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The Junior National Team’s U18 Pan American Championship Selection Camp is underway, bringing together the country’s top young players as they compete for spots on Canada’s final roster. The camp will serve as the final evaluation period ahead of the 2026 WBSC Americas U18 Pan American Championship.

The five-day camp will include four games against professional academy teams from the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals.

Juniors Come Up Just Short in 3-2 Battle with Orioles FIL

Junior National Team 2-3 Baltimore Orioles FIL

The Junior National Team battled back from an early deficit but came up just short in a 3-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles FIL in U18 Pan American Championship Selection Camp action.

After two scoreless innings, Baltimore opened the scoring in the third. Three consecutive singles loaded the bases before a two-run single gave the Orioles a 2-0 advantage.

Canada cut into the lead in the fifth. Jalen Jacob (Maple, ON) drew a leadoff walk before Zach MacDonald (Lacombe, AB) and Sam Ellis (La Peche, QC) followed with singles to load the bases. Taye Thierman (Calgary, AB) then delivered a line-drive single to right to bring Jacob home and make it a one-run game.

The Canadian pitching staff kept the Orioles off the board over the next four innings to give the offence a chance to work its way back. Joseph Pereira (Etobicoke, ON) and Deven Simonovic (Victoria, BC) led the pitching staff effort, each with two scoreless frames and each collecting two strikeouts in their outings.

The Juniors pulled even in the bottom of the seventh. Elliot Lascelles (Toronto, ON) opened the inning with a walk and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt and a wild pitch before Kadyn Armitage (Surrey, BC) lined an RBI single to centre to tie the game, 2-2.

Baltimore regained the lead in the eighth, taking advantage of a pair of Canadian errors to push across an unearned run.

Canada threatened once more in the bottom half when MacDonald opened the inning with a double to left, but the Orioles retired the next three hitters to preserve the 3-2 win.

MacDonald finished with two hits, including the eighth-inning double, while Armitage and Thierman each drove in a run. Canada’s pitching staff allowed just three runs while keeping the Juniors within striking distance throughout the game.

The Canadians are back tomorrow for their final game of the Selection Camp ahead of the U18 PanAmerican Championship set to start later this week. 

(Joseph Pereira, Zach MacDonald, Taye Thierman)

​Juniors Battle to the End in Narrow Game Two Loss

Junior National Team 8-9 San Francisco Giants FIL

The Junior National Team mounted a late rally but came up just short in a 9-8 loss to the San Francisco Giants FIL in U18 Pan American Championship Selection Camp action.

Canada jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first. Elliot Lascelles (Toronto, ON) reached on an error before eventually coming around to score on a Ramsey Chung (Mississauga, ON) groundout. Maxime Blain (Repentigny, QC) followed with an RBI single to left that brought Kadyn Armitage (Surrey, BC) home.

San Francisco answered with four runs in the bottom of the second and added another in the fourth to take a 5-2 advantage.

The Juniors responded in a big way in the fifth. Dayne Liske (Drayton Valley, AB) opened the scoring with a solo home run to right before Chung and Blain drew walks. A Giants throwing error brought Chung home, before Cohen Miller (Calgary, AB) capped the scoring with a two-run home run to left to put Canada back in front, 6-5.

Johann Sternberg (Toronto, ON) helped preserve the one-run advantage with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out three and keeping San Francisco off the board in the sixth and seventh.

The Giants broke through in the eighth, however, scoring four times to turn the one-run deficit into a 9-6 lead.

Canada refused to go quietly. Rhys Whiteford (Duncan, BC) opened the ninth with a double and later scored on a Lascelles groundout. Armitage followed with a walk before Liske drove him home with a double to centre, cutting the deficit to one, but the comeback ended there.

Liske was at the centre of the Canadian offence, collecting a single, solo home run and RBI double while also drawing a walk. Miller added the go-ahead home run in the fifth, while Blain drove in a run as part of Canada’s two-run opening inning.

The Junior National Team will work out tomorrow at the Giants facility, before returning to action on October 19^th against the Baltimore Orioles.

(Dayne Liske, Johann Sternberg, Cohen Miller)

MacDonald, Chung Lead Juniors Past Phillies in Selection Camp Opener

Junior National Team 5-3 Philadelphia Phillies FIL

BOCA CHICA, DR – The Junior National Team opened the Selection Camp against the Philadelphia Phillies organization with a 5–3 victory, using timely extra-base hits and four scoreless innings from the pitching staff down the stretch to secure the win.

Canada struck first with a pair of runs in the second inning. Dayne Liske (Drayton Valley, AB) singled and Cohen Miller (Calgary, AB) walked before Zach MacDonald (Lacombe, AB) drove both home with a two-run double to centre field, giving the Juniors an early 2–0 advantage.

Calum Andersen (Calgary, AB) set the tone on the mound with two solid innings, permitting only a walk and striking out four to start the ballgame. 

The lead grew to three in the third when Elliot Lascelles (Toronto, ON) singled and eventually scored on a Jalen Jacob (Maple, ON) RBI single in the third.

Philadelphia responded with two runs in the bottom half to cut the deficit to 3–2, but Canada restored some breathing room in the fifth.

Ramsey Chung (Mississauga, ON) opened the frame with a triple to centre before MacDonald delivered his second run-scoring double of the game, extending the lead to 4–2. The Phillies answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to make it a one-run game once again.

Canada added an insurance run in the seventh. After Liske worked a walk, courtesy runner Kadyn Armitage (Surrey, BC) came around to score on a Chung single, pushing the advantage to 5–3.

From there, the pitching staff and defence closed the door.

Philadelphia was held scoreless over the final four innings, with Deven Simonovic (Victoria, BC) striking out three over the seventh and eighth innings, before the Ethan Reason (Stouffville, ON) induced a game-ending double play in the ninth.

MacDonald led the Canadian offence with three hits, including two doubles, and drove in three of the team’s five runs. Chung also collected three hits, including a triple, while adding an RBI and helping manufacture the final insurance run.

(Calum Andersen, Zach MacDonald, Ramsey Chung)