UNITY — Rhett Feser and Braden Polreis only had a couple of weeks to trade in their red Cardinal jerseys from the North Saskatchewan River Baseball League finals for Team Saskatchewan green, as they headed back onto the diamonds in the Queen City to represent the province at Baseball Canada’s 2025 Men’s National Championships, Aug. 22 to 24.
Feser and Polreis are no strangers to each other, having played together for close to 10 years. With Feser on the mound and Polreis behind home plate, the pitcher-catcher duo have learned how to communicate when the going gets tough.
“Braden has been a tremendous asset to the team and community. We’ve learned so much about working together as pitcher and catcher that we seem to get the best out of each other,” said Feser.
That communication helped the team advance throughout the championship tournament.
“It was exciting being a part of such a talented team. Winning our first game against Quebec, the two-time defending champs, was pretty special. Especially being able to catch in that game for Rhett, who pitched a complete game, it’s something I will never forget,” said Polreis.
Under the province’s name, the two Unity players worked with the rest of the team, making it into the semifinals, where they faced New Brunswick once again.
“We had a huge comeback win against them, being down 5-1 and winning 9-5. That game showed everyone we belonged in the tournament,” said Polreis.
Unfortunately, the Atlantic team came onto the field like an East Coast squall, leaving Saskatchewan behind with a 4-0 win. Both Saskatchewan teams then battled in the dust for bronze, with the green team taking the win over the Regina Trapper blue team.
Both men were contacted by coach Curtis Strueby in fall 2024 to see if they were interested in joining the provincial team. Both had played for provincial teams in their younger years.
“It is always exciting to represent my hometown and province doing something I love so much,” said Feser.
“At 36, there’s not a lot of chances to represent your province at a national tournament, so I was very grateful for the opportunity,” said Polreis.
With the final scores recorded and the bags packed away, Feser and Polreis are already looking forward to joining the Cardinals again on the new diamond next season, with the possibility of hosting Tier 1 provincials.
