Three Vancouver Island based teams are vying for provincial men's baseball supremacy at Nanaimo's Serauxmen Stadium (Nanaimo Coal Miners)

By Ian Holmes

batter up

Provincial senior baseball championship gets underway at Nanaimo’s Serauxmen Stadium

Aug 4, 2023 | 5:27 AM

NANAIMO — A well established local senior team is hosting Baseball BC’s highest caliber event.

The Nanaimo Coal Miners and five other teams are competing int he BC Men’s Provincial Championship from Friday, Aug. 4 through Monday Aug. 7 at Serauxmen Stadium.

Victoria takes on Burnaby on Friday at 4 p.m. to kick off the tournament, followed by the host Coal Miners against the Coquitlam Angels at 7 p.m.

Tournament schedule for the 2023 Senior Men’s Provincial Baseball Championship (Baseball BC)

Tournament director and Nanaimo Coal Miners general manager Joey Sabo said local minor baseball players can get into Friday night’s Nanaimo/Coquitlam game free of charge.

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“Any players that were registered last year with Nanaimo Minor Baseball Association if they bring their hat or where their jersey and their accompanied by an adult they’ll get free admission into the game.”

Free admission is available for players in the Nanaimo based six-team senior baseball league for the four games on Saturday.

The Coal Miners face the Ladysmith Pilots on Saturday at 7 p.m., which is expected to be a well attended game.

Food trucks, beer gardens and 50/50 draws will be set up throughout the event.

Admission is $5 per game, or a tournament pass can be purchased for $10.

Admission is free of charge to the championship game on Monday at noon.

Sabo said the annual senior men’s provincial championship is arguably the strongest tournament of its kind talent-wise in Canada, featuring players who have primarily suited up at the collegiate and/or professional levels.

“B.C. is obviously one of the hotbeds for baseball in Canada and North America, there’s extremely talented players in this tournament,” Sabo told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Aside from the honour of hosting such a high-caliber tournament, Sabo said the Coal Miners are pleased to be able to help grow the game in Nanaimo.

Sabo said baseball “is in a really good place” locally, pointing to a strong collection of teams and players within Nanaimo Minor Baseball.

“I think you’re going to see some really exciting baseball come out of Nanaimo in the next five to 10 years, there’s some awesome stuff going on — we’re just really excited to be able to expand on that.”

The BC Senior Mens Provincial Championship is coordinated between the Nanaimo Coal Miners and Caged Athletics.

The Coal Miners last hosted the tournament in 2016.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes