In Little League's Big League division, there is a lot to play for. These 17/18 year olds lay it all out on the line for a final shot at a World Series, and to show their skills for the college scouts that regularly attend their games. At this level the talent pool is brought together from across the TriCities and Fraser Valley to form a District 3 squad that faced off against the District 5 (North Vancouver) squad for the Provincial Championship.
The competition is tough to say the least, and this year 5 players from Coquitlam made the District roster: Brady Veltin, Nick Ouellette, Jorgan Tennant, Gianfranco Terrazzano, and Brian Choi. These young men will be joined by Coquitlam Coach Nick Fletcher as they battle for Big League supremacy. The bar has been set very high for this team, with 16 National Titles and the ONLY Canadian World Series title (besides the Blue Jays).
Step 1 in their journey to greatness has been successfully completed as they defeated the District 5 team on Saturday to capture the Provincial Title. With only 2 teams vying for the title the series was set as a best of 3, holding a double header on Saturday, and the 'if' game on Sunday.
Saturday's large crowd witnessed a terrific pitching duel between the Chief's Connor Nishimura and the North Shore Spartan's Kyle Kawamoto in game 1 of the 2011 Big League Provincials. Connor pitched a complete game 1 hitter to get the 2-0 win in game 1. In game 2 the Chief's Chris Fischer and Mitch Harrington combined to hold off the Spartan's in an extra inning, come from behind 7-6 nail biter for the clincher to advance the Chiefs to the Canadians July 18 in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Congratulations to the Chiefs, good luck in the Cape Breton!
