Little League Championships kick off in Regina

The 2023 Canadian Little League Championships are underway in the Queen City, as teams will compete for the next 10 days to represent Canada at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA, USA later this month.

The first games and opening ceremonies took place at the K2 diamond in Kinsmen Park, home to the North Regina Little League (NRLL) on Tuesday.

Former MLB pitcher and Regina local, Dustin Molleken, threw out the first pitch to mark the occasion. As well, Regina Mayor Sandra Masters gave her remarks, and there was a fly by from the Royal Canadian Air Force.

NRLL took on British Columbia in the first game of the tournament but lost in extra innings, 1-0.

“That’s the team that’s expected to win it so it feels good [to only lose by one]. I don’t think our teams as expected to win but now I think we have a good shot,” said NRLL pitcher, Jaxon Weir.

“It’s good for our organization to show the country that, ‘Hey, North Regina can put some quality teams on the field’ and, you know, it’s very fulfilling,” said Dean McQueen, president of NRLL and tournament chair. “BC has won the tournament 15 of the last 17 years so they are always the perennial favourite.”

McQueen’s son Braeden is a member of the team.

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Seven teams that consist of 11 and 12-year old platers are competing in the tournament. Since Regina is playing host to the event, that means two teams are able to enter the tournament. Moose Jaw’s Miller Express are representing the Prairie Region.

“It’s pretty cool [to have two Saskatchewan teams]. The boys are happy. It’s fun because we played the other team quite a bit so it’s a good battle,” said Moose Jaw’s head coach, Scott Nielsen.

“I’m very excited because we’re going to have lots of fans here. It’s cool because we’ve played them in our regular league and we know basically every person on that team,” said Express second baseman and pitcher, Grayden Mowrey.

“It’s great for little league ball in Saskatchewan. Obviously, you have a host team that means you get to have a second team in it. It’s great to have Moose Jaw here. Again, you’re showcasing the Saskatchewan baseball talents to the rest of the country,” said McQueen.

North Regina Little League has never hosted the event. Kiwanis Little League hosted the event in 2007.

Saskatchewan has only ever won once back in 2002. McQueen explained this has been a long process to get it back to Regina.

“The bid actually went in five years ago so there’s been a lot of working going into this. We were originally supposed to host last year, but that got pushed back due to COVID. It’s not easy to get it but, you know, it’s been rewarding to see the finished product,” shared McQueen.

Games run Aug. 1-7 and are streamed on HomeTeam Live. The semi-final and final games are available on Access Now. (Aug. 9 & 10) A full list of the tournament’s schedule and updated scores can be found here.