It was a fitting conclusion to an amazing run for one of the greatest teams in the history of girls’ softball in Delta.
It was in late July when the 2001 Delta Heat rolled to seven straight victories to capture USA Softball’s 18UA Western Nationals in Salem, Oregon, defeating California’s Benicia Outlaws 5-0 in the final behind the complete game pitching performance of Rawnie Weststrate. The result capped a memorable two-week stretch that began with another unbeaten run at the Provincial U19A Championships at Softball City.
It’s believed the Heat are the first Canadian entry to ever win a U.S. championship.
It was back in January when the girls decided to forgo the Canadian Championships in Kitchener and finish their season a few weeks earlier in Salem. Standout pitchers Kianna Jones and Weststrate would not have been available for nationals due to their commitment with the Canadian junior women’s team.
The Oregon trip also reflected their decision a year earlier that the 2019 campaign would be the last in youth rep fastpitch for the eight graduating players who are all taking their careers to the university level. They still had one more year of eligibility remaining at U19.
“The decision was completely up to them. I told them we could pick up a couple pitchers and go to nationals but they wanted to finish this playing all together one final time,” said Heat head coach Bill Olexa. “When you look at what these girls accomplished on and off the field, in my mind, they will go down as the greatest team ever in Delta. They were just the whole package. A very special group of young ladies.”
Olexa knows a thing or two about championship teams in girls rep fastball. He and assistant Bob Houtman enjoyed a dominant four-year run with the 1996 Delta Heat, which included a national title, before committing to the 2001 group where they were joined by Doug Harris.
“When they asked me to coach them, it was a no brainer. You could tell when these girls were in U10 and going to clinics they were going to be special.”
The Heat proceeded to finish second at the U14 provincial and national championships and two years later broke through to win both titles, including a thrilling 2017 U16A Canadian final on home soil at North Delta Community Park.
The winning continued at U19 with provincial and national bronze last summer against older opponents, setting the stage for another decorated campaign this season.
2001 Delta Heat Honour Roll
2015
U14 Canadian Jamboree Champions
U14A Provincial Runners-up
U14 National Runners-up
2016
Delta Rotary Helping Hand Youth Award
2017
U16 Provincial Champions
U16A National Champions
Softball B.C. Team of the Year
2018
U19A Canada Cup bronze
U19A Provincial bronze
U19A Nationals bronze
2019
U19A Provincial Champions
18UA USA Softball Western Champions
