Canada finishes fourth at WBSC event

The World Baseball Softball Confederation Pan Am Men's Softball event held this past week in Columbia saw Mexico take gold, defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra innings in the final game. Carlos Parra, Mexico's 19 year old pitcher, threw all nine innings allowing only one hit.

The bronze medal game saw Venezuela edge Canada 1-0. Luis Colombo, who threw for Los Caballos at the Carp Shootout in 2024 (and lost 1-0 to the Ottawa Valley Grainers at that event) was the winning pitcher. Connor Brooks of Napanee played for Team Canada

There were 13 teams at the event.

Lecuyer named to All PanAm U18 team

The World Baseball Softball Confederation Americas named the All PanAm U18 team based on the recent event at Bahia Blanca, Argentina. 

Colton Lecuyer, of Fitzroy Harbour, who plays for West Carleton Electric U20 and Men's teams was named as the all-star third baseman.

Canada beats Venezuela twice, wins bronze

Canada won bronze at the U18 Men's World Baseball Softball Confederation PanAm Championship in Bahia Blanca, Argentina after beating Venezuela twice on Friday.

With bad weather looming, organizers decided that Friday would not only see the remaining three games in pool play but also added the 5th place game and gold and bronze matches that were originally scheduled for Saturday. 

Canada took their three wins and one loss record into their final opening round game versus Venezuela, needing to win to have a chance at gold. Despite getting down 4-1 after two innings, they rallied for a 8-5 win. Colton Lecuyer was 2 for 4 with a solo home run. Bryce Rebertz was 1 for 4. Nova Scotia's Will Singer earned the win in the circle and hit a home run.

After Mexico defeated Argentina in the final pool play game, there were three teams with a record of four wins and one loss. Unfortunately for Canada, the WBSC tiebreaking formula put them in third place, setting up a bronze medal game against fourth place Venezuela. 

Committing a few untimely errors put Canada down 6-0 after three innings, but once again the Red and White (in their black uniforms) came back and won, this time 7-6 over the Venezuelans. A bases loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh won the match. Singer started pitching, and Mark Tomatuk of Eastmain, QC earned the win in relief. Singer had a homer and drove in five of Canada's runs. Lecuyer was 1 for 3, with a crucial walk in the bottom of the seventh.

Argentina won gold with a 6-0 victory over the Mexicans.  The top four teams have qualified for the U18 WBSC World Cup in 2027 in Czechia.

Local ball players winning bronze medals are Lecuyer of Fitzroy Harbour, Rebertz of Arnprior and Cade Kuehl of Shawville. 

Canada now 3-1 at U18 Men's PanAm championship

Team Canada now has a three win, one loss record at the U18 Men's World Baseball Softball Confederation PanAm championship in Bahia Blanca, Argentina.

Wednesday afternoon was a critical 10-8 win over Mexico in a wild game that almost took three hours. Trailing 6-0 after one inning, the Canadians rallied back for the win against a team they needed to beat to have a chance at the gold medal game on Saturday. Both teams ended the day with 2-1 records. Bryce Rebertz caught for Canada and scored three runs, going 1 for 1 with two walks and a hit by pitch. Colton Lecuyer played third and scored a run, walked once and was hit by two pitches. Jeremy Breton had the win in the circle in relief.

Thursday's game was against winless Guatemala was an 11-1 final in a four inning game. Lecuyer was at third and right field and had a double, a walk, was hit by another pitch and scored three times. Cade Kuehl played half the game at third and drove in a run on a ground out.

Next up for Canada is a critical game against Venezuela on Friday at 4 p.m. Eastern. If they win that game, they will have a very good chance to advance to Saturday's gold medal game. If they lose, they will likely be playing for bronze on Saturday.

Canada 1-1 at U18 Men's PanAm

Team Canada evened their record at one win and one loss at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Men's U18 PanAm event in Bahia Blanca, Argentina.

Canada lost their first game 11-4 to host Argentina on Monday night after scoring the first four runs of the game. Cade Kuehl had an RBI in this one, and Colton Lecuyer was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

The Canadians bounced back with a big 16-0 victory over Peru (0-3) on Tuesday. Lecuyer was 1 for 2, with a walk and two runs scored. Bryce Rebertz hit a grand slam.

Next up is a game at 4 p.m. Eastern time vs Mexico (2-0). Argentina is also undefeated at 3-0. Other teams at the event are Venezuela (1-1) and Guatemala (0-2).

Livestream is available for a fee at gametime.sport.

U18 PanAm championship starts Oct 5

The World Baseball Softball Confederation Americas U18 Men's PanAm championship event starts on October 5 in Bahia Blanca, Argentina. 

There are six countries participating in the tournament, attempting to qualify for the U18 Men's World Cup: Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Peru and Argentina. 

Canada gets started with an evening game against the host country on October 6. Game times in the attached schedule are local Argentina time, same time as Atlantic time, one hour different than the Eastern zone.

Games will be streamed through Softball Premier TV at gametime.sport (paid subscription required).

