Merchants come up just short in Kitchener at Canadian softball championships

The Tavistock Merchants earned a silver medal at the U23 Canadian tournament in Kitchener. Pictured in the back row, left to right, are Gary Baker, Joe Mick, Nate Running, Chad Brown, Justin Roth, Andrew VanBoekel, Blair Bender, Jack Becker, Will Schlotzhauer and coaches Tyson Zehr and Kevin Zehr. In the front row, left to right, are Tripp Gilbert, Connor Brooks, Kyle Roth, Mason McKay, Reese Yantzi, Bo Schurink, Keaton Bartlett and Aaron Waugh. Contributed photo

By Lee Griffi

The 2025 ball season and, to a certain extent, an era, has come to an end for the U23 Tavistock Merchants.

The team dropped a 3-2 decision to the Toronto Junior Batmen, despite two solo homeruns by Connor Brooks, who was named the playoff’s most valuable player.

“It was a tight game that came down to small margins. We generated some offense with a pair of solo homeruns, but Toronto found ways to answer back. In the end, we didn’t create enough scoring chances to get over the line,” said head coach Kevin Zehr.

Despite not finishing with a gold medal, Zehr said he’s extremely proud of how his young men competed.

“The group put in a strong effort from start to finish. We played through a deep and competitive field, battled through setbacks and earned our way to another national final. The result wasn’t what we wanted, but the consistency and work ethic were there all year.”

Tavistock opened the tournament with a 5-3 extra-innings loss to Saskatchewan but bounced back with a 3-0 win against Quebec thanks in large part to 15 strikeouts from the arm of Yantzi.

The Merchants then lost to Toronto by a 3-1 score, meaning they had to win three straight games to move on to the playoff round. Will Schlotzhauer sat down 13 in a 5-0 win over Shallow Lake, then Running struck out 10 in a 10-5 win over New Hamburg. Yantzi and Running then combined to lead Tavistock past Newfoundland and Labrador with a 12-5 win.

Tavistock dropped a 6-5 decision to Toronto, setting up another matchup against New Hamburg, where a 6-2 win gave them another shot at the Batmen.

Two other Merchants received individual awards as Yantzi earned top-pitcher honours and Becker was awarded top infielder.

“Competitive and consistent. We put ourselves in a position to compete for a national title, earned a silver medal and further developed the younger players in our system,” said Zehr when asked to sum up the season. “I’d also like to highlight the continued support from our community and the commitment of our players and staff. Sustaining success at this level takes all of that working together.”

The team will lose eight players to age next season, including four who have played key roles in the team’s success over the years.“Mason McKay in centre field and pitchers Nate Running and Reese Yantzi have been here five years, while Jack Becker gave us four steady seasons at third. They contributed to multiple national medals and provincial titles, and their experience and reliability will be difficult to replace,” Zehr said.

Also aging out are Kyle Roth, Andrew Vanboekel, Chad Brown and Blair Bender. Eight players are set to return next season and the Merchants plan to bolster their roster with talent from their U20 squad and other regional centres.

Zehr said he will follow the same recruitment strategy he has always employed to fill the holes, an approach that has brought the team consistent success.“We’ll continue to build around our local players, as we always have, while looking to add players who fit the team’s culture and commitment level. That approach has kept us competitive over the long term, and we’ll follow the same process heading into next season. Our goal has always been to make Tavistock a fun place to play while preparing players to compete beyond their junior years. We want Tavistock to be a place where athletes are respected, developed and given the chance to play deep into championship weekends. It seems to be a recipe that works.”

The Merchants have competed in every Junior Canadian Championship since 2015, missing only 2017 and 2020 thanks to the pandemic. The team has won two golds, two silvers and one bronze medal over the last 10 years.

Four team members will continue their ball season in Argentina from Sept. 13-20. Schlotzhauer, Running, McKay and Brooks are representing Canada at the U23 Pan American Championships in Santa Rosa. Yantzi was also chosen for the team but turned it down to focus on school.