The Parksville Royals of the BC Premier Baseball League will be playing a double-header against the Victoria Eagles at Nunns Creek Park on Saturday, with games at noon and 2:30 p.m.
The games at Nunns Creek are part of the Parksville team’s effort to host regular season games across its catchment area.
“In any given year, the Royals program is comprised of players from across the North Island,” said Mike Parlow, premier team general manager, in a media release. “This year we have scheduled two days in CR – this Saturday versus the Eagles as well as on May 19 versus the Cardinals.”
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The Royals, in their 25th season, are run by a volunteer executive board striving to enhance the quality of life in the North Island through youth sports. The program offers three teams: premier and junior for grades 10-12, and bantam for grades eight and nine.
The team strives to give players the necessary development so that they are capable of competing at the next level, specifically college or university baseball as well as professionally.
One notable Royals alumnus is Ryan Chenard, who teaches at Phoenix Middle School and went through the Royals program on his way to college baseball and a spot on the Canadian Junior National team.
“This program exposes players to the best competition in B.C. along with providing players plenty of opportunity to play beyond high school,” said Chenard. “Last year, seven of their Grade 12 players went on to play college baseball.”
This year, there are four Campbell River players on the team: Brodie Comerford, Nathan Lagos, Tyler Newby and Connor Hall. Comerford, Lagos and Hall came up through Campbell River Minor Baseball and, as pee wees, Comerford and Hall were part of the gold medal team that won the Western Canadian championship.