Junior Little League all-stars ready for big stage

What: 12 teams competing for one berth to the Junior League World Series

When: Today through Aug. 7.

Where: Kindsfather Field at Clark College.

Cost: $5 a day per person, or $25 for a family pass good for the whole tournament.

Today’s schedule: Roseville, Calif., vs. Nampa Valley, Idaho, 9 a.m.; Opening ceremony, noon; Anchorage, Alaska vs. West Valley (Yakima), 2 p.m.; Central Vancouver vs. Parrish (Salem, Ore.), 5 p.m.

Dawson Allen (pitcher/catcher), Jackson Allen (catcher/infield), Jacob Barnes (second base), Royce Cone (center field), Kobe Howard (third base), Koben Jamison (third base/pitcher), Skylar Jensen (outfield), Damon Mcpherson (shortstop/pitcher), Josh Mulcahey (second base), Tyler Russell (pitcher/third base), Cole Strathman (outfield), Nick Simonsen (pitcher/first base), Travis Taylor (outfield), Daniel Thompson (pitcher/first base). Manager: Terry Barnes. Coaches: Jereme Haulk, Jerry Simonsen.

Postseason baseball is nothing new for many of the players on the Central Vancouver Junior League baseball all-star team. Some of them have played in Little League state tournaments each of the past three summers.

But the players haven’t experienced competition like they will see this week during the Junior League Baseball Western Regional at Clark College.

“I want to see how good the competition is and how hard the pitchers throw,” said Nick Simonsen, a pitcher and first baseman.

Junior League baseball is the Little League division for players who were ages 13 and 14 on May 1 of this year.

Central Vancouver will get its first taste of regional play at 5 p.m. Wednesday against Parrish Little League of Salem, Ore. Central Vancouver will also play at 5 p.m. Friday and at 5 p.m. Sunday in pool play.

The winner of the Aug. 7 regional championship game will travel to Taylor, Mich., for the Junior League World Series.

Host teams traditionally have plenty to prove at regionals. The other 11 teams had to win state tournaments to qualify, while Central Vancouver is here because it won its local district tournament in Vancouver.

But the players and coaches say they are encouraged because the local team they beat out for the host berth to regionals almost won the state title. The Cascade Little League Junior Baseball team came within one victory of winning the Washington state tournament.

“The Washington champions (West Valley of Yakima) are supposed to be really good,” Simonsen said. “Since Cascade came so close against them, that gives us a lot of confidence knowing that we beat Cascade.”

The Central Vancouver team has six players in their 13-year-old Little League season and eight in their 14-year-old year. It could be one of the younger teams in the regional.

Junior League is the first time players shift to a full-sized diamond with 90-foot basepaths and a regulation pitching mound.

“It’s been pretty challenging,” center fielder Royce Cone said. For example, Cone said that changing the throwing angle of his arm to gain needed distance was one of the challenges for him.

Four players split time between playing for their high school’s summer team and their Junior League team — Simonsen (Skyview), Daniel Thompson (Heritage), Cole Strathman (Heritage) and Dawson Allen (Evergreen). Manager Terry Barnes said those players’ loyalty to Central Vancouver shows they enjoy sharing summer baseball with longtime friends. Most have been part of Central Vancouver Little League — located at Fort Vancouver High School – since their T-ball days.

Barnes believes his team’s pitching depth gives it a shot at success this week.

In this age group, pitchers are limited to 95 pitches per game. Any pitcher who throws more than 35 pitches in a game must go at least two days without pitching before he can again take the mound.

“The key is for our pitchers to throw strikes and manage their pitch counts,” Barnes said.

Simonsen, Allen and Thompson are the team’s top three pitchers, with Tyler Russell, Koben Jamison and Damon McPherson also in the rotation.

Central Vancouver is a solid hitting team that thrives on attacking pitches, Barnes said.

Many of these players have been playing ball together for at least five years. And those friends are excited to share this opportunity.

“I am looking forward to just having fun and being excited the whole time,” Allen said. “As long as we’re having fun and playing hard we’ll do well.”