Gopher dynasty

Winnipeg Free Press

3 days ago

Four years and three championships for Jackson Thiessen and the Garden City Gophers, who won yet another MHSAA Baseball Provincial Championship this past weekend.
For the Grade 12 student, Thiessen has seen his team make it to at least the semifinals four years in a row, their only provincials loss coming last year against the Garden Valley Zodiacs in a tight 3-2 game.
But the Gophers can't seem to stay away from gold for long, defeating the Steinbach Regional Sabres 13-1 at Stonewall Quarry Park on Saturday.
Donnie Smith Photo
Grade 12 Jackson Thiessen has three championships with the Garden City Gophers.
'I wanted to end it on a good note,' said Thiessen. 'Winning it all and to actually come out on top meant a lot more to me because it's my last year there, and it just makes the win so much more memorable.'
Donnie Smith, who has been coaching with the Gophers for over 15 years, attributed the depth of his team to their success.
'We could juggle the lineup if I wanted to and feel comfortable with it,' said Smith. 'There's a threat at any hitting position. And then our pitching depth was probably a little stronger than most teams.'
The bats were clearly hot, looking at their dominant 13-run win against Steinbach, but Smith also credited his team's defence — which was solid all weekend — as a key factor in their championship run.
'The confidence and ability to overcome obstacles and adversity with this group, and the leadership group has been awesome,' said Smith. 'We were down in the quarterfinal against (co-op) Birtle for a little bit, and there was really no panic that set in.'
Donnie Smith Photo
Garden City Gophers outfielder Jacob Chaytor
For Smith, a big part of the season beyond capturing the championship was seeing the players grow closer as a group.
'For me, whether we won or lost, it was more about building a bit of friendship here, and having kids be involved with the program that have never played baseball before learn from our depth guys,' he said.
Thiessen echoed that sentiment, saying team chemistry this year was off the charts.
'Everyone was super close,' said Thiessen. 'Even the guys that wouldn't get as much playing time were always loud on the bench… We were never down on ourselves, we were always picking each other up.'
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Thiessen played a big role in the 2023 provincials, delivering a walk-off grand slam to win it all for the Gophers in his Grade 10 year, a moment he called one of his favourites with the team.
Cassidy Dankochik / THE CARILLON
Lincoln Carriere pitched a complete game for Garden City, allowing only two hits from the Steinbach Regional Sabres.
'Overall, as a team, I'd say my favourite part was just being able to hang out with the guys and have fun,' he added.
The centre fielder will head west in the fall, committed to Okanagan College in B.C., where he'll continue his baseball career.
The Gophers, who had 10 Grade 11 players this year, will hope to follow in Thiessen's footsteps and win it all in their final year next season to keep the dynasty going.
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Donnie Smith Photo
Garden City Gophers pitcher Brennan Veldkamp