Just three seasons after the program乌鸦传媒檚 inception, theare sitting at the apex of
On a hot, sunny Sunday afternoon at Edith Gay Park, the host Sun Devils lived up to their name by laying claim to the 2017 provincial championship with a 6-0 victory over the Cloverdale Spurs.
In following up on a stellar regular season when they posted a 30-8 record to finish in first, the Sun Devils met all expectations at provincials with a perfect 6-0 mark.
While a level of skill and talent clearly played key roles in their run to the title, head coach Rob Law said Sun Devils乌鸦传媒� players were also rewarded for their grit and determination乌鸦传媒攃haracteristics his club displayed right from the season乌鸦传媒檚 first pitch.
乌鸦传媒淓very day these guys laid it on the line, everyday somebody was getting injured, the way they hustled, getting dirty, getting hit at the plate, they were just non-stop warriors,乌鸦传媒� said Law. 乌鸦传媒淓verybody every other day stepped up. It was amazing, an amazing run, I still can乌鸦传媒檛 believe it. I乌鸦传媒檓 in awe of these young men.
乌鸦传媒淚 pushed them, I wasn乌鸦传媒檛 easy on them and they were just amazing. I乌鸦传媒檓 so proud of them.乌鸦传媒�
In Sunday乌鸦传媒檚 final vs Cloverdale, rookie Dreyton Nelmes tossed 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball for the second time in the tournament, while Gavin Barrett sealed the deal getting the last four outs.
Tyson Lamb paced the offense with a pair of hits and an RBI, while Jackson Sowerby added some insurance with a home run in the sixth inning.
The Sun Devils faced their greatest adversity of the weekend in the semifinal on Sunday morning against South Fraser, rallying from behind for a dramatic 8-7 win.
Down 6-1 to the Giants after just three innings, Nathan Ringness-Law came in and pitched four innings of relief to keep the Sun Devils within striking distance. That set the stage for the comeback, which included Jay Taylor乌鸦传媒檚 two-run home run in the sixth inning to tie the game 7-7.
Then when Jackson Sowerby delivered a walk-off single to score James Guidon, the rally was complete and Kelowna was off to the championship game.
Law said it was yet another example of the heart and resolve the Sun Devils have played with all season.
乌鸦传媒淒oesn乌鸦传媒檛 matter whether we乌鸦传媒檙e down six or down one, we just don乌鸦传媒檛 quit,乌鸦传媒� Law said. 乌鸦传媒淲e told them coming in you乌鸦传媒檙e seeded number one, everybody乌鸦传媒檚 going to be coming after you and you have to play hard.
乌鸦传媒淵ou乌鸦传媒檝e got to do whatever it takes to get the job done. It乌鸦传媒檚 a gritty, tight group of young men.乌鸦传媒�
As for what winning the B.C. 18U AAA league title means for the Sun Devils, Law said it乌鸦传媒檚 further validation that the program is working.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 speaks volumes to where our program has gone to in three short years, and we乌鸦传媒檙e building with our bantam triple-A program, with the (Central Okanagan Minor Baseball Association) and our executive,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e got a high performance program and it乌鸦传媒檚 working, it乌鸦传媒檚 showing乌鸦传媒t shows the dedication of the coaches, the executive, the parents乌鸦传媒攊t takes everybody.乌鸦传媒�
As Team B.C., the Sun Devils will now get set to represent the province Aug. 10 to 14 at the in Kingston, Rhode Island.
The B.C. champion Sun Devials are:
Noah Ringness-Law, Kurtis Wall, Gavin Barrett, Noah Foufoulas, Jay Taylor, Tyson Lamb, Spencer Klassen, Jackson Sowerby, Jordan Laidlaw, Mat Aschenbrenner, Jaimes Guidon, Nathan Ringness-Law, Matt Fuchs, Dreyton Nelmes, Logan Bligh, Alex Thompson and Carson Moberg.
The coaches are Rob Law, Jeff Bligh and Jeff Thompson.
