Verge: Doyle leads PEI Eastern Express to 13U Atlantic Championship

Right-hander Brennan Doyle started and allowed just one run in six innings to propel the PEI Eastern Express to victory in the 13U Atlantic Championship game on Sunday. Photo supplied.

September 14, 2023

By Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

There’s no missing Brennan Doyle on the baseball diamond. With hair as red as the sandy beaches from the province in which he hails, the young pitcher is easy to spot.

Slinging baseballs for PEI is how the 13-year-old has chosen to spend his summer, same as he has since he was four years old. He’s come a long way since then. Fastball, changeup, and curve - he’s got all three down pat. When one starts to falter, he brings out another. He uses them all when he takes the mound for the PEI Eastern Express in the 13U Atlantic Championship game September 10.

It’s an important game, and the stakes are high, but the young pitcher looks at it as just another outing. It’s how he stays calm in high pressure situations.

“Just doing what I always do, just pitching,” Doyle said.

Right-hander Brennan Doyle dominated in his start for the PEI Eastern Express in the 13U Atlantic Championship game. Photo supplied.

He went six innings with five strikeouts and one unearned run, helping his team capture the Atlantic Championship 5-4. It’s players like him that are helping put the province on the map for more than one “b” - beautiful beaches, and now, baseball. The team, made up of three different minor baseball associations in the eastern part of PEI who come together to form a triple A team, was led by head coach Desi Doyle - who also happens to be Doyle’s Dad.

Desi credits the success the province has seen on the ball diamond as of late, in part, to the island’s small size. The takeaway? Don’t underestimate tiny places. Being able to drive from one end to the other in four hours has its advantages. While other provinces aren’t able to train together as a team for as long before big tournaments, PEI players' closer proximity means they can practice together more often.

“You’ve got to think, teams from Ontario when they pick their teams they're probably coming together for a week and then they go to the tournament,” Desi said. “Where as we can practice right from the first of May until we leave, so that is definitely a bonus. We get to know the kids very well and develop those relationships that other teams probably don't have the opportunity to develop, and I think that's the best.”

The 13U Atlantic Championship winning PEI Eastern Express. Photo supplied.

The Eastern Express team has won all three tournaments they attended this summer, including one in Fredericton in June, and Summerside and Moncton in July. Now, there’s a fourth, with this championship win in August.

Although they did drop game one of the recent tournament to Yarmouth, the young group didn’t let it get to them. They came out next game fighting, and ended up over the course of the tournament outscoring their opponents 48-4, Desi said.

Their ability to deal with that adversity and put it behind them was an important factor in their success, he said.

“I think that was a big thing, they don't let the lows get too low,” he said.

The sport as a whole is growing across the province. They held their numbers well over the pandemic, and are now experiencing some steady growth. In response over the past couple of years, they've expanded their female programming from the grassroots level, said Rhonda Pauls, executive director of baseball PEI. They’ve added a 21U women’s provincial team that competed at the national championships for the first time this year.

They’ve also focused more on year-round programming, making use of indoor facilities for players to put in the work even during the snowier winter months.

“We’re trying to up our game in the amount of offseason instruction and time our athletes get to train on baseball,” Pauls said. “I'd like to think that's helped us this year.”

Right-hander Brennan Doyle (left) and his father and coach, Desi, after their PEI Eastern Express squad captured the 13U Atlantic Championship. Photo supplied.

It certainly showed with the Eastern Express.

Although Doyle just helped his team get the win September 10th, he’s already focused on his next goal with the game for PEI.

“Win another Atlantic Championship,” he said.