The Provincial 15U AAA champion Carillon Sultans were recognized twice by Baseball Manitoba at the association's 2022 Awards Banquet this past Saturday night in Brandon.

The Sultans were named the High Performance Team of the Year in the Minor Category and Clinton Brandt was chosen the High Performance Coach of the Year.

"It's weird to be recognized for yourself but it was a lot of fun to be with my team to celebrate with them," noted Brandt shortly after the Banquet came to an end. "It's kind of a wrap-up to a really exciting summer. Really proud of that group. Everyone involved, the players, the coaches and the parents. It was a really fun group and I will never forget the season."

The Sultans defeated South Central 3-1 in the final of the Provincial Tier One Championship in Brandon on the final day of July and earned a trip to the Western Canada Championship in Saskatoon.

That win over South Central came just three hours after Carillon suffered its only loss of the weekend 10-7 to that same South Central squad in the Sultans round robin finale.

"It was a strong group but by no means the favorite heading into that tournament," said Brandt. "Some of the teams that had our number over the course of the season, we were finally able to beat those teams at the biggest moments when it mattered most. I think that speaks a bit to the character of the boys that the moment wasn't too big for them, that they could stay calm under pressure. I know they were nervous, you would be of course, but they were able to overcome that and compete. I was really happy for them."

"Seeing the last out caught and then all the coaches gathering and hugging one another and going to support the players - it was an emotional moment where you see your reward for all the hours put in for everyone - all the players, all the coaches, everyone gets to experience some joy after working so hard," added Brandt. "You don't always get that feeling so when it's your turn, it's exciting."

 

brandtClinton Brandt & Baseball Manitoba's Louis Cote (photo courtesy Patti Hacault)


Clinton Brandt spent a lot of hours driving down the Trans-Canada Highway this past baseball season.

His Zone 13 champion Steinbach Regional team qualified for the Provincial High School Championship in Brandon.

His Sultans team was the finalist at the Canada Day Classic and then captured the Provincial 15U AAA Tier One championship four weeks later.

Both events were in Brandon.

He was the head coach for the 15U Provincial Team that finished fourth at the Baseball Canada National Championships in Saskatoon and one of their open tryouts for the Provincial team took place in Brandon.

So, it was only fitting that Baseball Manitoba's 2022 Awards Banquet was held in Brandon.

Brandt says it's his love of baseball that makes him want to continue to give back to the game.

"It's always fun. I spent a lot of time, and it doesn't feel like time spent, more as time invested, something that I'm really enjoying and I'm competitive. Getting a chance to give back, sure but I enjoy being shoulder-to-shoulder with the players and the coaches and working towards a common goal. It's a lot of fun."

 

sultans

Back row: Clinton Brandt (coach), Bud Penner (coach), Cody Bartel (coach), Kaden Coldwell, Nathan Forster, Carson Janzen, Caleb Arnaud, Ryker Wiens, Jackson Penner, Drew Heide, Noah Vogt (coach), Brennan Klassen (coach) & Burke Heide (coach)

Front row: Kieran Callewaert, Dylan Klassen, Connor Tallaire, Connor Demarcke, Nate Zilinski & Avery Pickering