Youth baseball players will be having an active weekend, with tournament action and a doubleheader scheduled against out-of-town competition.
Brenden Frehlich, president of the Powell River Minor Baseball Association, said the under-13 and under-15 rep teams will both be busy. The U13 Pioneers will be hosting a tournament at DA Evans Park in Cranberry on Saturday, June 14, and Sunday, June 15. Teams from Nanaimo and Campbell River will be attending. In addition to the games scheduled, there will also be a home run derby at 7 pm on June 14.
The U15 team will also be playing on June 14, at Larry Gouthro Park, hosting a doubleheader against a team from the Alberni Valley. Games will start at noon and 2:15 pm.
Frehlich said minor baseball is growing in the community after a complete shutdown during COVID-19.
“Last spring, we had a new board in place and we were really looking to revamp and expand baseball and bring it back to Powell River,” said Frehlich. “Last year, we had a U13 rep team that went all the way to the provincials. They were the underdog team, but they worked their butts off and practiced and improved. When they started off, they were getting beaten by everyone, and by the end of it, they went to the final game and at the provincials, they lost to a Vancouver team that was far more experienced.
“They were tied 10-10 late in the game, and we ended up losing, but it was such a great story to see them achieve that.”
Frehlich said this year, a number of the U13 players have moved up to U15 and the main coaches have moved up, too, so the hope is that there will be a strong U15 team.
“This is the first time in a number of years that we have had a U15 team,” said Frehlich.
This year’s U13 team will have a new group of coaches, and efforts are underway to establish a U11 team.
“So, that would be three teams representing Powell River,” said Frehlich. “We’ll be travelling to Vancouver Island to play doubleheaders and maybe some tournaments. We are also hoping to host as many teams as we can this summer, and that would be at DA Evans and Larry Gouthro parks.
Frehlich said this coming weekend is the first action for the minor baseball summer league. Baseball house league is just wrapping up, so Frehlich said there is an overlap, where the rep teams are getting together and starting to practice, and the house league teams are coming to the end of the season.
There is plenty of competition for the Powell River teams this summer, with several teams in the Vancouver Island division, including Duncan, Alberni Valley, Nanaimo, Oceanside, Comox and Campbell River.
Frehlich said minor baseball wants to build on the tremendous legacy of teams that played years ago when baseball was big.
“It’s starting to build back up,” said Frehlich. “For the first time, we’ve had to turn kids away this year, because we only have so many sets of jerseys and so many days of the week.”
Frehlich is encouraging residents who like baseball to show up and cheer the local teams on. He said at the tournament at DA Evans, there will be a barbecue and snacks available.
“We welcome everybody to come out and watch, make some noise and cheer on the teams,” said Frehlich.
He said he would like to acknowledge all the coaches and parent helpers, and everyone who is helping to make baseball a success in Powell River.
“It takes a lot of work,” said Frehlich, “and we have some really good volunteers.”
He added that minor baseball has also received support from the slo-pitch community, which did a fundraiser at the beginning of the year just for minor baseball, raising $1,000 for the youth players.
“They have been very supportive."
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