The Mounties and Sr Eagles Overwhelming Favorites heading into 2011 Season!

Led by the famous Pawlick & Son coaching staff, the defending Champs Mounties are the heavily favorites to repeat in 2011. With a strong core of returning players, the amalgamation of 2010 Rockies AAA players in addition to a couple of players from the Canadian Little Leagues Champs from  Little Mountain, the Mounties have a great mix of pitching, power, and speed.  Mix that with the Mounties’ trademark brand of baseball and you have a surefire winning combination.

The Mounties main challenger this year will likely come from the Island as the Senior Eagles bring back a strong group of players that made some noise last year as first year players and easily qualified for the Provincials. With most of their players having a year experience behind them, the Sr Eagles are likely to soar up the standing this year as they attempt to wrestle the championship away from the Mighty Mounties.

The Junior Eagles should continue Victoria’s tradition of building strong developmental teams especially  with the designated host spot in the Provincials in August in their pocket. The JR Eagles can work on their craft all season without the pressure of do or die games each week.

Up Island, the Mustangs are likely to make some noise this year as their core group is a year older and stronger. The Mustangs were competitive all season last year and will be even tougher to beat as their already strong pitching staff will have  one more year of poise and maturity.  

The Interior teams in Kelowna and Kamloops will also challenge to move up the standings as their teams build on last year’s experience. The continuous travel both teams have to go through  may likely be their biggest obstacle  to achieving  their full potential.

Back on the mainland the battle for the midlle of the pack will be fierce. The Cloverdale Spurs are in a rebuilding stage with no returning players and five first year player but the addition of John Parker as Head Coach should speed up the team’s development process. John’s return to Bantam AAA where he won a Provincial Championship in his last year in 2003, should inspire his players to compete with the top teams in the league on most nights.

Veteran coaches Al Mckay and Jason Andrews will also bring a competitive edge to their teams in North Delta and White –Rock respectively. As their teams’ rosters mix of local and import players gel, they promise to be extremely competitive as the season progress. The Richmond Chuckers will likely follow a similar path as the Klenman & Son coaching staff works their annual magic once again to make their team tougher to beat each week as the season progress. Playing underdog most of the season and scaring every opponent as they make their way to the Provincials once again.

The North side of the Fraser River will be a dog fight between Tri-City, Burnaby , and the returning Ridge Meadows Royals.Both Burnaby and Tri-City share a great mix of solid pitching, speed and solid defense and will be tough opponents every night. The Royals also have a dominant pitching staff but they will likely set some major long ball fireworks with an impressive roster that features some of the biggest bats in the league.  Rounding the Mainland teams will be the always competitives Angels of Abbotsford who feature a great mix of talent and will be in the hunt all season.

May we get some sunshine and  play some  ball!