HarbourCats want to bring senior nationals to Royal Athletic

The Victoria HarbourCats want to see high-level baseball continue at Royal Athletic Park so the West Coast League team is spearheading a bid to bring the Baseball Canada senior championships in 2017 and 2018 to Victoria.

The senior national tournament features the best men’s amateur teams in the country. The Island circuit which plays at that level is the Victoria Mavericks League based at Lambrick Park.

B.C. has hosted the tournament three times in the past 25 years, at Kamloops in 2005 and Prince George in 2002 and 2012.

“Our local ownership group pledged to do all we can to bring the best baseball events possible to Victoria, as part of our mandate to build the game of baseball,” said HarbourCats GM and co-owner Jim Swanson, in a statement.

“This is a premium event,” added Swanson, who chaired the national tournaments when they were held in Prince George.

“It would complement our HarbourCats season nicely. More baseball is a good thing.”

The tournaments would take place in the third week of August, following the completion of the WCL season. Ten teams from around the country would take part. The HarbourCats team would not be playing in the national tournament.

B.C. teams have won gold recently — in 2013 at St. John’s, NL, 2012 in Prince George and 2008 in Brandon, when the Victoria Mavericks claimed the national title.

The bid is being submitted with the support of the B.C. Senior Baseball Association, Baseball B.C., Victoria Mavericks League, Greater Victoria Baseball Association, SportHost Victoria and City of Victoria.

The bid is expected to be awarded by Baseball Canada in early November.