Skip to content

Sugarcane ball diamond gets major overhaul, upgrades

The Williams Lake Indian Band is almost finished constructing its own field of dreams.
11614244_web1_180425-WLT-SugarCaneBallDiamondDSC_7622
The new infield at the Sugarcane ball diamond has been redone with brand new crushed brick.

The Williams Lake Indian Band is almost finished constructing its own field of dreams.

Major upgrades and renovations are slated to be completed early May on the Sugarcane ball diamond after the WLIB was selected as a $98,000 grant recipient from the Toronto Blue Jays Foundation.

The WLIB has pitched in an additional $60,000, on top of several in-kind donations from local businesses for the completion of the project, which totals $158,000.

The completed ball diamond features brand new infield crushed brick, field lighting, a fully irrigated outfield, new bleachers, a new backstop and a new washroom.

Allteck donated the lights and light poles, the WLIB funded the electrical component and Lake Excavating Ltd. and Borland Creek Logging Ltd. chipped in cash and in-kind work.

“We’re ready to play some ball,” said WLIB Coun. Willie Sellars. “We’re getting ready to start up a league this spring and summer.”

Sellars said a fun ball league is slated to start this spring on the new diamond. Entry fee will be $700 per team and will include 18 games, including night time games under the lights during the week.

“We’re going to take 10 teams on a first-come, first-served basis,” Sellars said. “We’ve already had inquiries from a number of teams looking to sign up.”

This year, the focus will be on fun ball, Sellars said, however, the community is hoping to drum up major interest in fastball and minor fastball.

“We want to reinvent fastball in the community,” he said, noting several Williams Lake players are currently forced to travel to 100 Mile House to compete in the 100 Mile Men’s Fastball League.

“So we’re looking for any interest from fastball players to also inquire with us so we can, in the future, start some exhibition games and start properly practicing. One thing we’re concerned about right now is we want to make sure there are enough pitches, and to make sure we have umpires ready if we start that up.”

Men’s fastball, he said, used to be a big deal in Williams Lake, however, interest in the sport has since waned.

“It’s be nice to have our own league,” he said. “Now, we have the diamond, we have the lights, and we want to see it move forward.”

He also said in the future they’d like to work collaboratively with the Williams Lake Minor Fastball League to possibly host games at the Sugarcane diamond.

“It’s going to be the nicest diamond from Kamloops to Prince George,” he said. “We have a brand new diamond with a lighted infield. Who wouldn’t want to play there?”

Anyone interested in joining the fun ball league or anyone who has questions about getting fastball up and running in Williams Lake can contact Sellars at willie.sellars@williamslakeindianband.ca.

“That’s really what my long-term goal is — to get that fastball league going so we can start having some games,” he said.



Greg Sabatino

About the Author: Greg Sabatino

Greg Sabatino graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with a Bachelor of Journalism degree in 2008.
Read more