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Year in review: Tigers dream season nearly ends with national title

Powerhouse Bantam program headed to BC Premier League in 2020
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Delta Tigers pitcher Carson Latimer is showered by his teammates after his complete game performance in a 3-0 win over Chilliwack to capture B.C. Baseball's 15U AAA provincial championship. The Tigers went on to finish second at the Canadian Championships in Ontario.

The Delta Tigers certainly made a lasting impression in their final season as part of B.C.Minor Baseball.

The 15U rep team that is heading to the B.C. Premier Baseball League’s Bantam Prep level in 2020 came ever so close to being crowned national champions.

A model of consistency all the season that included a pennant winning 37-4 league record and strong tournament showings, the Tigers rolled to their final BC Minor title at Winskill Park, then broke through to win Baseball BC’s national qualifier in Maple Ridge that featured the top teams from both associations. 

It was then off to Oshawa for the Canadian Championships as Team BC.Head coach Cam Frick bolstered his roster for the trip with three additions to provide even more depth for an impressive pitching staff.

After a 4-2 loss to Ontario, the Tigers battled their way back into gold medal contention with wins over Saskatchewan (15-10), Quebec (4-0) and host Oshawa (10-0).

Noah Cassie then pitched a superb semi-final game in a 3-2 triumph over Prince Edward Island, setting the stage for a rematch with Whitby for the Canadian title.

The Tigers took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth when Whitby struck for a pair of runs and chased starting pitcher Ryan Heppner who had reached his maximum pitch count.

Ontario completed the comeback in the bottom of the seventh, rallying for two runs with two outs. 

It was the first time BC had reached the national 15U final since 2013.

It was back in July when the Tigers announced their decision to join the PBL where they will now get to see tournament rivals such as Langley Blaze, North Shore Twins and White Rock Tritons on a regular basis.

They formed an official affiliation with the North Delta Blue Jays but will keep playing under the Tigers name.

“That was big. That was one thing we weren’t going to negotiate on,” said Frick. “There are a lot of young kids that want to become Tigers some day and it doesn’t stop them from becoming a Blue Jay the next day after. “There was a lot of work behind the scenes by our president (Wayne Laviolette) to get this done. I kind of told him ideally what I would like to see happen and he works really hard to get that done.”