A baseball team made up of mostly Langley players competed in the National Adult Baseball Association’s World Championship Series in Phoenix, Arizona.
The West Coasters two-month long preparation for the competition at Langley’s City Park payed off, as they finished third in the overall standings.
The team, made up of men aged 19 to 62 and one female player, won three games in the round robin and lost one.
The West Coasters made it to the semi-finals where they lost to the ultimate champions from Sonora, Calif.
The team competed at the Surprise Stadium and the Tempe Diablo, where the Anaheim Angels do spring training.
Langley’s Merv Sandrel coached and played with the West Coasters.
A majority of the players were drawn from his brother, Howard Sandrel’s, White Rock Eagles 45-plus hard ball team.
Howard said players from the West Coasters also competed on his 55-plus baseball team at the Championship Series, but didn’t perform as well. The team just missed the playoffs in their division.
Despite not taking home a championship title, Howard said the players enjoyed the time competing and travelling.
“It’s kind of like a holiday, too. Considering it’s older guys, the competition is very good. And the facilities are second-to-none. They’re the facilities you see on TV, so they treat you like a pro, even if you’re not.”
Arizona isn’t the only warm destination where Howard’s playing ball.
From Nov. 2 to 12, he will be in Australia for the Pan Pacific games, where he will compete with a team from Adelaide.
Howard competed with the same team last year in New Zealand, where they took home gold in their division.