The Canora Supers have claimed their sixth South East Senior Baseball League championship since 2019, winning Game 5 of the best-of-five championship series at Al Sapieha Field in Canora on July 30.
But just to make it to the final series, they first had to deal with the tough Saltcoats Lakers in the opening round of the playoffs.
July 20: Canora Supers 6, Saltcoats Lakers 0 – Canora
After a gutsy Supers comeback from a five-run deficit in Saltcoats to force Game 3 of the semi final series between the Saltcoats Lakers and Supers, the deciding game was held at Al Sapieha Field with the winner advancing to take on the Grandview Lakers in the league final.
Kody Rock of Canora was given the ball, and did not disappoint as he gave up just four hits and struck out 16 Lakers in a 6-0 Canora victory.
“The bats were in fine form with 10 hits, three courtesy of Rock,” said Supers Coach/Manager Greg Andreychuk. “Chaz Jaeb (of Sturgis) had a double and a triple, while Ian Quewezance (of Kamsack) and Dylan Toffan (of Canora) each contributed a double. Derek Palagian (of Sturgis), Riley Stewart (of Yorkton), and Nathaniel Minhinnick (of Invermay) each singled.”
The win advanced the Supers into the league finals for the seventh consecutive season.
July 22: Canora Supers 12, Grandview Lakers 7 – Grandview, Man.
The best-of-five league championship series opened on July 22 in Grandview. Shae Peterson was given the start on the mound and went the distance, scattering eight hits and allowing seven runs, five earned, as the Supers won 12-7.
“The bats erupted for 13 hits, as six Supers had multi-hit games,” said Andreychuk. “Trae Peterson (of Sturgis) banged out three hits and drove in three runs to lead the offence. Bryker Smith (of Sturgis), Kody Rock, Ian Quewezance, Evan Rostotski (of Norquay) and 18U call-up Bostin Smith (of Sturgis) each had two hits.”
July 23: Grandview Lakers 14, Supers 2 – Canora
Even though the series moved to Canora for Game 2, this was one the Supers would like to forget according to Andreychuk, as Lakers pitcher Lyndon Zimmer held the Supers to just two runs and four hits in a 14-2 Lakers win to tie up the series.
Ian Quewezance had two hits and drove in both runs for the home team while Rock and Peterson contributed a single each.
“Dylan Toffan gutted it out on the mound, throwing all seven innings,” said Andreychuk. “Unfortunately the Supers made seven errors in the field, giving the team no chance to make the game competitive.”
July 26: Supers 6, Lakers 5 – Canora
With the series tied at 1-1, Game 3 was “the game of the series,” said Andreychuk. “It was a see-saw affair up until the Supers last at bat, with the Lakers leading by one. However with runners on second and third with none out, Dylan Toffan launched a double to deep right field to cash in both runners, and the Supers won 6-5 in walk-off fashion in front of the home fans.”
Kody Rock got the start on the mound, and allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits with 12 strikeouts over seven innings to get the win.
Rock led the way offensively with a single, double and a two-run home run. Bryker Smith chipped in with a single and a double. Chaz Jaeb, Derek Palagian, Evan Rostotski and Shae Peterson each had a single, while Toffan capped off the evening with the game winning double.
July 28: Lakers 5, Supers 0 – Grandview, Man.
The Supers traveled to Grandview on July 28 to try to clinch the series.
However, pitcher Reese Andres of the Lakers had other ideas as he allowed just six hits with 12 strikeouts and shut out Canora in a 5-0 Lakers win. Shae Peterson went all six innings on the mound for the Supers, scattering 13 hits and five runs to keep the game within striking distance.
“The Supers had two different innings with runners at first and second with none out, but could not capitalize on either,” said Andreychuk. “Other than that the bats were held in check. Bryker Smith, Kody Rock, Chaz Jaeb and Jordan Auger (of Russell, Man.) each had one hit. Dylan Toffan was the only Super to have two hits, with a pair of singles.”
