"It's every kid's dream to do this right?"
Ty Wever is still a kid. But at 13, he's also a seasoned pro when it comes to Canadian baseball championships.
"This is my third time doing it and I'm proud to be here," Wever says. "I worked my tail off for this, so it's very exciting."
Wever was part of the team from Lethbridge, Alberta that appeared at last year's Canadian Little League Championships in Valleyfield, Quebec. The year before that, he was one of 10 players that won the national title in Val-d'Or, Quebec in the U10 age group.
"It's just a learning experience for me," Wever says. "If I do good, I can build on that for the future."
His teammates are also ready to hit the field.
"Got a lot of good competition out here...going to do your best, try to win it all," says Tate Pearce.
"We worked hard and hopefully we can make it to Williamsport," says Dawson Leroux.
That's what they're playing for - a chance to represent Canada at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. But there's lots of baseballt to be played before a champion is crowned.
Each team will play a six game round robin at Ken Ross Park (formerly South Nepean Park) in Barrhaven. Four teams advance to the semifinals, with the championship game set for Sunday, August 16th.
Games start on Friday, with the opening ceremonies set to start at 4:45 pm.
The team from White Rock, British Columbia might be feeling a little more pressure. Nine of the past 10 Canadian Little League champions have come from that province.
"At the end of the day, we know very well and so do our boys...obviously the top team from every province is here, so they know it's not going to be easy," says BC coach Bob Cumiskey.
"Not many kids get the chance to experience a Canadian national final, so they're very excited."
And if the team is feeling any pressure, they're not showing it.
"Pitch sometimes, and sometimes I play bench," jokes Jay Mather. When asked what he's looking forward to the most, Mather responds "probably swimming in the pool at the hotel."
