The third annual Steven Daniels Jr. Memorial Fastball Tournament was held between August 16 and 18 in 100 Mile House at Lumberman's Park and Robinson Park near the South Cariboo Rec Centre.
The tournament was founded in 2022 a year after the passing of Steven Daniels Jr, who was an avid fastball player and councillor for the Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation, and is an eight-team modified double knockout tournament. This year the teams included the Smart Alecs, the Shuswap Defenders, the 100 Mile Royals, the Outlaws, the Bannock Slaps, the Chu Chua Chiefs and Gordy's Selects.
Andrea Boyce, Daniel's best friend and the event's main organizer, said that he helped bring fastball back from the brink of doom in 100 Mile House.
"For a long time, the sport almost died - it went from 16 to 20 teams here in 100 Mile down to two," Boyce noted, about the state of fastball around the time Daniels Jr. had joined, holding back tears.
Boyce said that after Daniels joined fastball as a rookie, they had helped keep the league going by playing many of their games at Canim Lake.
"He helped my mom and my dad - Gerome ‘Stumpy’ Boyce - any way he could, to get us anywhere. We would travel all over the country for fastball," Boyce recalled.
She remarked that it was great to see fastball back in 100 Mile House. Boyce said fastball is more than just a sport, but also a family.
"We've grown into adults and some into elderhood, and it's all like a big family, I guess," stated Boyce.
Boyce received credit for organizing the tournament for the third straight year from Shawn Archie, the catcher for the Shuswap Defenders. Archie said that getting back onto the ball field and playing the game has been his favourite part of the tournament.
"All of our hard work comes together, and we get to see the hard work playing," said Archie.
Neil Christopher, another Shuswap Defender player, stated that he felt pretty good about his performance on the weekend. Christopher remarked he felt he could hit anything that could be thrown at him.
"It's pretty much to see family and friends and to get to play with all my buddies and... meet new people. A fastball environment, it's just great overall," said Christopher about why he chose to participate in the tournament.
Archie notes that Daniels would have been proud to see a tournament like this happening in his name.
"It's just good to see everyone out here playing for him, and everybody who shows up to watch, and everything like that."
The winner of the tournament was Bannock Slaps, followed by Gordy's Selects in second place and the Shuswap Defenders in third. The first-place winner received around $1,800, with second place receiving $1,000, and third place receiving $800.
