Mount Seymour Little League team turns heads at Junior League Baseball World Series

TAYLOR — The 2024 Junior League Baseball World Series is over for the Mount Seymour Little League team. But North Vancouver’s all-star squad has made its mark on and off the field

Mount Seymour’s 13- and 14-year-olds won the provincial championships in Saanich, British Columbia, in early July, and then the national championships in Lethbridge, Alta. On July 31, they defeated Quebec 22-11 to win the final of the Canadian Junior Little League Championship.

That earned them a trip to the double-elimination tournament in Michigan, where eight international teams played at least two games each. The winner will face the best of eight American teams in the Junior World Series final on Sunday.

The British Columbia team defeated Australia 6-2 and Mexico 3-2, before losing 13-0 to a team from Taoyuan City in Taiwan and 15-0 to a team from Nicaragua on Friday.

“We had a great run,” assistant coach Dave Kristensen said. “Towards the end, it got tough. We made a few mistakes, which just made things worse. But we’re really proud of the guys and the effort they’ve put in over the last few months. It’s been a great experience.”

The Junior League Baseball World Series is the age division above the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn.

Nicaragua (Latin America) and Taoyuan City (Asia-Pacific) will play the international final on Saturday to determine who will play the last remaining American team in Sunday’s championship game.

The Canadian team went 13-0, including winning its first two games in the World Series – something no Canadian team has done since a Saskatchewan team in 2014 – before losing its final two games.

And it showed excellent basic skills.

First baseman Eli Anderson made a great catch against Mexico to double up the runner on first base. And pitcher Kolton Ogawa combined with Kyle Hopper-Isaac to intercept a Mexican runner on second base,

And when Ogawa hit a Mexican batter, he quickly went over to check on him.

The BC boys, who are staying for the weekend, proved to be good ambassadors, earning praise from tournament organizers for their sportsmanship. And on Friday, the Nicaraguan team asked for a photo with the Canadians for posterity.

The team consisted of an all-star team from Mount Seymour Little League, supplemented by two players from Lynn Valley Little League. This club did not have enough players to form a team of its own.

“It’s a tight group, all good friends,” Kristensen said. “They played for each other … It was quite an experience for all of us. This will be a bond they’ll have for the rest of their lives.”

“The whole team contributed throughout the race, from top to bottom,” he added.

After assembling the team, head coach Manabu Ogawa told the players during their first practice in June that his goal was the World Series. And the players delivered.

“We took it step by step,” Kristensen said. “And as a team, they came together and accomplished a lot.”

Kolton Ogawa and Brett Kristensen, the sons of the head coach and assistant coach, both won at the Michigan tournament. Nico Jokic’s batting average was .333.

The team will return home on Monday.

Mount Seymour Little League Squad

Beckham Dickson, Kyle Hopper-Isaac, Caiden Wilks, Emmett Kirkby, Julien Fraser, Nico Jokic, Kyle Felderer, Eli Anderson, Brett Kristensen, Colten Brown, Samuel Boon, Kolton Ogawa.

Administrator: Manabu Ogawa.

Assistant coaches: Ken Anderson, Dave Kristensen.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 9, 2024

The Canadian Press