The Parksville Royals entered the Best of the West Island qualifier coming off a second-place performance at the Zack Downey Memorial tournament earlier in October and were looking to build on that success.
Throughout the tournament, the Royals showed off a balanced offensive attack including stellar base-running that gave their opponents more than they could handle once men were on base. Lots of highlights from the tournament but the signature performance was certainly Seth Gurr’s complete-game victory over the host Mid-Island Pirates in Game 1.
Gurr has been a revelation for the Royals on the mound this Fall. Gurr, a 6’2″ 185 lb right-hander, came to the Royals after playing Alberta Legion Baseball in Lethbridge last season. Gurr was tagged for the Game 1 start and was a force from the first inning to the last. With a dominant fastball, Gurr struck out eight Pirates including two in the bottom of the seventh inning. He scattered five hits and gave up two runs, one earned.
Gurr’s performance added to a stat line in September and October that has seen the uncommitted senior allow just three earned runs in 23 2/3 innings. That’s an ERA of 0.90 with 21 K’s against 2 walks.
“Seth’s commitment and conditioning have really helped him show results this fall,” said Royals Head Coach Frank Kaluzniak. “He’s fearless out there, throws strikes, and keeps our defence in every inning.”
The Royals would go on to earn a spot in the final against the Victoria Mariners. Bridesmaids for the second consecutive tournament, the Royals fell to the Mariners 10-8 in a back and forth battle.
Team highs for the boys in purple include lead-off man Campbell River’s Breydan Riecker with four stolen bases, four runs scored and .525 tournament OBP. Ryan Deagle, also from Campbell River, was the OBP leader at .555 with a .444 average and 2 doubles. Parksville’s Cody Jackson hit .385 to go with 3 stolen bases and 4 RBI.
College-bound
It is college signing season and the Royals’ first 2021 commitment is pitcher Ethan Dean. Dean, 6′ 1″ 165 lb left-hander, has committed to the Victoria Golden Tide of the Canadian College Baseball Conference.
Dean is a senior at Ballenas Secondary School in Parksville and has had a great fall season. Ethan has recorded 24 strike-outs, 17 of those swinging, in 21 innings of work and has an ERA of 2.0. An academic stand-out as well as an ace on the mound, Dean plans to study computing science at the University of Victoria.
Curtis Pelletier, Head Coach for the Golden Tide said, “When I have saw him throw, I really liked his make-up and competitive nature. Ethan has great stuff and is very projectable. I also had some people I trust recommend him.”
The Golden Tide will play their home games at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria. Some background trivia, both head coach Curtis Pelletier and pitching coach Ethan Fox are Parksville Royals alumni. Fox hails originally from Campbell River.
