Softball fanatics will be able to get their fill over the next five days as the Victoria Devils 2001 and 2002 teams play host to the Under-14 Girls Canadian Championship Jamboree at Helmcken-Centennial Park in View Royal.
Coach Bruce Lubinich鈥檚 2001 team will compete with nine other clubs in the Cup division, while coach Brian Bull leads his 2002 team into the Plate division with six other opponents. Play begins this morning at 8.
The 2002 Devils will face Six Nations of Ontario at 8:30 a.m., while the 2001 Devils take on the Wild Warriors of Alberta at 12:15 p.m. A pair of tournament games will also be held at Hyacinth Park in Saanich, but just for today. A small admission fee will be charged at the gate.
鈥淚f we play the way we are capable of playing, we鈥檒l go deep into the tournament,鈥� said Lubinich. 鈥淲e had an off provincials.鈥�
The team finished fifth at the sa国际传媒 championship in Chilliwack 10 days ago.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a pretty good year,鈥� said Lubinich, who expects Ontario reps the Waterloo Ghosts, Oakville Angels 01 and Brampton Blazers to be tough challenges.
鈥淥ntario teams are always strong. The Prairie teams, you just never know, and the Quebec team is a provincial team, an all-star team of sorts.鈥�
Lubinich鈥檚 team will also challenge the Saskatchewan Lazers at 4:15 p.m. today. On Day 2, the hosts will face the Angels at 10:15 a.m. and the Blazers at 4:30 p.m. On Friday, the Devils take on the Ghosts at 12:15 p.m. and Rebelles of Quebec at 6:15 p.m.
The top eight teams advance to playoffs with the top four having two lives in a double-knockout format.
In the Plate division, six of the seven teams will advance to the playoffs, also in a double-knockout format.
鈥淭he expectations are, we want to win,鈥� said Bull. 鈥淭he new rules throw a bit of a twist into it, with every player having to play and the four innings of pitching. Overall, we have a pretty good group. We can hit the ball and we run well. If the pitchers can hit their spots for location we鈥檒l be fine.鈥�
Pitchers can only throw a maximum of four innings a game.
Bull鈥檚 2002 Devils will also face the Titans of Port Coquitlam at 12:30 p.m. There are four sa国际传媒 clubs in the seven-team division, including the Surrey Storm and White Rock Renegades, both are among the largest organizations in the province.
The Devils 2001 are joined by fellow sa国际传媒 clubs the Surrey Storm 2001, Delta Heat 2001 and Chilliwack Mayhem, seeded No. 1, 2 and 3 provincially. Victoria will not face those clubs in round-robin play.
In 2014, the Smitty鈥檚 Terminators Y2K of Manitoba claimed gold while the White Rock Renegades placed second with Waterloo Ghosts Gold third. The Victoria Devils 2000 were seventh in the Cup Division. sa国际传媒鈥檚 Delta Heat topped the Plate Division ahead of the Palmerston Marlins of Ont. and Halthorn Eagles of P.E.I.
Meanwhile, the U-18 Victoria Devils team is currently in Montreal at nationals and are 3-0 after a 7-2 win over the Lloydminster Rebels of Alberta on Tuesday. Victoria opened with 4-1 and 7-0 victories over the Lumsden Cubs (Saskatchewan) and New Brunswick Rebels. The Devils will face Ontario's No. 1-seed Brantford Bobcats today.
