It’s not how you start your season but rather how you finish. Just ask the Delta Tigers.
Nearly 11 weeks after opening the 2021 campaign with an 8-0 loss to the White Rock Tritons, the Tigers returned to South Surrey Athletic Park to defeat the hosts 3-1 on Sunday to win their first-ever B.C. Premier Baseball League Bantam Prep championship.
Since that mid-June defeat, the city’s top team of 13-to-15-year-olds just kept getting better, culminating with the weekend playoff triumph that saw Delta win four of five games, including a 10-3 Sunday morning triumph over the North Shore Twins in the semi-finals.
The title continues an impressive run by the program that included B.C. Minor and Baseball B.C. 15U provincial championships in 2019 before transitioning over to the BCPBL and having the 2020 season wiped out by COVID-19.
“The kids have worked hard. There have been some ups and downs but that is what life is like coaching 13-to-15-year-olds kids,” smiled head coach Cam Frick. “We had a great season. I think our pitching depth showed today and we got some clutch hits.”
Ladner’s Macin McDonald had seen limited work on the mound this season due to injury, but showed why he was one of the team’s top pitchers with a strong performance in the final before North Delta’s Ezra Murti was equally effective in relief. The Tritons actually outhit Delta 6-3 but were thwarted by some superb defence, highlighted by a sixth inning double play after three straight singles had cut into a 3-0 lead. A Murti strikeout ended the threat.
“I told the guys this is the best defense I ever seen at this level of one solid game. We turned two double plays on them and both our pitchers were great,” continued Frick. “That was a great pitcher we faced from White Rock too. He shut us down early on in June a couple of times. We had some great swings and great at bats today.”
Delta opened the playoff weekend at Winskill Park Friday with a hard-fought 4-2 win over Abbotsford Cardinals behind the pitching of Mutri, North Delta’s Jake Fehr and McDonald who picked up the save. He also had three hits, including a home run, while Tsawwassen’s Finley McConnell and Dryden Fuoco had two hits each.
The win set-up Saturday morning’s game with Okanagan in a battle of unbeaten teams. Knowing a win would seal a spot in the semis, Frick turned to McConnell who delivered a complete game three-hitter in a 10-0 romp.
The Tigers had the luxury of resting players in a mean-nothing loss to Victoria and were in an excellent position for championship Sunday as it was Ladner’s Taylor Pearce’s turn to shine on the mound against North Shore.
“I’ve always been a fan that you have to win the game in front of you and think about the next game after that,” said Frick of his pitching strategy in a tournament-type format. “The first game was tight facing a couple of good pitchers on Abbotsford. All three of our pitchers pitched well. Saturday we were in a spot where we had to beat Okanagan. We decided to use one of our best pitchers in McConnell. We got to burn him there and he pitched the whole game and that was huge. We got lucky enough to be in a spot where we could then rest some guys Saturday night. Taylor then threw a great game this morning.”
Frick had high praise for a semi-final battery that also featured Desmond Tregaskis behind the plate. The 13-year-old from Tsawwassen is the youngest player in the league.
The Tigers roster features: Aksel van Tol, Carter Chow, Desmond Tregaskis, Dryden Fuoco, Ezra Murti, Finley McConnell, Jake Fehr, Macin MacDonald, Morgan MacCubbin, Sam Grad, Sawyer Shears, Smyan Billing, Taylor Pearce and Tyler Olfert. Rounding out the coaching staff are assistants Joseph O'Krafka, Tim Frick and Tim Fehr, along with pitching coach Dave Empey.
