British Columbia Premier Baseball League

Last updated
British Columbia Premier Baseball League
PremierBaseballLeague.jpg
Sport Baseball
Founded1995
CEO Ted Hotzak
No. of teams13
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Most recent
champion(s)
UBC Thunder
Most titlesNorth Shore Twins (7)
Official website www.bcpbl.com

The British Columbia Premier Baseball League, commonly referred to as the BCPBL or the PBL, is a competitive youth baseball league consisting of 13 teams located throughout British Columbia, Canada. Over the years, the BCPBL has served as a talent pipeline for Major League Baseball as numerous BCPBL players have been selected in the Major League Baseball entry draft and gone on to have successful careers in professional baseball.

Contents

League History

Known as the Island Premier Baseball League when it was founded in 1995, the league originally included only five teams, all from Vancouver Island: Victoria Investors, Victoria Selects, Mid-Island Canadians, Nanaimo Pirates and the Parksville Royals. Although these five teams had been playing exhibition games against teams from the Lower Mainland, only in 1999 did the league officially expand to include six new teams: North Shore Twins, Vancouver Mounties, Coquitlam Reds, North Delta Blue Jays, White Rock Tritons, and Abbotsford Cardinals. [1]

In 2000, the league expanded once again by adding two more teams: the Whalley Chiefs and Penticton. Later that year, the league changed its name to the British Columbia Premier Baseball league to reflect its new membership.

In 2009, the PBL would again expand, by bringing a team back to Vancouver known as the Vancouver Cannons. In 2010, the PBL board has granted a second PBL franchise to Victoria, known as the Victoria Eagles. Also the team formerly known as the Kelowna Cubs became known as the Okanagan Athletics in the 2010 season.

Teams

TeamsCityHome FieldFounded
Abbotsford Cardinals Abbotsford Delair Park1997
Coquitlam Reds Coquitlam Mundy Park 1977
Langley Blaze Langley Macleod Athletic Park1999
Mid-Island Pirates Nanaimo Serauxmen Stadium1995
North Delta Blue Jays Delta Mackie Park1995
North Shore Twins North Vancouver Parkgate Park1999
Okanagan Athletics Kelowna Elks Stadium2004
Parksville Royals Parksville Inouye-Wallace Field1995
UBC Thunder Vancouver UBC Thunderbirds Baseball Stadium2018
Victoria Eagles Victoria Lambrick Park2010
Victoria MarinersVictoriaHenderson Field1995
Whalley Chiefs Surrey Whalley Stadium2000
White Rock Tritons Surrey South Surrey Athletic Park 1993

Notable alumni

Several well known ballplayers have played Major League Baseball: [2]

† active player

Many well known ex-BCPBL players have gone on to have successful minor league baseball careers: [3]

Past champions

YearChampionRunner UpMost Valuable Player
2001White Rock TritonsAbbotsford Cardinals
2002Nanaimo PiratesWhite Rock TritonsTyler Williams (North Delta Blue Jays)
2003White Rock TritonsLangley BlazeDevon Franklin (White Rock Tritons)
2004Victoria MarinersCoquitlam RedsMichael Saunders (Victoria Mariners) and
Shawn Schaefer (Coquitlam Reds)
2005Langley BlazeNorth Delta Blue JaysJordan Padrinao (North Delta Blue Jays)
2006Langley BlazeFraser Valley ChiefsAlex White (North Delta Blue Jays)
2007North Shore TwinsNanaimo PiratesSam Armstrong (Coquitlam Reds)
2008North Shore TwinsLangley BlazeOscar Rodriguez (Coquitlam Reds)
2009North Shore TwinsFraser Valley ChiefsZak Miller (Langley Blaze)
2010Victoria MarinersNorth Delta Blue JaysAdam Cessford (Victoria Mariners)
2011Langley BlazeCoquitlam RedsKevin Biro (Parksville Royals)
2012Okanagan AthleticsNorth Shore TwinsAaron Horanski (Langley Blaze)
2013Victoria EaglesNanaimo PiratesBrandon Feldman (Victoria Eagles) and Riley Edmonds (Victoria Eagles)
2014Langley BlazeNorth Shore TwinsRyan Matsuda (Vancouver Cannons)
2015North Shore TwinsNanaimo PiratesTyler Duncan (Victoria Eagles) and
Matteo Vincelli (North Shore Twins)
2016Abbotsford CardinalsVictoria MarinersIndigo Diaz (Coquitlam Reds) and
Nick Seginowich (Victoria Mariners)
2017North Shore TwinsParksville RoyalsMichael Stovman (Langley Blaze) and
Jason Willow (Victoria Mariners)
2018Abbotsford CardinalsLangley BlazeKayden Beauregard (Abbotsford Cardinals) and
Jon Gale (Victoria Mariners)
2019North Store TwinsMid Island PiratesAdam Maier (North Shore Twins)
2021Langley BlazeVictoria EaglesTom Poole (Langley Blaze)
2022North Shore TwinsVictoria Eagles
2023UBC ThunderParksville Royals

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References

  1. BCPBL: League History Retrieved on 23 December 2009
  2. Vancouver Sun: Baseball's homegrown heroes Archived 2012-11-07 at the Wayback Machine 26 September 2008
  3. BCPBL: League players in the MLB Draft Retrieved 23 December 2009