Langley Sr Blaze - News Archives

Oct 18.11 - Join with the Blaze in 2012

Looking for somewhere to play ball in 2012? If you are interested in joining the Blaze for the 2012 season, please contact us ASAP at info@langleysrblaze.com. 2012 is already shaping up to be the best season yet in our short history. The season starts in late January with indoor workouts at the Blaze indoor facility, with games commencing in late March/early April that go throughout the spring and summer culminating with the annual GFI tournament in September over the Labor Day long weekend. There will be upwards of 70+ games between exhibition, tournaments, and season play. We also welcome returning collegiate players in mid-May as they finish their spring collegiate seasons. (NAIA & NCAA) The end of May also marks the start of Pacific International League season. The Pacific International League has an aggressive, competitive schedule that includes teams throughout Washington State and British Columbia. Some of the season highlights to look forward to are playing the Kelowna Falcons of the West Coast League, the annual Canada Day Tournament in Kelowna over the Canada Day long weekend, road trips down to the Seattle area including games at Everett Memorial Stadium (home of the Single A Everett Aqua Sox), The BC Provincial Tournament in Prince George and of course, the annual Grand Forks International Tournament. A few more surprises will be announced over the coming months.

Sep 23.11 - CONGRATULATIONS TO BLAZE FIRST BASEMAN SCOTT WEBSTER,
GFI ALL-STAR!

At the conclusion of the 31st Annual Grand Forks International Baseball Tournament, Blaze first baseman Scott Webster was voted to the 2011 GFI All-Star Team. Scott tied for the tournament lead in home runs with 2 and also had 5 RBI's to go along with a .333 batting average and .917 slugging percentage.

Scott is already looking forward to the start of the 2012 season so he can pick up where he left off.

Sep 5.11 - Blaze look forward to 2012

The Blaze finished off the 2011 season by competing in the 31st Annual Grand Forks Tournament over the Labor Day Long Weekend. The Blaze dominated pool play by going 3-0, defeating Australia (9-4), The Idaho Warriors (3-1) and the Seattle Studs (12-1). Unfortunately in the 1/4 finals, the Blaze ran out of steam falling to the same Team Australia 7-4. All in all, it was a great week of baseball. The Blaze will be back at the GFI in 2012 to improve on their finish.

2011 was highlights by a significant investment and sponsorship by Pare Realty. Pare Realty came on half way through the season, and their investment in the Blaze will allow for many exciting things and opportunities in 2012. The Blaze thank Roy Figueiredo and the Pare Realty Team for a great 2011 and we look forward to great things in 2012 and beyond. The Blaze are now truly setup to professionally represent Langley and surrounding Fraser Valley communities.

The Blaze are looking forward to traveling to Prince George in August next year to participate in the BC Senior Baseball Championships, as well as traveling to Grand Forks in September to participate in the 32nd Annual GFI Baseball Tournament. There will be several new announcements made over the winter.

Aug 21 - Blaze to play 2 tune up games vs Kamloops & Seattle in Abbotsford
The Blaze are excited to be playing in the Fraser Valley at Delair Park in Abbotsford. On Saturday August 27, the Blaze play the Kamloops Sun Devils (12pm) and the Seattle Studs (5:30pm). This will be highest level of baseball in the Abbotsford area in several years. The Blaze are hoping to see decent sized crowds, as they are hoping to bring some additional "Home" games to the Abbotsford area in 2012. The Blaze, Sun Devils and Studs all compete in the Pacifc International League and are all tuning up for the Annual Grand Forks International Baseball Tournament. The Studs just finished representing the PIL in Wichita Kansas at the NBC World Series which sees the top summer collegiate programs compete over 2 weeks for the national championship.

GAME LIVE will return for the GFI. Click the link in BLAZE CENTRE and catch all Blaze action at the GFI!

Aug 11 - Ex Premier Blaze Alumnus Brett Lawrie showing well with the Jays
From the Globe and Mail: Brett Lawrie cleared the bases with his first career grand slam and then almost cleared the Toronto Blue Jays dug-out Wednesday night.

