It was the Year of the Spear for the British Columbia Premier Baseball League, with the Senior U18 White Rock Tritons taking home the provincial championship banner after winning playoffs in Whalley over the weekend.
After a season of ups and downs that saw the baseball team enter the championships second in the standings – after winning 14 games in a row – the Tritons carried their winning streak though the next three games, beating their first three opponents during playoffs 11-5 (Abbotsford), 8-3 (UBC) and 6-2 vs. Langley.
"The group just came together, plain and simple. All year the message was simple: play your best baseball in June and July, and you give yourself a great shot at winning it all. ... The boys played their best baseball down the stretch and carried that momentum into the playoffs," senior Tritons head coach Tyler Lawson said. "This was a family down the stretch of the season, and they all played for each other. It was a magical run, as winning 17 games in a row is so hard in any sport. We truly believed there was no team that could beat us and that we were destined to dogpile at Whalley."
Tritons opened up the playoff weekend with an 11-5 win against the Abbotsford Cardinals, with the bats coming alive and the team putting together a massive, six-run bottom of the fifth to put the nail in the coffin, after being down 4-3 at one point, Lawson said, giving kudos to star pitcher Ben McKinnon, outfielder Matt Hughes, Kadyn Armitage, Vasya Seymour and EK Billing for their efforts during the game.
Game 2 was against last year's defending champs, UBC Thunder, with the Tritons finding themselves down 3-0 early, but they managed to chip away to make it a one-run game before putting up six runs in the bottom of the sixth, with Lawson naming pitchers Devin Wood and Ryan Connell, along with Billing, Armitage, Sajan Kooner, Walker Kokotalio and Hughes as key players of the game, which Tritons won 8-3.
During Game 3, the winners bracket semifinal vs. Langley Blaze, Kokotalio started on the mound, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning, with Luke Thomas also throwing well for the team in the 6-2 win, where Kooner had a massive game, driving in four of the team's six runs. The win secured the Tritons a berth into Championship Sunday and also, meant the team had to be beaten twice on Sunday in order to not be champions, Lawson noted. Key players of the game included Kokotalio, Thomas, Kooner, Armitage and McKinnon.
The team's first loss after a 17-game win streak came at the hands of the Langley team, during Game 1 on Championship Sunday, with the Blaze – who beat UBC for the rematch against White Rock – forcing a winner-take-all Game 2 after beating the Tritons 3-2. Pitcher Sam Persaud, Mason McCleary, Armitage, Hughes and McKinnon were key players during the game, Lawson said.
However, the Tritons answered back big time in Game 2 and the final, again vs. Langley, starting off with an early run before the Blaze tied it 1-1. Langley scored two in the bottom of the third, and they were threatening for more with runners on first and second with nobody out, but Wood came out of the bullpen and shut the door, said Lawson.
"After a controversial call and coaches ejection in the bottom of the fourth, things were starting to look bleak. But in the top of the fifth, Gage Macri led off with a single, which sparked the team and lead to a huge, four-run inning," Lawson said via email, with Kooner, McKinnon and Seymour all delivering clutch RBI singles.
McKinnon was lifted from playing third in the bottom of the sixth to come in and get the final six outs, and the Tritons won the final 5-3 for the provincial championship banner win – their first B.C. banner in 23 years.
McKinnon, Armitage, Kooner, Seymour, Macri and McCleary were key players in the final game, Lawson said, and McKinnon was named the 2024 BCPBL Provincial Championship MVP as well.
"The message all week leading into Thursday was simple – we’re getting this done and bringing the 'ship back to White Rock. The group was so confident and dialed all weekend. They rose to the occasion every time. ... If we needed a big defensive play, we got it. A timely hit? No problem. Everything we talked about, we just went out there and executed," Lawson said. "The group battled adversity all weekend, coming from behind in the first two games and also again in the championships. It took a full team effort and no one displayed any selfishness."
Lawson gave credit to the team and the Tritons organization.
"I’m just so proud of all the players, they were the ones who got it done on the field. ... I’m extremely proud of our coaching staff, I thought they did an awesome job all season. We have a true community – family – here with the Tritons and so many have paved the way over the years, so as an organization, it’s just a great feeling for everyone."
He wasn't surprised McKinnon was named MVP of the championship tournament.
"Ben was our heart and soul all year. He was the league's top player all year as far as we’re concerned – not only was he one of the best pitchers, but he also was a major offensive contributor as well, which is rare to find."
He gave a special shout out to last year's senior Tritons team, who were a major influence in a culture shift that started last season, saying the 11 graduating players carried that shift into this season. Lawson also noted that 11 senior players will be moving on to play college baseball.
"2024 was the year of the Spear! Winning in sports is hard. ... Only one team will ever be truly happy with their season, and this year, that team is us," Lawson said, adding they'll enjoy the fruits of their labour at least a little before focusing on next season.
"We’ll have a bounty on our head next year, and I know the returning guys will be excited to try and run it back."
