Canfield, Poland combine forces to make Junior League Softball World Series

July 25, 2019 at 12:00a.m.

Canfield, Poland combine forces for West Coast trip

CANFIELD

This time, Canfield-Poland is going to have some fun.

The combined Junior League Softball team comprised of eight girls from Poland and three from Canfield ages 13 to 14 years old is heading to the Junior League Softball World Series in Kirkland, Wash., starting on Sunday.

The team has made the World Series for the fourth consecutive year, winning it in 2017.

“[We’re not] going to be so nervous. Last year, we’d have somebody mess up and get down on themselves,” Poland-Canfield first baseman/catcher Bridgett Kelly said. This year, we’re a lot better with hyping each other up and keeping us together.”

Last year’s team won the first three games in the Series, but dropped the last three to miss the semifinal round.

“I think we were a little burnt out from all the softball we’ve been playing,” pitcher Alaina Scavina said. “We had one bad game that kind of put us down.”

The team is riding high after winning the central regional tournament in Pendleton, Ind. Poland-Canfield went a perfect 4-0 and only one game made it to the seventh inning. The rest were victories by at least 10 runs.

“Me personally, I always expect the worst and hope for the best. You never know what you’re going to get at these tournaments because you don’t get to scout these teams,” Poland-Canfield manager Lou Denney said. “We were playing state champions like the Indiana state champ and the Kentucky state champ. You assume everyone is good. So no, I wasn’t expecting that.”

In addition to doing well on the softball field, the team has improved on the chemistry front. Kelly, pitcher Mia O’Palick and catcher/third baseman Layni Bednar are Canfield athletes who found themselves out-numbered by their Poland counterparts.

“It was a little weird. The first practice we had last year was a little scary, but now we’re all used to it,” Kelly said. “We’re all best friends.”

It didn’t take long for the Poland contingent accept their rivals from across U.S. 224.

“When you’re on a team, it’s not like it’s just one person. You all have to work together,” outfielder Meredith Trevis said. “We all practiced together and that helped. It also helps that we’re all pretty outgoing.”

For Denney, the biggest strength of this year’s squad is not just the experience, but through buying in to the gameplan.

“These girls are all very talented. They play for different high schools and middle schools and different travel teams,” Denney said. “When they get together in this group, they accept their roles for this team. They understand that this team has a goal and they accept their roles to meet this goal.

“It makes our jobs as coaches easy.”

Poland-Canfield team can expect to face a Canadian team, a Tampa Bay, Fla., team, the Asia-Pacific champ and the host Kirkland in the first four games. The team welcomes the step up in competition.

“I think we can definitely handle it. We’re able to play at that level,” Kelly said. “A lot of the pitching we’ve seen isn’t as good as we’ve liked, but we dealt with it.”

Canfield-Poland will open the World Series on Sunday against Canada’s representative. First pitch is at 5:30 p.m.

“Going again is just so surreal and we’re all so excited,” Kelly said.