July 30: Supers 7, Grandview 0 – Canora
In a grueling best-of-five series where no team won more than one game in a row, the Supers captured the 2026 SESBL Championship with a 7-0 Game 5 win over the Grandview Lakers at Al Sapieha Field in Canora on July 30.
In Game 5, Kody Rock was given the ball, and responded with a vintage performance on the mound by allowing just one single, no runs with 13 strikeouts to dominate the Lakers.
“There was nothing they could do to stop him on this evening,” said Andreychuk. “In the bottom of the first, Rock set the tone early at the plate with a solo home run, while Trae Peterson added a two-run single to give the Supers some early confidence. Rock then launched a two run home run in the bottom of the second to give the Supers a 5-0 lead, essentially deflating the usually lively Grandview squad.”
Two more Supers runs in the fifth “sealed the deal” for the Supers, wrapping up their sixth league championship in the last seven seasons.
It wasn’t easy
Making this championship even sweeter was the knowledge that the Supers almost didn’t even make to the final series. In the best-of-three semi-final Saltcoats was up 1-0 in games, and had 10-5 lead in Game 2 after four innings in Saltcoats.
“It looked for a minute that 2026 might not be the year for the Supers,” recalled Andreychuk. “Kody Rock had injured his arm in a non-baseball related incident a few days prior, and was not sure if he would be able to pitch. But we scored six runs in the top of the fifth to take an 11-10 lead, and Kody decided to test his arm in the bullpen. He determined he was healthy enough to pitch, and promptly shut Saltcoats down. Had he not been able to pitch, I was content going with our next best available option, and let the chips fall where they may. You can't risk a person's health no matter what, and if that meant not winning the game then so be it.”
And when the final series was tied 1-1, the Supers were faced with the very real possibility of going back to Saltcoats with the Lakers one victory away from winning the series.
“They tied the game in the sixth, took a one run lead in the seventh, and things appeared to be unravelling a bit,” said Andreychuk. “But we just never panic, and were able to regroup and get the win in the bottom of the seventh.”
Community effort
Andreychuk was quick to point out that the success of the Supers in recent years is an accomplishment to be proud of for Canora and the surrounding area.
“The Supers would like to thank Mike Spelay for doing the public address announcing once again,” said Andreychuk. “Also a big shoutout to Aaron Herriges, Mike Brown and the Town of Canora for keeping Al Sapieha Field in tremendous condition throughout the season. And a huge thank you to the families of the players for the support, and to each and every fan young and old for attending games, chasing down foul balls, putting money into the hat to help pay for umpires, diamond rental, baseballs. etc. None of this would be possible without all kinds of support.
“We thank you all, and hope to see you again in 2027.”
Future looks bright
Andreychuk said there is every reason to believe that the Supers will be right in the thick of the competition for another championship next season.
“Kody Rock continues to perform at an elite level. Year in and year out he shows up every game, and leads the way with his pitching, defence at shortstop, and lethal bat.
“Having a catcher like Bryker Smith emerge has been a huge shot in the arm for us, as he was at every game, and was the best defensive catcher in the league. In years past the catching situation was almost always pieced together, which was the least of my worries this year.
“Dependable, solid veterans like Ian Quewezance, Kholton Shewchuk, Evan Rostotski, Derek Palagian, Jordan Auger and Dylan Toffan make my life much easier, as I know exactly what I will get from them.
“Not to mention younger players like Chaz Jaeb, Nathaniel Minhinnick, Shae Peterson, Xage Will and Braden Kitchen are all dependable and productive players who have great attitudes and will be around for the foreseeable future.
“We also have some good young players in the pipeline like Kayden Quewezance, Bostin Smith and Trae Peterson, who we hope to see back in 2027.”
Supers All-Stars
The Parkland Umpires Association has chosen an All-Star team for the SESBL this season, which was posted on the Canora Supers Facebook Page. Supers team members who received the honour were: Kody Rock (pitcher), Bryker Smith (catcher), Evan Rostotski (outfield) and Chaz Jaeb (utility).
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