Baseball season is in full swing for the pros and the start of the minor baseball season is just around the corner.
The Greater Victoria Baseball Association will hit the diamonds this month when travel and house league players grab their bats and gloves for the start of the 2017 season.
Five Sooke teams will play under the Triangle Athletic Baseball Association banner and face competition with squads from Canarvan, Peninsula, Esquimalt, Layritz, and Gordon Head this year.
Triangle will see about 400 kids on rosters this spring, 45 from Sooke.
The Sooke program started three years ago and is seeing a steady increase in enrolment and player development, said Chris Cox, the league’s local president.
“We want kids engaged and who love the game. You’ve got to start somewhere and that’s where we are,” he said.
Sooke will field an Under 13, Under 11, Mosquito (9-10) and two novice (7-8) teams. All local games are played at the SEAPARC baseball field.
Along with regular season games (each team plays about 12 games), there are also tournaments throughout the spring.
Some Sooke teams have been reluctant to take part in tournaments, since many of the players are inexperienced, but that could change this year, Cox said.
“I’d like to see them go into more tournaments,” he said.
A first step in that direction is a Mosquito tournament that will host over the Victoria Day weekend. The tournament begins on May 19.
• With hockey winding up, it’s almost time for the first pitch at the Juan de Fuca ball fields. Triangle Baseball hosts its 2017 Meet and Greet Night there tomorrow (April 6) from 6 to 8 p.m. for players and parents interested in learning more about Triangle Baseball and meeting the coaches before opening ceremonies.