Team Canada features three local players - Bryce Rebertz (Arnprior) and Colton Lecuyer (Fitzroy Harbour) of West Carleton Electric and Cade Kuehl (Shawville) of Quyon Flyers.

Bryce Rebertz, Cade Kuehl and Colton Lecuyer at the Ottawa Airport getting ready to depart for South America

Three Team Canada players named to "All PanAm Team" at the U23s

Three players from Canada were named to the "All PanAm Team" based on results at the U23 tournament held last week in Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina.

Nick White is from Nova Scotia, Alex McGillivray is from Ontario, and Nic Neid is from British Columbia.

Canada awarded silver at WBSC U23 PanAm event

After Saturday's playoff round games were washed out, Canada was awarded silver medals at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Americas U23 Men's PanAm event in Santa Rosa, Argentina.

Argentina and Mexico were both awarded gold medals after each finished with five wins and one loss. Canada has five wins and two losses. Those three teams, plus Venezuela, have qualified for WBSC U23 Men's World Cup in Colombia in April.

Tyler Branchaud of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League's Manotick Brewers was a member of the team. Other players were Max Major (SK), Mac Mulvey (ON), Ryan Maher (NL), Alex McGillivary (ON), Conner Brooks (ON), Nic Neid (BC), Matt Weiler (ON), Nick White (ON), Mason McKay (ON), Will Major (SK), Nathan Running (ON), Brad Barker (ON), Dale Schweyer (ON), Ryan Bicknell (SK) and Brody Fraser (NS).

Canada finishes pool play at 5-2

Canada completed pool play late Friday at the U23 Men's World Baseball Softball Confederation Americas Qualifier in Santa Rosa, Argentina with a 5-1 win over Venezuela. Nic Neid had the complete game win. Matt Weiler had two hits and two RBIs for Canada.

Canada finished pool play with a five win and two loss record. Placement in the standings (second or third) depended on the result of the final game of the pool play between Mexico and Argentina. However, that game was rained out in the bottom of the ninth - Mexico had the bases loaded with none out.

The USA, despite having ace Marco Diaz, finished the event with a three win and four loss record, tied for fifth place with Dominican Republic.

Medal games were planned for today (Saturday) between first and second for gold and third and fourth for bronze. However, heavy rain continues as of 10:30 a.m. local time and what will happen next is to be determined.

No matter what, Canada will finish in the top four and has qualified for the U23 Men's WBSC World Cup in Colombia in April, 2026.

Canada at 4-2 at U23 Americas Qualifier

After six days of competition at the World Baseball Softball Confederation U23 Men's Americas Qualifer, Team Canada has a record of four wins and two losses.

Canada lost 5-4 on Wednesday to Dominican Republic. Jonni Suriel had the win while Dale Schweyer and Brody Fraser pitched for Canada. 

Thursday was a big bounce back day as Canada defeated the United States 4-2. Nic Neid had the complete game win while Marco Diaz took the loss. Max Major had two hits for Canada and two RBIs.

Canada wraps up the qualifying round with a game Friday at 4:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. Eastern) against Venezuela. 

With the top four teams qualifying for the World Cup in April, Canada has secured a spot. 

If Canada (4-2) wins Friday over Venezuela (4-2) and Argentina (5-1) loses to Mexico (5-1), Canada would finish second on a tie breaker (head to head vs Argentina) and play in the gold medal game on Saturday. 

If Canada wins over Venezuela and Mexico loses to Argentina, Canada would finish third on a tie breaker (head to head vs Mexico) and play in the bronze medal game on Saturday. 

If Canada loses to Venezuela, even if the United States (3-3) defeats Guatemala (1-5), Canada will finish fourth on the tie breaker (head to head vs USA) and play in the bronze medal game.

If Canada defeats Venezuela, the USA would finish fourth if they defeat Guatemala, as they have the head to head tie breaker vs Venezuela. 

Two big wins for Team Canada U23

Team Canada earned two big wins at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Men's U23 Americas Qualifier in Santa Rosa, Argentina on Monday and Tuesday and now has a three win and one loss record.

Monday saw Canada beat winless Peru 11-0 in five innings. Brad Barker got the win with an inning of relief from Nathan Running. Mac Mulvey and Matt Weiler had homers for Canada. Tyler Branchaud was 1-3 and scored a run.

On Tuesday, Canada beat previously undefeated Argentina 10-2 in a game in front of a good hometown crowd. Nick Neid had the complete game win. Nick White, Connor Brooks, and Mulvey had homers for the red and white. Branchaud had a pinch hit and scored a run.

Next up is a game at 3:30 p.m. Eastern (4:30 p.m. local time) on Wednesday against the winless Dominican Republic.

Team Canada U23 after Day Two

Team Canada Men's U23 has one win and one loss after Day Two in Santa Rosa, Argentina at the U23 Men's World Baseball Softball Confederation Americas Qualifier. 

The first game was a 4-0 loss against Mexico. Carlos Parra threw a no hitter for the Mexicans, allowing only one walk. Nic Neid took the loss and had relief from Dale Schweyer. In Mexico's second game, Parra threw another shutout, this time a one hitter against the USA. 