The Langley, B.C., native crushed a 2-0, 90 miles per hour fastball from Craig Breslow with two out in the sixth inning to power the Blue Jays to an 8-4 win over the Oakland Athletics in the second game of a three-game series in front of 19,541 at the Rogers Centre. Casey Janssen (4-0) picked up the win in relief of 21-year-old Henderson Alvarez, the top-ranked pitching prospect in the organization who gave up eight hits and three runs while striking out four and walking one in 5 2/3 innings. The Blue Jays were pleased with his ability to mix in his slider and his ability to use his change-up effectively the second time through the order.

To see the rest of the stoy, please see: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/brett-lawrie-blasts-first-grand-slam-in-jays-win/article2125987/

Aug 4 - Busy August ahead for the Blaze!
While most teams have shut down for the season, the Blaze are still going strong with a total of 8 games before the Grand Forks International Baseball Tournament over the Labor Day long weeked. The GFI is the largest money tournamnet in western North America, with $18,000 being handed to the winning team. The Blaze are excited that several players will be added to the roster to help boost the Blaze's chances at another year end championship. Some of the players who will be joining the Blaze are Kevin Atkinson from the Burnaby Bulldogs, Shawn Schaefer, Scott Tulloch, Kevin Powell, Kyle Iwata, Nic Lindsay and Ryland Kathrein from the Coquitlam Angels, Taylor King from the Sioux City Explorers (Independant Pro) and power hitting Delta resident Jeff Hutton from Tabor College. There will be a couple more suprises announced leading up to the GFI.

July 13.11 - Grand Forks International Baseball Tournament Schedule Released
The Sr Blaze are excited to attend the 31st annual GFI tournament from August 31 till Sept 5. Teams from BC, Australia, Washington State, Idaho and California make up the tournament roster. The Blaze are in a pool with a team from Australia (Geelong Baycats), Victoria Mavericks and Seattle Studs. This is one of the premier tournaments in all of North America to attend, and the Blaze are proud to be there in only their second year of existence.   For the full tournament schedule, please see:
http://www.grandforksbaseball.com/schedule.html

JUNE 22 - SR BLAZE WELCOME PARE REALTY AS LEAD SPONSOR
The Sr Blaze would like to extend a huge welcome to our new lead sponsor PARE REALTY. Roy from PARE Realty will be an integral part to the success of the Sr Blaze team moving forward. Roy is an avid local baseball fan, and is committed to helping in the success of the Sr Blaze team.

PARE Realty specializes in helping people own the home of their dreams. Whether you are 1^st time home buyer but do not have the large down payment required, or someone looking to own the home of your dreams, PARE Realty is here to help.

While everyone is trying to sell their property, smart investors are looking to buy these properties at the best possible rate. PARE Realty brings together a team of professionals - from expert Real Estate Agents who locate choice properties to ensure you of a sound investment. If you are looking for a professionally managed, hard working Real Estate Investment Company - look no further than PARE Realty. PARE Realty is a company you can trust and grow with - in our quest to find housing solutions for everyone.

Welcome to the team Roy!

June 21 - Busy week ahead for the Blaze
The Blaze have a very busy week ahead. Tonight they play the Coquitlam Angels at McLeod Field in Langley in an important PMBL game at 7pm. On the mound for the Blaze tonight is Ryan Eiswerth. Tomorrow night at 6:30pm the Blaze are off to Robert Burnaby Park in Burnaby for a PMBL/PIL game versus the Bulldogs. On the mound tomorrow night is Jesse Peters. Jesse held the high powered Seattle Studs to just 4 hits over 6 innings last Friday. Thursday has the Blaze in Coquitlam for a PMBL/PIL game starting at 7pm and have Jordan Broatch on the hill; and finally the Blaze are back at home at McLeod Saturday for a double header vs the Everett Merchants. Game times Saturday are 12pm and 3pm and feature Sean Callegari on the mound in game 1 and Blake Stewart on the mound for game 2. Follow the action all week here on www.langleysrblaze.com utilizing the "GAME LIVE" feature!

