Two Grande Prairie Pirates Girls Fastball teams will be taking to the diamonds at South Bear Creek Park this weekend to take part in the Provincial U12D and U19D Championships.
In only their second season since a 15-year absence, Pirates Executive Director Ashley Porterfield says they couldn’t be prouder of the athletes for making such an impact in such a short amount of time. She says they’ve also seen their registration more than double in just two seasons.
“Girls fastball has grown a lot in the last few years, we started last year with 43 kids, this year we have 105,” she says.
“It’s really great, we had a U8 team, two U10 teams, two U12 teams, one U14, and one U19 team.”
The championships, set to kick off Friday morning with opening ceremonies, will take over two of the South Bear Creek ball diamonds throughout the weekend. Porterfield says when they applied for the tournament, they were hopeful in their chances, and she believes the pandemic may have played a role in landing the three-day tournament.
“With COVID-19, people are very hesitant this year to do much of anything, so getting provincials wasn’t too hard this time, but in the future, it could be a challenge,” she says.
Those looking to head to South Bear Creek Park to cheer on the teams this weekend can get a three-day pass for $20. The schedule for the U12 and U19 Pirates games will be available on the Grande Prairie Pirates Girls Fastball Facebook page.
