The team that stays together, wins together.
“We have known each other for probably about 10 years,” said Jason Wilson, the coach and manager of Roll 2.
“We are pretty much like family.”
And over the weekend in Calgary, Roll 2 captured the NSA Canada Open A World Series title.
It was the second consecutive year the Langley team has done so.
“That was our goal going into nationals,” Wilson said.
“We walked into Calgary ready to defend our title with a target on our backs.
“(And) we felt good going in.”
There were 190 co-ed teams competing in Calgary for Canadian titles in the eight different divisions.
And Roll 2 were dominant in their title run.
They outscored the competition 99-36 going a perfect 7-0 and winning five of those games via the mercy rule.
That includes the championship final, which lasted just five innings and ended with a 14-4 victory over the Edmonton Nationals.
“We were just lights out (over the tournament),” Wilson said.
This was the team’s fourth appearance at nationals. They finished second in 2010 and third in 2011 and then won the last two titles.
The team has played together for eight years and plays out of the Langley Mixed Slo-Pitch League.
They won the Spring title this past summer, compiling a 19-2-1 record with a run differential of +138. Remarkably, this is considered one of the team’s poorer seasons, Wilson said, as they are used to losing or tying just one game over the course of a season.
One of the team’s secrets to its success is the fact there is little turnover.
“For the last eight years, I have only picked up one or two people a year, if that,” Wilson said.
The co-ed team has 10 males and five females. There are also four coaches.
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Another Langley team, Adrenaline, came in fifth in the Open B Division.