June 11 - Blaze score 9 unanswered runs to win 9-7 over the Kelowna Falcons
The Blaze were down 7-0 going into the 6th inning and starting with Andrew Bell's 2 run home run, scored 9 unanswered runs over three innings to down the Kelowna Falcons of the West Coast League. The game was also highlighted by a 3 run home run by Scott Webster, and 3 shutout innings of pitching by Trevor Lishanko. Nathan Kirby picked up the save.

Apr 19.11 - Blaze add yet another Pitcher to their deep pitching staff
The Blaze welcome current Panola College starting pitcher and Lower Mainland resident Nick Alexiou to the team. Nick pitched for the Coquitlam Reds of the PBL before moving onto Panola College in Texas. Currently in confernce play, Nick is 5-0 and is 8-0 overall. Nick will be a welcome addition to the Blaze team.

Apr 17.11 - Blaze win first exhibition of the year!
The Blaze won their first game of the year 10-8 over the Coquitlam Angels. Scott Webster of the Blaze in his first at bat for the Blaze ended up hitting a grand slam home run. Scott went 2 for 3 in his Blaze debut. Joey Gelz had a dominating 3 innings of work on the mound. The hard throwing lefty struck out 6 of the first 7 batters he faced. Other highlights of the game were Shayne Willson throwing 2 innings and also hitting his first home run of year, as well as the good defensive play of Andrew Bell who made several plays at second base including showing his range to take a hit away from the Angels. Stats for the game were taken for the first 4 innings as several changes were done to both lineups as the Angels only had 2 pitchers that could throw. Please see the schedule page for the download of the game.

The Blaze are back at it on Wednesday when they face the Langley Blaze Premier team. Game time is 6:30pm.

Apr 15.11 - Blaze add 3 more to the Roster
The Blaze are happy to announce 3 more signings to an already deep roster. Current Douglas College players Sean Callegari and Tyler Bird who are finishing up their first seasons with the Royals will join the team in May while current Langley resident and ex Western Nebraska CC and Dana College player Ryan Eiswerth joins the team immediately. Sean Callegari is the current ace of the Douglas pitching staff and is 4-0 with a 1.56 era.

Mar 17.11 - Blaze welcome Jon Winick to the team for 2011, Corey Parsons to the White Sands Pupfish Professional Baseball Club
The Blaze are happy to annouce that ex-Okotoks Dawgs left handed pitcher Jon Winick will be joining them for the 2011 season. Jon is currently studying and playing at Northern State University in South Dakota. Jon joins a deep and strong pitching staff that includes Jesse Peters, Jordan Broatch, Jordan Lane, Brad White, Brian Butler, Joey Gelz, Nathan Kirby, Dillon Reynolds, Curtis Taylor, Chris Tibbles and Blake Stewart.

The Blaze would also like to announce that starting pitcher Corey Parsons will be heading to the White Sands Pupfish of the Pecos League in New Mexico. Spring Training starts on May 4 and the Blaze would like to wish Corey all the best in his effort to become part of the professional ranks.

Mar 11.11 - Blaze announce games vs the West Coast League Kelowna Falcons
The Blaze hare pleased to announce that they will be travelling to the BC Interior to face the Kelowna Falcons of the West Coast League. The Falcons participated in the PIL from 2000 till 2004. In 2005 the Falcons became members of the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League which is now known simply as the West Coast League. The WCL is considered one of top 3 summer collegiate baseball leagues in North America. These games are scheduled for Friday June 10 and Saturday June 11. The game on Friday June 10, will be the Falcons home opener and large crowd is to be expected. Both games are set for 6:35pm start.

Feb 3.11 - Blaze welcome 2009 NAIA Gold Glove recipient to the squad!
The Blaze are very happy to announce that 2009 NAIA Gold Glove recipient Scott Webster has joined the team for the upcoming 2011 season. Scott will add depth to an already deep infield, and will also provide power to the middle of the lineup. Scott played his university career at the University of British Columbia where over his 3-year career at UBC, Scott played in 99 games, hitting 12 home runs with 66 RBI's. In 2009 he had a slugging percentage of .548 and an OB% of .410.

