To prepare for playing in the Junior League Baseball Western Region Tournament, the Central Vancouver All-Stars tried hitting water balloons.
“I tossed over 400 water balloons at one practice,” coach Mac Erickson said.
The creative approach was not only about helping hitters work on their swings. It was about keeping 14-year-old players engaged in practice.
The local team that will take on Utah state champion Cedar City National at 5 p.m. Thursday hasn’t played a competitive game since June. The team has been practicing three days a week to prepare for opponents who earned their way to Propstra Stadium by winning state tournaments.
Still, the team is prepared to compete, Erickson said.
“I told them ‘If you practice hard over the next six weeks, you belong there just like everybody else,” said Erickson, who along withVern Peterson is assisting manager Terry Klann. “And they practiced hard. And they deserve to be here.”
Central Vancouver, which includes players from the Fort Vancouver and Columbia Little Leagues, was the only all-star team this season in District 4 in the 14-and-younger age division. So it did not need to play a single district playoff game to earn its spot as the host team in the regional.
There were four teams in the 14-and-younger age division in District 4 this season, not enough players to have separate all-star teams from each leagues.
According to Erickson and District 4 Administrator Mike Ray, expanding options — among them club baseball programs, the opportunity for 13-year-olds to play in the Little League Intermediate Division and for 14-year-olds to play up in the Senior League — contribute to the low number of Junior League teams.
A year ago, there was not a host team in this Junior League regional because every state in the region intended to send its champion. That didn’t happen and Ray believes attendance suffered last year without a Clark County presence in the tournament. Ray also believes that absence hurt participation in local Junior League programs this spring.
For these Central Vancouver all-stars, the chance to compete against state champions will be special after six weeks of practices that included foot races and arm wrestling contests.
“We’ve been keeping it loose, just trying to stay loose and not get too nervous,” Erickson said.
After playing the Utah champions on Thursday, Central Vancouver faces Nevada champion Walker River at 5 p.m. Saturday to conclude the round-robin portion of the tournament.
Ten of the 13 teams will advance to elimination games beginning on Sunday. The tournament continues through Wednesday, when a 2 p.m. championship game will determine a berth in the Junior League World Series at Taylor, Mich.
If you go:
Junior League Western Region Tournament
Who: State champion teams of 14-year-old baseball players.
When: Daily through Wednesday.
Where: Propstra Stadium at Hudson’s Bay High School.
Cost: $7 per day or $35 tournament family pass.
