They say that pitching and defence wins championships.
The Nanaimo Cross & Co. Coal Miners should be good enough in those areas, but most of all, they’ll be bringing the big bats to provincials.
The city’s Pacific International League baseball team competes at the Baseball B.C. senior men’s championships starting Friday (Aug. 3) in Prince George.
Nanaimo was a below-.500 team in the regular season, but it will be bringing a full lineup and high hopes to the Interior.
“I don’t think the regular season is an indication of the team that we have,” said Jeff Vickers, veteran player.
The squad hopes provincials will go more like a mid-season tournament in Kelowna, when Nanaimo finished second out of 16 teams.
The Coal Miners are also an experienced team after finishing third at provincials last season and second the year before. They know how to cash in men on base in big games.
“Our offence is known for being a powerful lineup,” Vickers said. “So if we can get the pitching – and we seem to have a couple more arms this year than we normally do – we should be in a good position”
GAME ON … The Coal Miners’ first game Friday is against the Trail Orioles. The provincial final will be played Monday.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com
