The U15 Prince Albert Aces celebrating their championship at the 2022 Shaye Amundson Memorial Tournament. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Memorial Tournament

Shaye Amundson softball tournament back for a third time in P.A.

May 31, 2023 | 1:45 PM

Female softball players from around the province and Alberta will be in Prince Albert this weekend.

The Shaye Amundson Memorial Tournament is back for a third time with 32 teams competing in four divisions: U11, U13, U15, and U17.

The tournament was founded after the 18-year-old former Prince Albert Aces player was killed in a car accident back in 2016.

“Shaye lit up the softball diamond, she was very well-liked and a very nice girl,” said Curtis Bradbury, the tournament’s coordinator.

The Aces will have teams competing: two in U11 and one in each of the other three divisions. Shaye’s sister Rhyan is a player on the U17 team, while her mom Melanie is an assistant coach.

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Bradbury said the family will be recognized on Friday, the opening day of the tournament, on Rotary Field starting at 5 p.m. The U17 Aces will play their second game of the day later that evening at 9 p.m.

“I think it’s probably very important for the family,” he said.

This is the first time the tournament will have 32 teams. Several are coming from Saskatoon, Regina, Melfort, Tisdale, and Meadow Lake. The team traveling the farthest is the U15 St. Albert Angels travelling from just outside of Edmonton, Alberta.

“I think hosting the World Junior Men’s (Championship) in 2018 has put us on the softball map for years now,” said Bradbury. “When you’re hosting major world competitions, I think it makes it easy for these teams from out of province to recognize Prince Albert as a softball bed.”

P.A. will also host a World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s Softball World Cup Group in 2024 and the 2025 World Cup Final.

Meanwhile, all funds raised during the tournament will go towards multiple scholarships given to softball players living in P.A. and surrounding areas.

“Last year, we handed out three scholarships in Shaye’s name at $2,500 each,” Bradbury added.

This year’s competition is being held at the Max Power Ball Parks with the U11s playing at Shaye Amundson Field, the U13s at Optimist Field, the U15s at Kinsmen Field, and the U17s at Rotary Field.

The first game will be on Friday at 10 a.m. with the U11 P.A. Aces taking on the Saskatoon Raider Rockets. The winners of each division will be crowned on Sunday.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow