th Season of the Spitz Canadians Baseball Club is taking shape.  The club is pleased to announce the 2010 coaching staff.

Spitz Canadians Field Manager and Director of Baseball Operations Kevin Kvame is pleased to announce the addition of former Bulls, PBA, and Canadians player Tyler Aiken to the 2010 coaching staff.  Tyler will be passing on his knowledge as a great hitter and outfileder. 

We are also excited to announce that Jared Hirsche would be returning to the Spitz Canadians in 2010, albeit in a reduced capacity due to work committments.  Coach Hirsche will be at many of the practices and in-town games, but may have to limit his road travels this year.  "Tyler was a passionite player and I expect he will be the same as a coach.  The players will be able to relate to Coach Aiken well and he will expect hard work in return," Kvame commented when the coaching announcements were made. 

"Jared brings a great deal of experience to the Canadians.  I believe we had a great year in 2010 due to the coaches all being on the same page throughout the year.  His experience will be a great benefit to the club again this year!" Kvame said about Hirsche's role. Jared, a Lethbridge product, played ball for the American Legion Program for 3 years with the Spitz Miners & Spitz Elks, and moved on to spend 2 years with the Prairie Baseball Academy while attending College. Jared also played the 2007 season with the Lethbridge Bulls Baseball Club while coaching the Spitz Canadians Baseball Club. This will be Jared's fourth year as a coach with the program.

Another new addition to the Canadians this year will be 1st year coach Cole Lencucha.  Cole comes out of the American Legion program (3 years) and Spitz Canadians program (2 years) and is currently on the PBA JV squad.  He is keen on getting into coaching and this will be a great learning experience for him.  He brings knowledge learned from years of baseball to the program and will be a hard worker and welcome addition to the coaching staff. 

After a great year with the Canadians in 2009, Ken Fuglerud has stepped down from the coaching staff (although guest appearances are expected) to take on a head coaching position elsewhere.  "The Canadians were thrilled with how Kenny taught the players last year.  His shoes will be tough to fill as he understood the game so well but just like our program is committed to getting players to another level, the same goes for the young coaches we bring on," Kvame said about Fuglerud's departure. 

In the past, guest coaches have provided their knowledge to the Canadians and this is expected to continue in 2010.  From the likes of Lethbridge baseball coaches Scott Rhodes, Todd Hubka, Don Groves, Chris Nesbit, Scott Nishikawa, Jared Ruff, and Brad Greve, to various Lethbridge Bulls players such as Dustin Bissonnette, Alex Tufts, Jamie Mitchell, and Darrell Ellis.  "It continues to be awesome to have that quality of a line-up of coaches assist this club at various times each year.  In 2010, we will provide the practices with as extensive of a line-up of guest instructors as we can," commented Kvame.

 Watch this website for details on all the upcoming workouts and opportunities to learn the game!

This one comes from the Captain of the New York Yankees - Derek Jeter

"God, I hope I wear this jersey forever."

That is an awesome example of passion and loyalty to the game and his team!

One of the greatest catchers in baseball history was renowed for his interesting quotes:

"Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical."

 Yogi Berra at least had it half right! 

Watch for more quotes from the great game of baseball in the coming weeks!

The Lethbridge Spitz Canadians will be departing for their weekend tournament to Belgrade Montana. Departure will be 10:30 or as close to it as possible due to some players having exams. Our first game will be at 6:00pm friday night. Our return time on sunday night will varry due to how well we perform in this tournament.