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

The Mount Seymour Little League team from North Vancouver is shown in a Friday, Aug. 9, 2024 handout photo at the 2024 Junior League Baseball World Series in Taylor, Michigan. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Mount Seymour Little League, Angela Stewart

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

The Mount Seymour 13- and 14-year-olds won the provincials in early July in Saanich, B.C., then the nationals in Lethbridge, Alta., defeating Quebec 22-11 on July 31 to win the Canadian Junior Little League Championship final.

That earned them a trip to the double-elimination tournament in Michigan that saw eight international teams play at least two games each. The winner faces the best of eight U.S. teams in Sunday's Junior World Series final.

The B.C. team defeated Australia 6-2 and Mexico 3-2 before falling 13-0 to a team from Taoyuan City in Taiwan and 15-0 to a side from Nicaragua on Friday.

"We've had a hell of a run," said assistant coach Dave Kristensen. "Just near the end here, it got tough. We made a few mistakes which kind of compounded things. But we're really proud of the boys and the effort they put in for the last couple of months. It's been a great experience."

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

Nicaragua (Latin America) and Taoyuan City (Asia Pacific) will meet in Saturday's international final to decide who plays the last U.S. team standing in Sunday's champions game.

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

And it showed excellent fundamentals.

First baseman Eli Anderson made an outstanding catch against Mexico to double up the runner at first base. And pitcher Kolton Ogawa combined with Kyle Hopper-Isaac to pick off a Mexican base-runner at second base,

And when Ogawa hit a Mexican batter, he was quick to go over and make sure he was OK.

The B.C. boys, who are sticking around for the weekend, proved to be good ambassadors, drawing praise for their sportsmanship from tournament organizers. And on Friday, the Nicaragua team requested a photo with the Canadians for posterity.

The team was an all-star squad from Mount Seymour Little League, augmented with two players from Lynn Valley Little League, which did not have enough players to form their own team.

"It's a real tight-knit group, all close friends" said Kristensen. "They were playing for each other … It's been quite an experience for all for us. This will be a bond that they have for the rest of their lives."

"The whole team, through the whole run, contributed from top to bottom," he added.

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

"We did it one step at a time," said Kristensen. "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 recorded wins at the Michigan tournament. Nico Jokic's batting average was .333.

The team heads home Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2024