The Trail U18 Orioles are back in B.C. Minor Baseball’s College Prep League action this weekend as they get set to play Kelowna COMBA Sun Devils at Jason Bay Field at Butler Park on Sunday, April 14.
The U18 Orioles went through tryouts last week, and Orioles head coach Jim Maniago says the team has a strong group of returning players.
“I think we’ll be better, we have a good core of kids coming back,” said Maniago. “We are missing some kids because of hockey, which is too bad, but we’ll be faster, and should hit a bit better and hopefully we will put up some more wins.”
The Orioles failed to finish in the top 8 and missed a playoff spot last season, but excelled in the previous two years, finishing third in the College Prep playoffs in 2021 and 2022. Maniago has higher expectations this year.
“It was a big learning curve last year, lots of kids new to the league and it’s an older league that we struggled at the beginning, ups and downs, and it may be similar this year, but hopefully more ups.”
The College Prep division will see nine teams compete from the Okanagan, Lower Mainland, and Vancouver Island.
Trail will be without pitching ace Logan Bradford, but the Os will have six strong arms to carry the team.
“We should be okay there, but the biggest thing the young guys have to learn is, it doesn’t matter how hard you throw, if you don’t throw it across the plate. And with wooden bats, if you throw strikes, guys will get themselves out, but when you walk guys, it just leads to runs.”
The primary goal for the Orioles this season is to make the top-eight, and with their best hitters Julian Knelson, Raiden Dobie, and Owen Dickson returning, Trail should be in the mix.
“For two years in a row we had an older, experienced team that went really far. We knew last year that it was a rebuild and this year is the next step in the rebuild, so making the playoffs is a good start, and then we will see from there.”
Trail U18s will also augment its talent from players advancing from the U15 West Kootenay Orioles team, which competed in the Washington State A championship last year, after finishing second in the Spokane American Legion League.
Maniago says the College Prep League will again be comprised of a competitive field of teams including Chilliwack, Ridge Meadows, North Fraser, Kamloops, Kelowna, Vancouver Island, Cloverdale and North Shore.
“Everyone is going to be good, so it’s going to be a fight,” added Maniago. “But it’s good competition. That’s the great thing about this league, every game is competitive and if you don’t play well you’re not going to beat anybody.”
Trail hosts Kelowna on Sunday, April 14 at Butler Park in a doubleheader scheduled for noon and 2:30 p.m. Come out and support the U18 Orioles.
Read: Trail U18 Orioles make incredible run at BC Baseball championship