The Okanagan Athletics take on the Coquitlam Reds Friday in Nanaimo in the opening of the B.C. Premier Baseball League’s Final 4 Championship.
The A’s are seeded second in the four-team round robin format.
The Nanaimo Pirates are the No. 1 seed, while the Reds are third and North Shore Twins are fourth.
On Saturday, the A’s will play the Pirates and Twins, with the top two teams to meet in Sunday’s championship game.
“I think it’s anyone’s game, it’s totally up for grabs,” said A’s head coach Evan Bailey. “Every team has a shutdown pitcher, except maybe us, but we probably have the most potent offense of any team.
“Nanaimo is likely the team to beat, they finished the highest and they’re at home, but it’s still wide open.”
A surprising absence from the championship is that of the Langley Blaze who finished on top of the league in the regular season with a 39-9 record. But North Shore engineered a playoff upset last weekend beating the Blaze in straight games.
“I wish Langley was there, they were obviously one of the top teams all year, but that’s baseball sometimes,” Bailey said.
It’s the first time a Kelowna-based team has ever been to the PBL’s Final Four.
Okanagan posted its best record ever (32-16) in 2012 and had its highest finish in the standings tying for third place.
Last weekend, the A’s won a playoff series for the first time knocking off the Abbotsford Cardinals in straight games.
To follow the A’s progress this weekend, visit www.bcpbl.com
