OTTAWA- Baseball Canada is pleased to announce the 2012 Calendar of Events highlighting key dates for the upcoming baseball season. Last year Baseball Canada enjoyed unprecedented success in international competition as the Senior Men captured the bronze medal at the IBAF World Cup and stunned the United States to win gold at the Pan Am Games. Three weeks later, the Junior National Team took the silver medal at the COPABE World Junior Qualification Tournament.
Other highlights in 2011 saw Labatt Park in London, Ontario claim the title of Canada’s Favourite Ballpark while the relationship between Baseball Canada and the Toronto Blue Jays continued to flourish as ten Honda Super Camps took place throughout Canada.
“With spring just around the corner it is an exciting time as we look forward to another great year of baseball in Canada and with our National Teams on the international scene,” says Director General of Baseball Canada Jim Baba. “We had a very special year in 2011 and hope to build on that success in 2012. Our partnership with the Blue Jays continues to grow which is very exciting for amateur baseball in Canada.”
The Baseball Canada National Teams Awards Banquet and Fundraiser kicked off the year as alumni, corporate partners and friends gathered in Toronto for a memorable evening. Long-time National Team Manager Ernie Whitt became the fourth member inducted onto Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence presented by RBC Wealth Management.
In February, a group of Bantam girl’s will head down to Cuba for the third consecutive year to participate in a Development Camp. The Junior National Team will also be heading south as they will assemble in St. Petersburg, Florida for the second annual Spring Training Alumni Week. The highlight of the trip will come on March 13th when the JNT will square-off against a split-squad version of the Toronto Blue Jays MLB club.
The Juniors will assemble once again in April and May for their annual trips to ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida and the Dominican Republic respectively.
On the administrative side of things, the Baseball Canada Annual General Meeting will take place in Toronto in mid-June bringing together representatives from each of the 10 Provincial offices.
Championship season gets underway at the end of July as the Senior Women Invitational heads to Spruce Grove, Alberta. At the conclusion of the event the Women’s National Team will be selected as they begin preparations for the IBAF Women’s World Cup in Edmonton, Alberta August 10-19.
Baseball Canada’s showcase event, the Baseball Canada Cup, will run from August 8-12 in London, Ontario that will feature some of the top 16 and 17 year-old players in the country.
During the week of the August 16-19 the Midget Championship will be played in Québec City, while the Junior Championship will take place in nearby Trois Riviéres, Québec.
Four different championships will be played from August 23-26 as the Peewee Western event moves to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Bantam Boys are once again in Vaughan, Ontario; the Senior Men head to the west-coast and Prince George, BC and the newly named Bantam Girls International Invitational will be played in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia.
The final championship of the season takes place from September 6-10 as the Peewee Atlantic Championship will be decided in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
It’s a big year for the Junior National Team as the IBAF 18U World Championship will be played in Seoul, South Korea from August 30- September 9. The Juniors will be looking for their first medal since 2006 when a young Brett Lawrie led Canada to a bronze medal showing in Cuba.
The fall will also see the Senior Men attend the World Baseball Classic Qualification Tournament with a date and place still to be determined.
As always the final event on the baseball calendar is the Baseball Canada Fall Convention slated for November 1-4 in Québec City.
Note: The 2012 Baseball Canada Calendar of Events can be found by clicking HERE…Please check back to www.baseball.ca as dates and locations for events will be entered on the calendar once they become available.
