U-18 Baseball World Cup: 50-day countdown

Photo Credit: Baseball Canada

July 13, 2017

OTTAWA- The 2017 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay is 50 days away with 12 nations, including host Canada, set to compete for a world title from September 1 to 10.

Baseball Canada recently announced the selection camp schedule and dates that will see the Junior National Team play a seven-game series against the Australian U-18 side in Ajax, Ont., from August 21 to 27. The series will be used to help determine the 20-player roster that will represent Canada in Thunder Bay.

The Thunder Bay International Baseball Association (TBIBA), organizers of the event, recently announced that the Toronto Blue Jays would be holding youth baseball instructional clinics just prior to the opening of the tournament on August 30 as part of “Toronto Blue Jays Youth Baseball Day”.

“This event is an important part in ensuring we are achieving our objective of leaving a legacy for baseball in Thunder Bay,” noted Warren Philp, executive director of the local organizing committee in a press release. “Being associated with such a great organization will help bring profile to our event for certain, but it is about encouraging an interest and participation in the sport that will see long-range benefits.”

Team Canada will arrive in Thunder Bay on August 29 and hold workouts on August 30 and 31 before opening the tournament on September 1 against Chinese Taipei at Port Arthur Stadium.

Round robin play runs from September 1 to 5 with the Super Round slated for September 7 to 9. On September 10, two teams will meet for the title of World Champion.

The event’s history features an impressive list of alumni who have gone on to star in Major League Baseball including Russell Martin of the Toronto Blue Jays. Graduates from the 2010 U-18 Baseball World Cup, the last time the event took place in Thunder Bay, include Canadians Dalton Pompey (Toronto Blue Jays) and Nick Pivetta (Philadelphia Phillies) along with recent MLB All-Stars Lance McCullers Jr. (Houston Astros) and Francisco Lindor (Cleveland Indians).

TBIBA has a variety of ticket packages available to see the action. Visit thunderbay2017.com for more information.