Giants fall just short of MJBL title

Elmwood

Even though their tenth consecutive MJBL championship series appearance didn’t turn out how they hoped, the Elmwood Giants still have plenty to be proud of, manager Ed Kulyk said.

The Giants fell three games to one to the Carillon Sultans in a hard-fought series that ended with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss on July 30 at Koskie Field. The finals opened with Elmwood’s ace Colson Smith facing his Sultan counterpart Cedric Legasse. Playing on a hard infield, the Giants made five errors. The Sultans capitalized, adding a home run and a double to earn an 8-4 win.

“You take away those errors, and maybe it’s a one-run game,” Kulyk said.

Red-hot Sultans starting pitcher Connor Martin twirled a gem in the second game. Using a high-80s fastball, Martin stymied the Giants to earn a 3-0 win and put the Sultans on the verge of a title.

That win looked imminent early in the July 29 game as the Giants fell behind early 7-0. They clawed back to 7-4 before the Sultans tacked on a pair to take a 9-4 lead.

But the Giants didn’t give up.

“We started chipping away and having better at-bats,” Kulyk said.

The Sultans ran out of pitching, leaving the Giants to torch a substitute for five runs in the sixth inning to tie the game 9-9. They added a single score in the seventh to force a fourth game.

That game was a classic, with Smith and Legasse facing off once again. They brought their best, with the game scoreless into the sixth inning. With the Giants ahead 1-0, the Sultans hit a dribbler up the third base line that stayed fair. That baserunner would score to tie the game; the Sultans would later add a second run.

The Giants had one last chance, with the middle of the order coming up. That got runners on base and hit a screaming line drive up the middle, but Sultans shortstop Cody Wielgosh made an incredible play to start a championship-winning double play.

“It was incredible, one of the best games I’ve ever coached in,” Kulyk said. “Colson Smith must have had 11 strikeouts.

“The fun part is the respect between the teams. It’s unbelievable.”

One indicator of the strength of the 2025 Giants is the number of awards and nominations the team earned. Kulyk is up for Manager of the Year. Thomas Turner won the Jack Hind Award as top pitcher. Brett Lucko earned the Jacobucci Domes Sportsmanship & Ability Award. Dylan Duguay is the 2025 Carey Candy Award Winner as MJBL MVP after leading the league in home runs.

Turner, Duguay, Easton Toews and Lucas Lyons were named all-stars; Lyons was a top contender for Rookie of the Year.

Duguay was fourth with 26 hits and sixth with a .413 batting average, one point ahead of Lyons at .412. Turner led the MJBL with a 1.60 earned run average. Smith was fourth at 2.57.

As Kulyk looks ahead to 2026, he’ll have to fill a large hole left by Duguay, who spent the past seven seasons with the Giants.

“It’s tough to see him go,” Kulyk admitted.

But hope springs eternal, as the entire pitching staff, along with six recruits, are signed up and waiting for spring.

“I’m hoping we’ll get back to the finals,” Kulyk said.