Sylvan Lake Gulls Jonah Weisner and Tyler Boudreau were named two of six WCBL award winners from the 2023 season.
Weisner was named the Western Canadian Baseball League’s (WCBL) Most Valuable Player after a fantastic season.
The 24-year-old from Mission, B.C. led the way in the batter’s box for the Gulls posting a .392 batting average through 56 games and 217 at-bats.
More importantly, he led the WCBL with 49 runs batted in. He also scored 44 runs with five home runs and had 23 stolen bases. In the field, the shortstop posted a .979 fielding percentage.
“The gratitude I have for the people I met this summer is relentless. There’s so many I want to thank for without them, this achievement would’ve never been possible,” said Weisner in a media release.
”First, Coach Chatwood and his coaching staff. Jason was a huge piece to the successes I had this summer with the effort he and his coaching staff put into the team and myself individually.
Weisner went on to thank his teammates for the bonds and trust they formed last this year.
“Pushing each other daily is what drove me and so many others to pursue excellence and for that I’m grateful. I owe a tremendous thank you to the front office, as well as the training staff for taking care of me throughout the season…
”To the fans and community of Sylvan Lake, coming to play for you guys was more than easy. The commitment and energy that was brought at home, as well as on the road, made playing that much more special. I will never forget the experience Gulls Stadium brought on a daily basis.”
After signing a professional deal with the Quebec Capitals of the Frontier League, Weisner will not return to the Gulls next season. He also re-signed with the Capitals through the 2024 season.
Head coach Jason Chatwood said on Tuesday he is happy for Weisner and that he wasn’t surprised with the outcome.
“The way he played this year he was very deserving of this award,” Chatwood said. “There were some other guys who had exceptional years too so you don’t know who’s going to win it. He put in a lot of work throughout the year.”
Chatwood added when they first acquired him last summer he knew they were getting a “spark plug type player.” The original plan was to not play him at shortstop but rather at second or third base.
After Weisner was slotted into the position after a few injuries it turned out to be a great decision.
“I still remember it was in Okotoks. There was an injury and we had to put him at shortstop and he made every single play that got to him,” Chatwood said.
“He played shortstop for the rest of the year. He was the ultimate team guy and deserved everything he got this summer for us.”
Pitcher Tyler Boudreau also won his first Most Outstanding Pitcher Award as a member of the Sylvan Lake Gulls.
Last season he posted a 5-1 record with the lowest earned run average in the WCBL at 1.54 through 15 games.
The third-year pitcher from Sylvan Lake, who’s committed to Texas Tech University, served as both a starter and a reliever recording 52 strikeouts and four saves.
He beat out teammate Josh Tucker who won the same award last year. Tucker led the league with 70 strikeouts a year after setting the strikeout record with 91 in 2022.
“To see [Boudreau] grow and develop into the young man he is now and watch his game continue to get better every summer it’s exciting,” Chatwood said.
“He’s got a great future ahead of him. He was our pitcher of the year and I’m happy he was able to win the award for the league as well…
“He filled multiple roles and started big-time games for us. We had him close games too so it’s just awesome to have him. He’s been a huge part of our organization for the last three years.”