Skip to content

Parksvilles host successful provincial tourney

Rage softball program welcomes 16 teams to Nanaimo complex
7774259_web1_170719-PQN-M-softball-spracklin-gs-july15
Parksville Rage batter Selena Spracklin rounds the basepaths after hitting a walk-off three-run home run to lift her team to a 13-12 win over the South Delta Invaders during action at the Softball B.C. U16 B championships at Nanaimo’s McGirr Sports Fields Saturday, July 15, 2017. — GREG SAKAKI/Black Press

Oceanside Minor Softball parents, volunteers and coaches succeeded wildly in hosting the 16-team, Softball B.C. U16-B Provincial Championships last weekend at McGirr Fields in Nanaimo.

Even if the on-field results weren’t quite as shiny.

The Parksville Rage, who kicked off play with a dramatic, walk-off win over South Delta, finished in 10th place, just missing the cut-off for the eight-team, double-knockout playoffs on a tiebreaker. A second local entry, the Central Vancouver Island Rage, placed 15th with a squad made up of players from Parksville, Nanaimo and Port Alberni.

“It would have been nice to finish higher,” said Ian Kellow, Rage coach and one of the tournament’s organizers. “But it was a really good tournament.”

The Cloverdale Fury captured the tourney championship and qualified to represent B.C. in the Western Canadian U16 Championships in Winnepeg. The Coquitlam Classic placed second and Ridge Meadows was third as Vancouver Island teams were shut out of the playoff round.

Kellow said Nanaimo entered a team on short notice to fill out the field when Prince George was unable to attend due to the fires sweeping through the Interior of B.C.

The provincial championships closed out the season for the Rage program, but it is already preparing for the start of the next season. Oceanside Minor Softball will host its UBC Softball Camp, featuring coaches and players from the University of British Columbia program, at Parksville’s Community Park August 28-31.

Registration is now open; players are urged to sign up soon, as last year’s camp sold out. For more info or to register online, visit www.oceansidesoftball.ca.