The late Octaaf Laevens, whose name was synonymous with the Kamsack Royals fastball team for over 40 years, has a smile from ear to ear.
Last year his grandson Kobe, son of Cam and Marci Laevens of Spruce Grove, Alta., was named Alberta’s top peewee baseball player of the year, and now, on Saturday, Kobe’s younger brother Casey will be receiving the same award for the mosquito AA division.
“No one has ever heard of siblings each having been named the top baseball player of the year,” Cam said last week. “It’s pretty cool. We’re all excited. It’s hard to believe it’s happening.”
Primarily a shortstop and pitcher, Casey, 11, and his mosquito team made it to the provincial finals but lost to Red Deer, his father said. Kobe, 14, is a pitcher and catcher with the Parkland Twins bantam team, which “struggled a bit this year.”
Both brothers are now into hockey, he said. Casey is a left wing with the Spruce Grove Timber Wolves peewee team, while Kobe plays defense with the Pac Saints Bantam AAA team.
Cam has assisted with the mosquito team for 10 years while his wife volunteered as the manager for the bantam team.
Casey, who has been playing minor baeball since he was 11, is excited about the awards ceremony which will be held in Edmonton on Saturday, Cam said. Unfortunately Kobe will not be able to attend because he has a game in Red Deer.
“It’s a big event and a member of the Blue Jays will be making the presentation,” he said.
“It feels good,” Casey told the Spruce Grove Examiner about receiving the award. “There were a lot of other players that definitely deserved the award as well, but it feels good that they chose me.
“I think it’s my experience,” Casey said. “I’ve been in baseball for a long time now and I know a lot about the sport, maybe more than the other players right now.”
A strong pitcher and all around well-rounded ball player, Casey told the Examiner that his real passion is hockey, but that he’s going with the flow when it comes to both sports.
“I want to keep playing (baseball) but I like hockey a bit better, so I think I’d rather go the hockey route than the baseball route, but if baseball takes me, then I guess we’ll see,” he said.
Octaaf Laevens coached fastball in Kamsack for over 40 years and both he and his wife dedicated much of their time to ball in Kamsack.
“My mother passed away in Kamsack in 2003, but I still own the family farm just southeast of Kamsack,” Cam told the Times.
He said he and his family like to visit the farm every year and most recently stopped by in the spring while travelling to Winnipeg.
“I grew up playing fastball and baseball in Kamsack and played college baseball in the United States,” Cam said.