The Blaze are also happy to announce a working partnership with the North Delta Blue Jays of the BC Premier League. This partnership is in addition to an already strong relationship with Langley Premier Blaze, one of the premier organization in BC baseball. This Jays-Blaze partnership will strengthen both clubs moving forward as it allows both teams more competitive games with each other, and also allows the younger Jays to strive to move forward to the Sr Blaze when their playing days with Jays are over. The Sr Blaze already have several ex-Jays players on the team including, Andrew Bell, Kurtis and Corey Parsons, Nathan Kirby, Lucas Waddell and new-commers Brad White and Trevor Hodgins. For more information on the North Delta Blue Jays please see their website here: www.ndbluejays.com

Jan 26.11 - Blaze welcome 3 more to the team!
As the 2011 season inches closer, the Blaze are filling out their roster quite nicely. The Blaze welcome two 2010 Premier League players from the North Delta Blue Jays, Trevor Hodgins and Brad White. Trevor was one of the hitting leaders on the team with a .327 batting average and Brad in just over 61 innings of work had a 2.85 ERA. Both players are currently attending Park Univerity in Missouri.

Jan 20.11 - Sr Blaze off to the 2011 Grand Forks International Baseball Tournament
As the headline reads above, "The Sr Blaze are off the 2011 Grand Forks International Baseball Tournament". The GFI as it is known, will be hosting its 31st edition of this prestigious tournament. Teams from all over North America normally attend this tournament. Some of the teams that will be attending in 2011 are fellow PIL member teams; the Kamloops Sun Devils, Kelowna Jays and 2010 NBC World Series runner ups, the Seattle Studs. Also attending will be Team Canada (UBC) and perennial NAIA powerhouse Lewis & Clark University (Lewiston Truckers). For more information on the GFI, please see: www.grandforksbaseball.com

Jan 14.10 - 4 NEW BLAZE SIGNINGS
The Sr Blaze are proud to announce 3 new signings for the 2011 season. The Sr Blaze would like to welcome 2006 Major League Baseball draft pick Shayne Willson, current Bellhaven University slugger Ryan Saunders, and ex Thompson Rivers University standout, Jordan Broatch. Ryan in 2010 was a member of the Yorkton Cardinals of WMBL league. The WMBL is considered to be one of the very best summer university leagues in North America. Shayne is an ex member of the Premier Blaze Organization who was drafted in 2006 by the Millwaukee Brewers. Jordan was another ex member of the Premier Blaze who was an allstar in the Canadian Collegiate Baseball League with the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. Jordan was a late 2010 addition to the Sr Blaze team who helped the Sr Blaze to the 2010 Western Canadian Championship. All 3 players will be welcomed additions to the 2011 team, and are all excited to be playing in their home region of the Fraser Valley.

More signings will be announced shortly.

Nov 23.10 - Sr Blaze welcome Sports Starz!
The Sr Blaze are proud to announce Sports Starz as the official indoor training facility of the Langley Sr Blaze. Please see their website at www.thesportstarz.com. This facility is one of the premier indoor baseball facilities in the Lower Mainland. This partnership will allow the Sr Blaze a place to practice during the cooler winter months that Canada is famous for. Sports Star also offers athletes high intensity core training. The Sr Blaze thank Sports Starz for their genorous support.

Nov 12.10 - Blaze update for Novemeber
Do you use Twitter? The Blaze do. Follow us today at www.twitter.com/langleysrblaze We will be active on Twitter with baseball and sports trivia, breaking news, interesting tidbits, 2011 schedule information and once the season starts, in-game updates. Let's see if we can get to 1000 followers!

The Blaze are also starting indoor workouts in preparation for the 2011 season.   We will be announcing some player signings in the coming weeks that include a former MLB draft pick, and current standouts with local Lower Mainland University and Colleges. Of course, the core of the 2010 Sr Blaze team will be back including 2010 University National Team member Nic Lendvoy, home run leader Andrew Bell, and one of the top pitching staffs in BC which feature, Jesse Peters, Blake Stewart, Jordan Lane, Chris Tibbles, , Corey and Kurtis Parsons, Brian Butler, Colin Cousin, Joey Gelz, Nathan Kirby and closers Dillon Reynolds and Curtis Taylor.

