Girls’ softball on the Island isn’t missing a beat.
Lily Chang and Kiki Sluggett thought it was “pretty cool” when Victoria player Emma Entzminger, one of their instructors in the Lambrick Park Secondary baseball and softball academy, showed them her bronze medal from the Tokyo Olympics.
Chang and Sluggett are now chasing their own dreams of getting to a world event of their own with the host Hampton Park team in the Canadian Junior girls’ (13-14) Little League softball championship tournament taking place through Wednesday.
Entzminger was the tip of the iceberg at Tokyo with plenty bubbling up beneath the Olympic podium. Hampton Junior girls’ head coach Bill Hawkins has coached Island teams to five Canadian championships, and at that many Little League softball World Series tournaments, with rosters that included players who have gone to play at the collegiate and NCAA university levels.
At stake this week at Hampton Park is a berth in the Little League Junior World Series tournament next month in Kirkland, Washington. Hampton, representing sa国际传媒, got off to a strong start in that quest by beating Quebec 11-1 in the soggy Canadian championship opening game Monday. Hampton was playing Alberta on Monday evening. The semifinal game is today at 2 p.m. and the championship final Wednesday at noon.
“I always say have fun and the business on the field will take care of itself,” said Hawkins.
It’s a formula that has worked in the past and there’s no reason the Island dynasty won’t roll through this year, as well.
“We have a very balanced team across the board, it’s not just one player, and we will be in the hunt this week,” said Hawkins.
“We have big chemistry. Communication is so important.”
It’s a message that has seeped down to his charges.
“It’s key to keep the momentum going,” said Hampton third-baseman and catcher Jessica Slater, who hails from Nanaimo.
Sluggett led the way with a home run Monday in the first-game victory over Quebec.
“Our bats are really good,” she said.
Sluggett went to the Little League Junior World Series tournament last year as an under-age pick-up on the Canadian-champion Hampton team.
“It was a lot of fun and I think about getting back with my own age group this year,” said Sluggett, who is also on Team sa国际传媒 in baseball with Chang.
Host Hampton, led by star pitcher Graesyn Cook, will also represent sa国际传媒 in the Canadian Little League Major (10-12) softball championship tournament that begins Saturday at the little Saanich park that punches above its weight. At stake is a berth in the Little League Majors world championship next month in Greenville, North Carolina.
“We have a team that believes in itself,” said Hampton head coach Treena Cook.
Flashing the park’s continuing power in girls’ fastpitch, the Hampton Park Senior girls’ (Under-17) team is in Delaware this week for their Little League world championship tournament.
