The Bantam AAA North Island Royals are going to be hosting the first ever Battle for the Rock tournament this weekend at Springwood Park for bragging rights against three other teams from Vancouver Island.
Made up of players in Grades 8 and 9, the North Island Royals have a team of players from all across Vancouver Island and Powell River.
Players from Oceanside, Port Alberni, Courtenay, Comox, Campbell River and Powell River all tried out for the team in February. Out of the 30 players who tried out, 12 were selected.
Five North Island Royals represent the Parksville Qualicum Beach region this season.
Ethan Christensen, Kiran Carcary, Brandon Nicoll, Kieran Bowles and Griffin Mallicoat all earned a spot on the 12-man roster and will be in action at home this upcoming weekend with the rest of their team.
“It’s pretty special,” Oceanside Minor Baseball President Mike Parlow said.
“In a typical year, Oceanside will usually have one or two players on the North Island Royals team. So having five regulars on the squad is pretty cool.”
Also worth noting, Brandon Nicoll and Kieran Bowles both have been invited to attend the PNC Provincial Camp at Whalley Stadium in Surrey (July 6-8).
This camp is for the top 30 prospects in their age group in B.C.
Players will try out for one of 15 spots available for Team B.C., which will be taking part in the Pacific Northwest Championship Tournament in Washington State.
Recently, the North Island Royals took part in the Bantam AAA Top 10 tournament in Delta, B.C.
Coming in ranked 10th out of the 10 teams participating, the Royals had a battle on their hands and head coach Ryan Chenard was very proud of the way his team came to play.
“We played real well,” Chenard said. “We were the tenth seed and finished in fifth place. We were able to beat the fourth and sixth seeded teams along the way.”
“We hit .385 as a team for the tournament and had a strong, consistent effort from our pitching staff.”
With just two games remaining in their regular season, the North Island Royals have a record of 14 wins and 14 losses but still have a good chance of qualifying for the provincial championships later this month.
In the meantime, the Royals will host the Battle for the Rock tournament at Inouye-Wallace Field in Parksville this weekend.
There will be four teams in total vying for the title of “Best on the Rock” as the Victoria Red Eagles, Duncan Mustangs, Nanaimo Pirates and the host North Island Royals will all do battle in the two-day tournament.
There will be four games each day: 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
The North Island Royals will kick off the tournament against the Duncan Mustangs at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning.
The Royals will then play against the Nanaimo Pirates at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
