A group of 11-year-old players from the Langley Baseball Association’s 2018 All Star team will be representing Canada at the 2018 Cal Ripken World Series in Treasure Coast, Florida in August 6-13.
It is the fourth time in Langley Baseball Association’s 50-year history that a Little League (U12) team has made it to a world championship.
A fundraising campaign has been launched to help cover some of the costs, with a GoFundMe page (2018-lb-world-series) with a goal of $10,000.
One of the parents of the players, Nina Sucic, said the ultimate goal is $30,000, with the rest raised from other sources.
“This is a huge opportunity for these kids,” Sucic told The Times.
“Every kid dreams of playing in the World Series. We want to make sure no one is left behind for financial reasons.”
The team will play exhibition games against teams throughout the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island during June to prepare.
In July, they will play in a tournament in Meridian, Idaho, followed by the World Series in August in Florida.
The World Series will be live streamed worldwide and will include the Babe Ruth Experience, customized Team Canada uniforms, an online personalized profile page and media night for each of the players.
“… watch these kids kick butt in Florida … as we approach our goal of world domination” the Langley team GoFundMe page states.
The event is named after Cal Ripken Jr. the shortstop and third baseman and 19-time all-star who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles who holds the record for consecutive games played of 2,632.
Ripken beat Lou Gehrig’s streak of 2,130 that had stood for 56 years.
Members of the 2018 Langley Baseball U12 All Star Team
#2 Nolan Bawtinheimer
#6 Kian Eliades
#7 Carter Teixeira
#10 Ethan Johnson
#15 Brendan Rohrer
#16 Noah Laird
#18 Mason Mandzuk
#22 Kingston Sayers
#33 Reign McKay
#42 Dexter Beyers
#48 Tyler Trim
Coach Phil Laird
Coach Marty Beyers
READ MORE: VIDEO: Ball season begins in the Langleys
READ MORE: U12C Regional Championships wrap in Langley
dan.ferguson@langleytimes.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter