It’s been a soggy start to baseball season for the White Rock Tritons, with rainy weather forcing the cancellation of the last six games that were scheduled for the Tritons’ Senior (U18) team, who play in the BC Premier Baseball League (BCPBL).
The senior team is still 2-1 to start the season, winning 2-1 against the North Shore Twins on April 5 and 18-3 vs. the Abbotsford Cardinals on April 11, before an 8-2 loss to the Coquitlam Reds on April 12.
A four-game road trip to the Island to play the Mid-Island Pirates and the Parksville Royals April 15 and 16 was cancelled because of the wet weather, and a double header scheduled for Sunday (April 23) in South Surrey against the Victoria Mariners was also cancelled due to the relentless rain the southern part of B.C. has experienced during the month of April.
“The tough part for us is we’ve had all visiting teams, so we have to make our decisions sooner because of the travel,” senior Tritons head coach Tyler Lawson said Monday.
The team has still been able to hold practices, and train at their indoor South Surrey facility, he noted, so “We’re still in game shape and game ready.”
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A former pitcher and first baseman, Lawson spent the past four years with the South Fraser Giants, who play in a B.C. minor college prep league, before accepting the head coach position with the senior Tritons.
He feels he has a good mix of players and a fairly deep team.
“I think we can contribute all over our lineup – on the mound and offensively as well,” he said.
“The biggest thing for me is just competing every time we’re out there. It’s my first year with the program,” Lawson said.
With a six-game week scheduled – Tuesday (April 25) vs. the the North Shore Twins and Wednesday (April 26) vs. Langley Blaze, the senior squad then travels to Kelowna for a four-game series against the Okanagan Athletics April 29 and 30.
With the junior and senior teams not making playoffs last year, he noted that remains a focus.
“Just competing and finding playoffs come July… We can’t always control the wins and losses, but we can control our effort, so a big thing for me is coming out and competing every time we step on the field.”
The junior Tritons (U16) have also had at least two games cancelled, with a double header vs. the Victoria Junior Eagles on April 16, but won their first game of the season against the Coquitlam Redlegs 12-6 on April 11.
Their next game is scheduled for Wednesday (April 26) against the junior Abbotsford Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. at South Surrey Athletic Park.
The Bantam Tritons team (U15) have struggled this season, with an 0-8 record so far, but White Rock Tritons general manager Jordan Broatch noted there’s still plenty of baseball to be played this season, and that being a part of the Tritons program isn’t just about baseball.
“It’s baseball. You can’t win them all… we want to encourage community engagement and player development help them reach whatever their long-term goals are,” Broatch said.
“We’re not just making good baseball players, we’re helping them become ambassadors for the community.”
He’s really happy with the new coaching staff as well.
“Tyler’s doing a great job, really building a nice, strong team-first culture. We’re really excited to see what he continues to do this season.”
He encouraged the community to come out and support all Tritons teams when they play.
“Nothing beats a hot dog and a coke at the ball fields with good music. You get to enjoy a game and you’re supporting the community.”
For more information on the Tritons or their schedule, visit tritonsbaseball.com
@Canucklehedd
tricia.weel@peacearchnews.com
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