In the world of minor baseball in British Columbia, the Valley of Champions leads directly to Prince George.
Three teams from the Prince George Youth Baseball Association travelled to Kelowna for the Valley of Champions tournament and it was mission accomplished for all three.
The Jepson Petroleum bantam Knights won the double-A tournament for the third straight year in Kelowna, beating Surrey-Newton 9-2 in the final on Sunday.
The P.G. Surg Med midget Knights also cruised to the tournament title with just one loss.
The PG Floor Fashions single-A Knights went undefeated at 6-0 while winning their 10-team tournament.
"It's good to see, just for the whole association in general, they've been putting extra funds into it for a bit of extra (indoor) training in the winter so it kind of shows that it pays off, " said Curtis Sawchuk, head coach of the bantam Knights.
In the 10-team bantam championship, the Knights opened up a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning and scored four more in the fourth inning to go up 6-1. Caleb Poitras gave up just two hits in seven complete innings for Prince George and racked up five strikeouts. Lucas Langevin went 2-for-2 at the plate and drove in three runs.
The teams were tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth when Tyson Ramsey infield single scored James Yandreau with what ended up the winning run. Langevin followed up with an RBI single that brought in Poitras and Ramsey scored on a wild pitch. Knights lead-off hitter Chase Martin then lined to centre field to plate Langevin to increase the lead to 6-2.
The bantam Knights scored a 10-2 semifinal victory Sunday morning over undefeated Tri-City, the second-ranked team in the Lower Mainland league.
"The bats came alive and the boys didn't want to lose," said Sawchuk. "Noah Lank has been our Number 1 starter and he ended up throwing 5 2/3 innings and Logan Dreher came in and shut the door."
Chaser Martin and Parker McBurnie each had two hits and Langevin drove in a pair of runs in a four-run second inning. Lank allowed just four hits and no walks, striking out five.
The Knights lost their only game of the weekend in their second game, falling 10-4 to top-ranked Ladner. Prince George opened with an 11-1 win over Central Okanagan, then beat Ridge Meadows 15-5 and Chilliwack 15-5 to head into the playoff round.
"Probably the top three teams in the province right now for the double-A level were there," said Sawchuk. "It was a good test to see where we stand and I think Prince George put ourselves on the map. A lot of guys, like the Ladner team, were not only impressed with the skill level of our team but with how well the kids held themselves and how mentally strong they looked."
Finalists in May at a tournament in Kamloops, the bantam Knights are now preparing to host the provincial double-A 15U championship, Aug. 1-5 at Nechako Slo-Pitch Field.
"We've told the kids this is an opportunity in front of you that a lot of us didn't have, let's take advantage of that as much as we can, and we've been working pretty hard this year," said Sawchuk. "It's not often in Prince George you get to play in front of their friends and family and they won't have to travel and the kids are excited."
he midget Knights are no stranger to tournament success as the defending Western Canadian double-A midget champions and they captured the midget 18U title Sunday in Kelowna, beating Central Okanagan Sun Devils triple-A team 7-2 in the final.
"It was a good weekend, it was a triple-A tournament," said Knights assistant coach Dylan Lukinchuk. "We jumped on them early. We had six runs in the first three innings.
Colby Lukinchuk pitched the win in the final. The Knights outhit the Sun Devils 13-5. Hunter Fanshaw went 3-4 for with two singles and a double and stole two bases for Prince George. Kaelon Gibbs also had a pair of hits.
"All 10 guys we had in the batting lineup had a hit in that game," added coach Lukinchuk. "It was kind of scattered around but that's what you like to see, a full team getting behind and helping out and chipping away at the other team. That's what will win you games."
First-year midget Jacob Ross turned in two compete-game victories for the Knights, including their 7-2 semifinal win Saturday over the St. Albert Cardinals, which avenged a 2-0 loss to the Cards in their second game at the Valley of Champions. Knights batters were walked 13 times in the semifinal.
"They ran out of pitching," said Dylan Lukinchuk. "We're lucky to have a team that, 12 of our 14 guys pitch. Some other teams are lucky to have six or seven guys and they rely on those guys to go the full distance.
"We only get to see these teams during tournaments because we don't have league games with them. After losing that game early in the tournament it shows how well we can rebound as a team."
The Knights placed first in the four-team round-robin after a 5-2 win over Central Okanagan's double-A team. They also defeated St. Albert 13-5 in their tournament opener.
It was the second tournament win this season for the Knights. They won two weeks ago in Mission and were finalists in May at a tournament in Sherwood Park, Alta.
The midget Knights play in the Century 21 Prince George Men's Baseball League and currently rank second with a 5-6 record. They will play in the 10-team B.C. Minor Baseball Association provincial championship on Aug. 2-5 in Kelowna and also are entered in the Baseball B.C. double-A midget championship in Burnaby, Aug. 9-11. The Western Canadian championship is set for Strathmore, Alta., 16-18.
The single-A peewee Knights, coached by Derek Wood, topped Vernon 5-2 in Sunday's final. The Knights edged Victoria 17-7 in the semifinal round. Prince George opened with four wins, beating Abbotsford 14-7, Surrey 15-4, Vancouver 10-9 and Vernon 19-4.
The Peterbilt triple-A peewee Knights, under head coach Justin McLean, went 0-4 in Mission. They opened with a 10-2 loss to Vancouver, dropped a 25-1 decison to South Okanagan and were defeated 14-6 by Okotoks. The Knights finished withan 11-7 loss to Ridge Meadows,
