Jets leave Vegas with couple of wins

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Vauxhall Advance

By Cole Parkinson
Vauxhall Advance

After opening the Bishop Gorman Tournament with a win, the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball Jets had a handful of tough teams to get through to win the whole thing. The Jets opened with a 3-1 win over the home team on March 16, and they returned to the diamond the following day to take on Columbus High School.

In a high-octane offensive game, both teams plated plenty of runs over the six innings of play. The Jets were unable to answer back as Columbus won the game 17-11. The Jets sent four pitchers to the mound, and Calum Andersen took the ball to start and gave the Jets two innings where five earned runs scored. The right-hander allowed two hits and four walks while striking out three batters. Carter Bevans was next man up and went 1.1 innings with six runs (five earned) on five hits and a walk. 

He also struck out two batters in his inning plus of work. Jacob Flach pitched 1.2 innings from the pen and saw five runs score (four earned) on five hits. Charlie McMillan finished the game off with a single inning where he struck out one batter with two earned runs scoring on a hit and a walk.

VAB had 11 total hits in the game, with Noah McIntosh leading the way with a home run, double, and two RBI. Easton Kitura, Will Zielinski, and Gerrit Vanderwal all had two hits, while Kaleb Bozek, Hudson Nikkel, and Matt Getz all had one hit.

“W played a team out of Miami, FL, and they were really talented. It was back-and-forth. It was tight right until the fourth (inning) and we ended up losing 17-11. It was a good baseball game, and we just couldn’t stop them on the mound — they could really swing the bat. They had a lot of recruits, but it was fun. The boys handled themselves well and competed right until the final out,” stated Les McTavish, head coach of the Jets.

Looking to return to the win column, the Jets took on the Gahr Varsity Gladiators on March 18. The Jets would take a 3-0 lead into the sixth inning before the Gladiators were able to rip home three runs to tie the game. Neither team was able to break the tie in the seventh. Zielinski notched two doubles, Kaden Carson had a pair of hits, and Nikkel, Kaz Harris, and Rogan Rivard all collected one hit.

Noah Simpson started the game and was rock solid over five innings with four strikeouts. Over his five innings, Simpson only allowed three hits and a single walk. Ben Connolly gave the Jets two-thirds of an inning out of the bullpen, where three earned runs scored on three hits and two walks. Bozek pitched the final 1.1 innings, where he struck out one batter.

“We had a 3-0 lead late and gave it up, so we ended up tying based on time limit because ours was a consolation game,” explained McTavish.

The last game of the tournament saw the Jets take on Brother Rice Varsity Crusaders. Looking to finish the trip on a high note, the Jets played a solid five innings en route to a 12-5 win. Rivard led the way with three base knocks, Kitura had another two singles, and Zielinski had a double, while Harris had a single. Aiden Sloan took the hill as the starter and went 3.2 innings with four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks. Sloan also struck out six batters over 3.2 innings. Cedric Leblanc pitched one inning with one earned run on two walks, and he had two strikeouts. Flach collected the final out of the trip.

“(They are) a nationally ranked team out of Chicago. We played really well, and we pitched really well, and ended up winning that game. It was a good trip overall. Out of the games we lost, we lost 17-11, we lost on a walk-off homer, and we lost another close one. So, those three losses weren’t terrible by any means, and we played some really good teams. The weather was exceptional as well,” added McTavish.

No rest for VAB as the busy spring continues. With plenty of games on the calendar and some tired bodies coming home from Vegas, the coaching staff is looking at ways to build in some rest for their roster.

“We’re a little beat up, and they (pitching staff) worked hard in the winter to put themselves in a position physically to be able to handle it. We have a few nicks and bruises that we’re trying to figure out — the bodies were beat up by the end of it (the tournament). It was 30-35 degrees, so that is good for the arm, but it’s also tough on your body, and that takes a lot out of you,” continued McTavish.

Getting everyone into the games is another big factor early on in the spring. And with hot weather, there was a desire to rotate players in and out of the lineup frequently.

“We try to give guys some breaks here and there. The key to (that tournament) is to make sure everybody feels like they were given an opportunity to contribute, and I think we did that. We had some guys we weren’t necessarily counting on that really stepped up. We had some guys we thought were going to be superstars that maybe had a tougher week — and that’s all part of the process. You have to believe in how that long-term process looks. That was seven games on a 50-game schedule, and when you come out of the gates playing teams like that, I thought as a group we gave some rest spots when they were needed. We were really happy with the trip,” said McTavish.

Next action for Vauxhall comes this weekend when they have a pair of split doubleheaders against the Prairie Baseball Academy and Sylvan Lake Gulls. The Jets take on PBA on March 28 at 11 a.m. and then the Gulls right after at 1:30 p.m. The Gulls and PBA wrap up the day with a matchup at 4 p.m. On March 29, the day starts with PBA vs the Gulls at 11 a.m., followed by VAB vs Sylvan Lake at 1:30 p.m. and then PBA at 4 p.m.

“That should be a good event, and the Gulls are a good team. We played PBA, and they are much better than they have been in the past. We also have our banquet on Friday night with the Duelling Pianos. So it is going to be a busy weekend. Monday will be a good day off, let’s put it that way,” added McTavish with a laugh.

VAB’s banquet goes on Friday, starting at 5:45 p.m. at the Vauxhall Community Hall.