In their second game, Canada defeated Guatemala 5-4. Neid had the win with relief from Schweyer. Diego Morales took the loss. Max Major led Canada at the plate going 1-2 with a walk and two RBIs. Nick White, Mason McKay and Alex McGillivray also had hits and RBIs for Canada.

Next up for Canada is a 4:30 p.m. local time game (3:30 p.m. Eastern) versus Peru (0-2).

The top four teams from the Qualifier will play at the U23 Men's WBSC World Cup in Colombia in April.

WBSC U23 Men's Softball Americas Qualifier starts next week

The World Baseball Softball Confederation U23 men's softball Americas qualifier will be played in Santa Rosa, Argentina. This is a qualifier for the U23 men's World Cup, with the top four teams advancing to the even to be played in the spring in Colombia.

Pool play games start on September 13 and medal games are to be played September 20. WBSC has indicated all games will be streamed on GameTime.

There are eight teams participating at the event: Canada, USA, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Peru and Guatemala. The schedule 

Tyler Branchaud of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League's Manotick Brewers is on Team Canada. 

Visit Softball Canada's website for a full list of players and coaches.

Venezuela wins WBSC World Cup

Venezuela won their first ever World Baseball Softball Confederation championship at the Men's 2025 Softball World Cup with a 3-0 victory in the gold medal game over New Zealand on Sunday in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

Maiker Pimental was the winning pitcher in the final and was named the Most Valuable Player of the event.

One of the members of the World Cup team is Luis Colombo, who has played some games in the Greater Ottawa Fastball League and was the pitcher for Los Caballos at the Carp Shootout in 2024. 

There are several players of Venezuelan descent who have played or are playing in the GOFL with Orleans Rebels and Los Caballos, including Edgar Contreras, Manuel Luna, Jefferson Román and Moises Del Corral.

USA won bronze, defeating Japan. Canada finished fifth at the eight-team event, missing the "Super Round" and finishing at the top of the "Placement Round". Other teams playing were Argentina, Dominican Republic and Australia.

Canada wins bronze at U18 Men's

Team Canada won bronze with an exciting 2-1 victory over the USA at the Men's U18 World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico.  Alex McGillivray's two run homer in the sixth was the difference. Conner Hopper of Fitzroy Harbour, member of West Carleton Electric, was on Team Canada.

Japan won gold 8-4 over Mexico, also in a very exciting game, in eight innings decided by a walk off grand slam.

Canada to play USA for Bronze

Canada will play the USA for the bronze medal today (4 p.m. EST) at the U18 Men's World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico.

Both teams finished the Super Round at 3-2, also tied with Mexico. With the host having defeated both USA and Canada, they advance to the gold medal game vs Japan (7 p.m. EST).

Games will be streamed at https://gametime.sport.

Team Canada U18 advances to the Super Round

Team Canada U18 finished pool play at the Men's U18 World Cup with a 4-1 record in Hermosillo, Mexico. They defeated Czechia, Singapore, Colombia and Australia and lost to undefeated Mexico.

They lost their first game in the Super Round to Japan 4-1.

In the Super Round, teams take their records versus other teams which advanced. So with their win over Australia (1-2) and loss to Mexico (3-0), plus their loss to Japan (2-1), they sit at 1-2.

The third and fourth place teams after the Super Round play for bronze while first and second play for gold.

Next up is USA (2-1) tonight at 7 p.m. EST then Venezuela (0-3) on Saturday at 7 p.m. Streaming is available at gametime.sport.

Team Canada U18 starts off World Cup with two wins

Team Canada U18 Men's started off the World Cup tournament in Hermosillo, Mexico with two wins. The started off with a 5-2 victory over Czechia, followed by a 18-1 thumping of Singapore.

They have a big game tonight (Monday) at 10 p.m. EST versus also undefeated host Mexico. The game will be livestreamed (fee applies) on GameTimeSport.

Local lad Conner Hopper from Fitzroy Harbour had an excellent start to the tournament for Team Canada, going two for three with two RBIs, a walk and a sacrifice bunt, as well as a highlight reel catch in centrefield. Unfortunately for Conner, he suffered a shoulder injury in the game versus Singapore and his tournament appears to be over.

U18 Men's World Cup starts Saturday

The World Baseball Softball Confederation U18 Men's World Cup starts tomorrow (Saturday) in Hermosillo, Mexico.

Team Canada - featuring Fitzroy Harbour's Conner Hopper - has their first game tomorrow at 2 p.m. EST vs Czechia.

Livestream available here: https://gametime.sport/

Article on West Online - Harbour’s Hopper ‘very excited’ for fastball World Cup

West Carleton Online, which has provided great coverage of local fastball all year, has an article about Conner Hopper's selection to Team Canada U18. It is $50 a year for a subscription, and I highly recommend it, especially if you live in West Carleton.

Harbour’s Hopper ‘very excited’ for fastball World Cup - West Carleton Online