If you are wondering who the Sr Blaze are, we are affiliated with the Langley Blaze Baseball Organization. The Blaze organization has been around for several years and is headed by Doug Matheson. Doug's son Scott, is currently pitching for the MLB Philadelphia Phillies. The Sr Blaze welcome home each spring and summer, local Lower Mainland University and College players who are returning home from all over North America. Some of the schools Blaze players currently attend are Central Arizona, Ranger and Vernon Colleges in Texas, and from right here in the Lower Mainland, The University of BC. We also have several players who have completed their College and University careers who enjoy the game and want to continue playing at a high level.

The Sr Blaze play in one of the most competitive leagues in North America, the Pacific International Baseball League. The Seattle Studs, one the longest serving members of the PIL, placed 2nd at the 2010 NBC World Series in Wichita, Kansas. This level of baseball is considered the best amateur baseball in BC.

AUG 15 - BLAZE WIN WESTERN CANADIAN BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP!
In dominating fashion, the Sr Blaze captured the 2010 Western Canadian Baseball Championship over the weekend. The Blaze had an offensive outburst over the 5 games in Muenster, SK, outscoring their opponents 42-10. Blaze pitching was solid and the team was lead by the strong hitting performances of Ashton Florko who hit 4 home runs and Nate Corscadden who lead the tournament in hitting with a .667 average. One of the tournament highlights was a 13 inning affair in pool play versus Manitoba which started on Saturday Aug 14 at 5pm and finished the following morning with Blaze coming out on top 5-3. Brent Suecroft in the 16-0 win over Saskatchewan threw only 44 pitches. Nathan Kirby was outstanding in relief appearing in 4 of the 5 games, coming in at crucial times, and shutting the door. The Blaze additions of Ashton Florko from Trail and Scott Tulloch, Kyle Iwata, Kevin Powell, Chris Foreman and Ryland Kathrein from Coquitlam, all played a large part in the Blaze capturing the Championship.

The Blaze look forward to an exciting off-season. In 2011, the Blaze are looking at a busy schedule starting in April and continuing till September, with the possibility of playing in several tournaments which will be announced over the course of the winter. Please keep looking back here at www.langleysrblaze.com throughout the winter for schedule and the announcement of players who commit to the Blaze for the 2011 season. Thank you for the support in our inaugural season.

2010 Western Canadian Baseball Championships game recaps are below:

GAME 1 BLAZE vs ALBERTA (8-1 W)
FAME 2 BLAZE vs MANITOBA (5-3 W)
GAME 3 BLAZE vs HOST (7-3 W)
GAME 4 BLAZE vs SASKATCHEWAN (16-0 W)
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BLAZE vs MANITOBA (6-3 W)

Aug 15 - Blaze announce Wine Raffle winners!
Congratulations to the below people who helped support the BLaze get to Muenster for the 2010 Wester Canada Baseball Championships by buying tickets for our 1st wine basket raffle of the year. There will be more opportunities to participate in raffles throughout the winter!
                     (1) Danica Howlett              (4) Dianne Chapman
                     (2) Keith Faure                     (5) DJ Davis
                     (3) Ken Harris

Aug 9 - Blaze Ready for the Western Canada Baseball Championships
This Thursday, Aug 12 the Sr Blaze are off to Saskatchewan (Muenster) to participate at the Western Canada Baseball Championships. The Sr Blaze's first game is Friday the 13th vs Team Alberta (Rosalind Atletics). In the 5pm feature game on the 13th, the Blaze will face Team Manitoba (Elmood Goants). On Saturday, the Blaze are back in action at 11:30am vs the Host Muenster Red Sox and then later that day at 5pm, the Blaze finish off the round robin vs Team Saskatchewan (Saskatoon Outlaws) If you would like to follow the Sr Blaze while they are in Muenster, click on Pitch by PItch GAME LIVE for live Pitch by Pitch, powered by Pointstreak. All times are MST.

Aug 8 - Welcome to the Re-Design of www.langleysrblaze.com!
Keep looking here for new features over the coming months. The Blaze will be adding to the 2011 Roster and Schedule over the coming months as well. Look for live Pitch by Pitch game action all season in 2011.
Jesse Peters         Chris Tibbles         Nathan Kirby