The setting of the ballpark in the High Quadra area can be described as suburban-bucolic — perfect for launching dreams. Lakehill Little League has been around since 1958, but for the first time will serve as a venue on the road to Williamsport.
The district champions from across the province, along with the host team, have gathered at Ambassador Park for the B.C. championship and the next step toward living out a quest.
There is nothing in kids’ sports to match the sheer magnitude of the annual Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where 11- and 12-year-olds play in front of up to 40,000 fans at the stadium and are broadcast on ESPN and TSN.
It is an occasion along the way today that will draw Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock and B.C. Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Minister Lana Popham for the B.C. championship opening ceremony at noon at Ambassador Park. The ceremony will be capped, of course, by the singing of Take Me Out to the Ball Game.
“This is about more than just playing a few baseball games on a warm summer day,” Lakehill past president Angela Sawyer said in a statement.
“It’s all about the journey and how you got there, the new friends that are made on and off the field, the feeling of pride when you are representing your ballpark. These kids will carry these stories with them for a lifetime and will be the reason why they keep playing ball, and why they coach and mentor other kids when they grow up.”
The ceremony will take place following the opening game this morning at 10 a.m. between Trail and Hastings. Following the festivities, Beacon Hill will meet Little Mountain at 2 p.m. and Lakehill will play Lynn Valley at 5 p.m.
Sunday’s games have Little Mountain playing Whalley at 11 a.m., Beacon Hill meeting Lynn Valley at 2 p.m. and Lakehill playing Hastings at 5 p.m. Group games continue Monday at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. and Thursday and next Friday at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
First place will play fourth place and second place will play third place in the playoff semifinals on Saturday, July 20, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. with the championship game on Sunday, July 21, at noon.
The B.C. champion will advance to the Canadian championship tournament from July 29 to Aug. 8 at historic Cricket Field in Kingston, Ont., with the national champion advancing to the 2024 Little League World Series from Aug. 14-25 in Williamsport.
B.C. teams have dominated and represented Canada in the Little League World Series 28 times. B.C. teams have won the Canadian championship every year since 2005, except for 2013 when East Nepean of Ottawa was the national champion, and last year when host North Regina upset Little Mountain from Vancouver 4-3 in the national final.
Major-leaguers from B.C. to have played in the Little League World Series include Michael Saunders from Gordon Head in 1999, Adam Loewen of Kennedy-Surrey in 1996 and Jason Bay of Trail in 1990. Two teams from the Island have gone onto represent Canada in Williamsport — Esquimalt-Vic West in 1974 and Gordon Head in 1999, the latter with Saunders. No Canadian team has won the Little League World Series. The only Canadian team to reach the final was Stoney Creek, Ont., in 1965.
Layritz Little League will host the 2025 Canadian championship next year with an automatic berth into the national tournament.
