South Surrey Softball Club to Host Provincial U19 Championships

This past weekend was a busy one at two baseball stadiums in South Surrey as 17 softball teams from across the province competed in the 2024 U19 BC Provincial Championship.

The tournament was hosted by the South Surrey White Rock Minor Softball Association and was held at Sunnyside Park and Sullivan Park – a milestone that marked the first time a provincial championship was ever held at Sunnyside Park. Thunder 05 of SSWRMSA, coached by Alanna Paige, was the official host of the tournament; Thunder 06, coached by Maryse Garcia, also competed.

After an opening ceremony featuring a parade of athletes and Softball BC’s Baukje Edamura, the teams enjoyed fierce competition during the July 19-21 tournament, SSWRMSA President Thomas Bell said in an email. On Sunday, a team from Vancouver emerged victorious.

“Huge congratulations to the Vancouver Wildcats 05 for winning the U19B Provincial Championship in a gold medal game for the ages against Ridge Meadows Pride 06! This was a game for everyone with lead changes, home runs and great defensive plays that were a joy to watch!” said Tournament Director Angela Humphrey. “Congrats to Langley Xtreme 06 who also had a strong tournament for winning the bronze medal.”

Humphrey emphasised how unique the tournament was as all 17 U19B teams from the province took part.

“We needed extra diamonds to be able to play all 57 games played.”

Bell noted that SSWRMSA is extremely grateful to the Surrey Storm Fastpitch Association – and in particular Norm Marples – for maintaining the additional fields at Sullivan Park.

“We are grateful to the Surrey Storm Fastpitch Association for lending us two pitches at their home ground, as Sunnyside Park was completely full,” added Humphrey.

Bell also praised the umpire team, led by Softball BC Umpire-In-Chief Jeff Vanzella, for their professionalism and the fantastic job they did. He expressed his sincere thanks to the many volunteers who made the event possible, and gave a big shout-out to Humphrey who kept everything running smoothly.

“This was the first time we organized a provincial championship and according to the teams that attended we did a great job!”

One of the highlights of the opening ceremony was the presentation of the inaugural Deonne Jett Cochran Scholarship Award to Jaya Kotalwi. The scholarship, named in honor of a former South Surrey softball player who tragically passed away at the age of 22 due to mental illness, recognizes Kotalwi for her exceptional dedication to her community and leadership in various capacities.