OTTAWA – Vaughan, Ontario will once again play host to the Bantam Boys Championship tournament while the Bantam Girls Championship tournament moves east to Bedford, Nova Scotia.
Bantam Boys Championship
This tournament features some of the best up-and-coming 14 and 15 year-old players the country has to offer.
Tournament chair Dirk Drieberg has had the pleasure of helping organize this tournament for a long time. This will be the fourth straight year that Vaughan has hosted the event, and each year the tournament increases in popularity.
“The youth baseball community is fully aware of Vaughan playing host to the Bantam Nationals and each year the attendance continues to grow with parents and players alike visiting the event and taking in the games,” Drieberg said.
There are 11 teams registered in this tournament, so there will be plenty of baseball being played in Vaughan this weekend. Preliminary games will last for the first three days, and once the standings are settled the semi-finals and finals will take place on Championship Sunday.
Action kicks off bright and early with two games scheduled for 8:30am ET. Games will last throughout the day with the last game beginning 12 hours later.
Note: Please visit Pointstreak for stats and updates on all live action.
Bantam Girls Championship
For the first time in tournament history there will be teams from multiple countries. In previous years, only teams from Canada were allowed to participate; however, this year’s tournament will feature one team from south of the border. The Chicago Pioneers from Chicago, Illinois, will make the trip up to Nova Scotia this year and will look to prove that they belong.
Bedford, Nova Scotia is proud to be hosting this event, which will feature some of the most talented women’s baseball players in the country. With the Women’s World Cup being held last weekend, these ladies may look to one day represent their country.
On Saturday, the tournament will be involved with the organization KidSport, which lends a hand to families who cannot afford to enroll their children in an organized sport (ie. baseball). The organization will be around the ballpark all day, so if you’re in the area make sure to drop by.
The tournament runs from Thursday through Sunday, which includes two days of round robin play followed by two days of elimination games. Thursday and Friday will consist purely of round robin games; Saturday will feature the semi-finals; and Sunday comprise of placement games and the main championship match.
Play begins at 11:30am ADT (10:30am ET) when Ontario takes on the US-based Chicago squad. There are only four games Thursday, but Friday is when the action will really start to pick up.
Note: Live streaming of the Bantam Girls games can be found at the bottom of the Baseball Canada homepage by clicking on the following link. For in-game stats and related information, please follow Pointstreak.
