Fort McMurray, Alberta as you know faced challenging circumstances this spring, with a wildfire and flood, which resulted in mandatory community evacuation. Fort McMurray, is located in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and ranks by area, as one of the largest municipalities in North America. It was established in 1995 through the amalgamation of the city of Fort McMurray and several other communities. Through hard work dedication the people of Fort McMurray, carried out the 2016 Baseball Canada Cup which was a great success. Since 1989 the Baseball Canada Cup has attracted the best talent from across the country. The National Tournament provides an opportunity for scouts, College/University coaches, to evaluate potential future signees, as well as the selection of the Jr. National and National Canadian Baseball teams. The two venues for the tournament were the "Stadium at Shell place - MacDonald Island Park" and "Ross Hennigar Ballpark". Ross Hennigar, located in the Thickwood neighborhood of Fort McMurray, a beautiful ballpark with artificial turf infield and natural grass outfield. The Stadium at Shell Place, is an artificial turf field, that would make any minor league field jealous. It is comprised of a 2,300 seat baseball stadium with the capacity to host 5,500 fans with an additional berm and party zone areas.
It's been a privilege to have had the opportunity to assist in coaching Team Ontario. The team consisted of 20 players from all around the province. Having not known each other for very long, it was great to see the players come together and build unity. Finishing in 6th Place was not what we wanted, but we competed till the last out and were in every game. We all learned a lot about life, the game of baseball and enjoyed experiences that will last a lifetime. The intention was to educate the players on the next level of baseball, staying passionate and motivated to improve.
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Thank you to Baseball Canada (www.baseball.ca) and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Fort McMurray, staff and volunteers for hosting a wonderful event. For more information on Fort McMurray visit (www.fortmcmurraytourism.com/) Special thank you to Baseball Ontario (www.baseballontario.com/), Scott Robinson, Rick Johnston, Jordan Prosper, Dirk Drieberg and Don McKnight for their hard work and dedication.
Roster: Seth Chauvin, Tyler Black, Kimani Bailey, Dreyden Sloat, Cameron Deasy, Nathan Picchioni, Jereme Veilleux, Cameron Dyck, Dylan Whittaker, Rishaun Daniels, Aaron Curtis-Atkins, Carter Seabrooke, Jacob Martins, Lucas Wepf, Kai Harris, Kyle Bryan, Nathan Zimmerman, Ryan O'Halloran, Aiden Massa and Justin Doran.
