St. Thomas and London to host 21U Nationals
The 21U Baseball Canada National Championships will be taking place in our backyard in the summer of 2018. From August 16-20, the city of St. Thomas will welcome 11 teams from across Canada to compete for the title of Canada’s best. The St. Thomas Tomcats, fresh off their bronze medal in Quebec at the 21U Nationals last summer, will be the host team, and they certainly have aspirations of winning the national title.
The 6-day event will feature a welcome banquet and home run derby at Emslie Field in Pinafore Park on Aug. 15, opening ceremony festivities on Aug. 16, and of course the national championship tournament itself (Aug. 16-20), which will be played at Emslie Field and the brand new Cardinal Field.
The Tomcats are made up of college and university players that play in both Canada and the United States, and they are the elite junior team of the London District Baseball Association. Planning is already underway for the event, as St. Thomas looks to showcase their city and baseball complexes, while cementing St. Thomas as a destination of choice for youth baseball tournaments at all age groups.
TD Canada Trust is the Title Sponsor, while MY FM 94.1 Radio St. Thomas is the Official Media Partner, Railway City Brewery is the Official Beer Provider, and Fanshawe College will provide Athlete Housing. Other sponsors include St. Thomas Optimist Club, STAPLES St. Thomas, Union Sports, Centennial Sports Club, and Impression Printing. Anyone interested in helping sponsor this event can contact Chris Wilkins at cjwilkins@rogers.com.
Those interested in volunteering for the event can visit www.stthomasminorbaseball.com and fill out the volunteer form (volunteer duties include scoreboard operation, music, announcing, clothing sales, and gate attendants).
This will be the first time St. Thomas has hosted a National Baseball Championship, and the city and its organizers are extremely excited to welcome some of the best provincial junior players to our community. The LDBA has played host to several National Championships in the past, and always host a first-class event.
The premier playing fields in St. Thomas are top notch. Emslie Field is #16 on Canada’s list of favourite ballparks, and brand new Cardinal Field is a huge addition to baseball in our area. This $1.3 million park was built last year and was instrumental in allowing the committee to win the bid to host. The baseball parks crew from the City of St. Thomas take tremendous pride in the facilities, and they will surely wow all participants.
London Badgers to Host 18U Nationals in 2019 and 2020
After a very successful 2017 season, the London Badgers have now been awarded the 2019 and 2020 18U Baseball Canada National Championships!
The Badgers have hosted five previous Baseball Canada Championships, starting in 2010 with the 18U Nationals and the 2012 Baseball Canada Cup, which has become the main selection tournament for the Junior National Team.
This is a great honour for our program, and we are very excited to be hosting such a prestigious event. Our goal is make this an event that every player, coach and parent will remember and talk about for a long time.
The City of London is a vibrant community with a strong history of hosting Provincial, National and International events. The city attracts world-class tourism and sporting events due, in large part, to the many investments made in the downtown area that can accommodate large crowds for sport and cultural events like the 18U National Championships.
The City of London and the London Badgers have committed to providing a positive experience for all participants!
Submitted by LDBA Baseball
