Changes are in store for the baker's dozen that will represent the Cariboo-Northeast region on the baseball diamond this week at the B.C. Summer Games in Langley.
The under-16 Zone 8 team will have to get used to heavier bats, longer basepaths, and a greater degree of separation between the pitcher's mound and home plate at the eight-team tournament which starts Friday.
The Cariboo-North East team has to be considered an underdog playing against teams from population centres in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
"Some of the teams have a lot more talent to draw from than we do and they'll have more depth at the pitching position," said Zone 8 team coach Troy Waldie. "Good pitching always beats good hitting and if our pitchers can keep the ball down and we get ground balls, you never know what can happen."
The Zone 8 team is built around pitchers Jared Young, Stephen Penner, Cole Laviolette, and they're backed by Brennan Bredo, Matt Seidler, Mark Mosure , Dryden Barkowsky, Nicholas Potskin, Tre Potskin, and Alex Gibbons. Riley Hawes of Prince George and Leyton Edye of Quesnel, both outfielders, are the only additions to the team of 13-15-year-olds, which has been playing this season in provincial-level tournaments as the Prince George bantam Knights.
For more see Thursday's Citizen
