DeLair Park is hosting some high-level baseball this weekend, as the B.C. Selects squad takes on the Langley Senior Blaze in a trio of exhibition games.
The series opens at 6 p.m. Saturday, followed by a Sunday doubleheader (1 p.m. and 3 p.m.).
The Selects are using the games as preparation for the Baseball Canada Cup, the national 17-and-under tournament, which runs Aug. 10-15 in Moncton, N.B. A trio of Abbotsford Cardinals have cracked the roster for Team B.C. – third baseman Brandon Todoruk, pitcher Matt Forsythe, and outfielder Tyler Krahn.
The Senior Blaze play in the Pacific International Baseball League, a summer collegiate circuit. They boast some local content in outfielder Brad Ferraro, a Cardinals grad who has moved on to Mayville State University in North Dakota.
JUNIOR CARDS FALL IN LEAGUE SEMIS
The Abbotsford Junior Cardinals capped a solid season with a run to the semifinals at the provincial championship tournament last weekend in Nanaimo.
The Junior Cards came into the playoff tourney seeded fifth after going 32-16 during the regular season. They posted a 1-2 record during pool play, then knocked off host Nanaimo 5-1 in a qualifying game to earn a spot in the semis. Pitchers Liam MacGregor and Emilio Foden combined to limit Nanaimo to five hits over seven innings.
The Cards' season came to an end in the semis, as they dropped a 5-3 decision to the eventual champion North Delta Junior Blue Jays. Daniel Koo, Kurtis Kostuk and Jesse Braun each had an RBI in the defeat.
DHINSA 11th AT JUNIOR WORLDS
Abbotsford wrestlers Sunny Dhinsa and Chanmit Phulka represented Canada at the Junior World Championships in Bucharest, Romania last week.
Dhinsa, competing in the heavyweight (120 kg) division, won his opening match against Ali Magomedabirov of Azerbaijan, but was eliminated in the second round by Ukrainian grappler Muradyn Kushkhov. He finished 11th overall.
Phulka dropped both of his matches in the 96 kg division, falling to wrestlers from Georgia and Japan.
CASCADES TO HOST FUNDRAISING BREAKFAST
The University of the Fraser Valley athletic department is set to launch a fundraising breakfast this fall.
The event, billed as the "Breakfast of Champions," is slated for Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 7 a.m. at the Envision Athletic Centre. Tony Waiters, former head coach of Canada's national men's soccer team, will be the guest speaker.
Tickets are $100 per person. Companies can also opt to purchase a table for $1,000, which includes seating for eight guests, along with a student-athlete and dignitary at each table. The event will also include a silent auction featuring items ranging from professional soccer and ice hockey jerseys to a trip to Las Vegas.
To purchase tickets, call the UFV athletic department at 604-854-4595, or visit the Cascades website at www.ufv.ca/athletics.
PICKLEBALLERS CLIMB PODIUM
Local teams showed well at the second annual Abbotsford Pickleball Tournament, held last month at Abbotsford Recreation Centre.
The duo of Rhys Martel and Mike Shepherd won silver in the men's doubles under-55 category, while Elaine Griffiths and Kathy Parkes (ladies doubles 55-plus) and George Pool and Ganbat Tsend (men's doubles under-55) won bronze.
Pickleball, a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton and tennis, is said to be one of the fastest-growing sports in North America.