By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

After hosting a successful Andre Rodgers Senior National Baseball Championships, the Bahamas Baseball Association is eager to return to Grand Bahama for the Grand Bahama Port Authority-sponsored junior nationals this weekend.

BBA secretary general Theodore “Teddy” Sweeting said the nationals, scheduled for the Emera Baseball Complex, will showcase competition in the Coach Pitch division of the 8-and-under, 10-under, 12-under and 14-under.

Freedom Farm was awarded the championship titles in all four divisions after they were leading before the rain came and cancelled the rest of play.

“We are very grateful to have the Grand Bahama Port Authority come back and sponsor the championships as they have historically done in the past,” Sweeting said.

“They are ensuring that we will have another successful tournament in the four divisions being contested. “Last year, we awarded the four titles to Freedom Farm because of the rain. They were leading in each division up to the showers of blessings.”

Games will be played from Thursday and will be completed on Sunday when the champions are crowned. 

If it rains again, Sweeting said they will “pray” and look at the team standings to determine the winners.

“It’s going to be very exciting,” Sweeting said. “This is going to be the largest nationals that we will have with the return of Long Island, Andros and Abaco, which will feature the north and central, which is headed by Troy Feaste, whose team did extremely well in the 26U nationals. “It will be very interesting to watch the Family Island teams play against the big horses like Freedom Farm and JBLN, as well as the teams from Grand Bhama, including Grand Bahama Amateur Baseball Association, the Grand Bahama Little League and Legacy Baseball League.”

While the visiting teams will make their way to Grand Bahama on Thursday, games will start at 4pm and continue on Friday at 8am. The opening ceremonies are scheduled for 7pm on Friday.

Games resume on Saturday at 9am as teams jockey for the playoffs that will be played on Sunday when the eventual champions will be decided. “This is going to be an exciting time for these young players,” Sweeting said.

A total of eight teams will be participating in the 12U division, six in the 14U and five each in the 10U and 8U divisions. 

“Many of the young men who now play in the professional ranks have all played in the nationals,” Sweeting said. “So the nationals are extremely important to our development of the sport. “So this gives our aspiring college and pro players the opportunity to play against each other and the success of the nationals is what we see unfolding right in front of our eyes with more players getting the opportunity to play college and pro baseball.”

The best way for the players to develop their skills is for them to compete and so having the Family Island teams come in to play against the teams from New Providence and Grand Bahama will grow their level of competition.

“So we are happy with where we are. We have a new vibrant young president in CJ McKenzie, who has come on board and has taken the bull by the horn to move baseball forward and make sure our kids have all of the opportunities in the world to play baseball,” Sweeting explained.