The Interlake will have a full fleet of AAA softball teams this season upon the return of the U17 Interlake Phillies.
Now they will have four teams in the Manitoba Premier Softball League’s U13, U15, U17, and U19 levels after running three teams back in 2024.
Leading the U17 coaching staff is Taylor Hagen, who served as head coach for the U15 Phillies last year. Under her guidance, the team successfully reached the 2024 Western Canadian Championships last August.
Hagen’s new U17 squad features 12 players from the 2008 and 2009 age groups, some of which that were on last year’s U15 Phillies squad.
The others either played up a year for the U19 Manitoba Phillies or for other U17 MPSL programs outside of the Interlake.
“We’ll have a very competitive team and a good group of girls,” said Hagen. “They get along very well and I’m excited to see them show their talents again. Finishing in the top four is the goal which would earn us a spot in either Nationals or Westerns.”
And though the regular season won’t start until early May, the Phillies are already getting game ready in the off-season.
After the team was selected last August and September, they got to work with indoor training in November at Home Run Sports Training Centre in Winnipeg.
Since then, they have conducted weekend practices at Stonewall Collegiate and held pitching sessions during the week at Stony Mountain School.
Many players also participate in winter travel teams, with some recently competing in international tournaments.
Phillies’ players Kassie Siwak, Lucy Hoff, Kiera Schutz, and Taylor Henderson represented the U18 Manitoba Softball Academy in Georgia at a tournament, while Paige Powroznik showcased her talent in Las Vegas with the Triple Crown Bulldogs.
Additionally, U15 Phillies players Jersey MacMillan, Katie Braid, and Lily Hammond competed for the U16 Manitoba Softball Academy in Georgia, contributing to the team’s gold medal win in the B-side final.
The trio helped Manitoba to a gold medal in the B-side final.
As for the U19 Phillies, they will be known as the Angels/Phillies this season due to the teams being combined. Coach Kirt Swanson indicated that they will likely split home games between Quarry Park and Optimist Park, depending on availability.
