The local baseball community has hit a home run in landing one of the most prestigious minor baseball tournaments in the country, as the Baseball Canada board of directors awarded the 2018 21U National Championship to St. Thomas.
The championship, which will be co-hosted by St. Thomas Minor Baseball and the London & District Baseball Association (LDBA), will be held in August 2018 at Emslie Field and the brand new Cardinal Field (a $1.3-million facility with a full grass infield, lighting, concession/washroom building, and electronic scoreboard), which will open in 2017 in St. Thomas.
“It’s a very high calibre of baseball.” said Derek Brooks, tournament chair and President of the LDBA. “These are elite level baseball players, many playing at the college level in the U.S. or Canada.”
The area has not hosted a tournament at this particular level, although London has hosted several younger age-group national and provincial tournaments, including most recently the Baseball Canada DQ 13U National championship in 2016.
“It’s certainly a big deal for our local area,” said Brooks. “We have a new facility that will open, so we’re excited to showcase that. We have Emslie Field, which any local baseball person would know is very historic. So, in the St. Thomas area, this tournament is very big. Then, to put London area on the national stage once again for a championship is obviously big for our community.”
The St. Thomas Tomcats are guaranteed a spot in the tournament as the local representative. The tournament field will consist of between eight and 12 teams from across the country.
Badgers to host 18U Nationals in 2017
The London Badgers will once again host a National Championship in 2017, as the 18U National Championship will make a return to London in August. Games will be played at Labatt Park, Dan Pulham Memorial Field, and Aldridge Field.
The calibre of players will be top notch, with many getting ready to head off to post-secondary schools either in Canada or the U.S. The Badgers hosted this event previously in 2010 and are coming off a very successful 2016 13U National Event. The Badger team is LDBA’s elite midget team, with some of the best 17 and 18-year-old local players. London will be one of 11 teams participating in the event, which will run from August 17-20.
“The volunteers, facilities, sponsors, and organizing committee members are top notch, and Baseball Canada recognizes this,” said Brooks. “The committees for both events are hard at work planning more first-class events.”
The number of championships held in the London area was a factor in Baseball Canada’s decision to bring the tournament here.
“Clearly, London and St. Thomas have proven we have what it takes to put together outstanding baseball events.”
Story by LDBA Baseball
