OTTAWA-For many, August means the final month of summer, perhaps a return to school or work not looming off in the distance. But for Baseball Canada, the month of August means National Championships and we have 11 of them, scattered across the country that will surely bring top quality competition to the communities that act as hosts.
The annual Baseball Canada Cup, pitting some of the top 17U talent in the nation heads to Fort McMurray, Alberta beginning Wednesday, August 3rd where ten provincial all-star teams will compete for a National Championship. New to the Baseball Canada National Championship program this year is the 21U Women Invitational that will take place in Halifax from August 4-7.
The community of Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo are looking forward to welcoming teams to the area next week in the aftermath of wildfires that devastated the region last spring. Organizers have been working extremely hard to ensure that the event moves ahead as originally planned.
“We are so excited to welcome everyone to Fort McMurray for this event,” said Jodie Cooper, Co-Chair of the 2016 Baseball Canada Cup Organizing Committee. “Despite the challenges we have faced this spring, we know this will be a fantastic event both for the participants and our community. We look forward to showcasing our region for our visitors, and taking this opportunity to celebrate a great event with our community this summer.”
British Columbia enters the event as the three-time defending gold medalists, but will face stiff competition in Pool A from Alberta, Ontario and newcomer to the group, Saskatchewan who are the defending silver medalists.
In Pool B, where Québec finds themselves for the first time in the events 27 year history, the competition promises to be fierce with only two opportunities for a spot in the medal round up for grabs among Manitoba, the aforementioned Québec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Action gets underway at beautiful Shell Place Stadium, acting as the main venue, on Wednesday, while Ross Hennigar Park will also host games on each of the five-scheduled competition days.
The inaugural 21U Women Invitational will see a six team field compete for a championship, including host Nova Scotia along with British Columbia, Ontario, Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador rounding out the Canadian entries, while a squad from Guyana will add an international flare to the event.
“We’re excited to host some of the top 21U women’s players in the country next week in Halifax,” said Tournament Chair Holly LaPierre. “Having teams participate from other countries like Guyana provides a unique experience for all involved and reaffirms the popularity of women’s baseball around the globe.”
Action begins at both Mainland Field and Lenihan Field on Thursday, August 4th with medal games slated for Sunday, August 7th.
All tournament games from Mainland Field will be streamed live courtesy of Bell Aliant and can be accessed by clicking here.
Baseball Canada also provides live scoring for all National Championship tournaments via Pointstreak.
For more information, including schedules and rosters, please visit baseball.ca/baseball-canada-championships.
Social Links:
Twitter: twitter.com/baseballcanada
Facebook: facebook.com/baseballcanada
Instagram: instagram.com/baseballcanada
