The Okanagan College (OC) Coyotes are the hottest team in the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) going into the 25th Canadian College World Series taking place from May 15-19.
After a slow start to the season, the team won eight of the last 10 games in the regular season and went into playoffs as the #2 seed with a record of 20-12. The University of Fraser Valley Cascades finishes one game ahead at 21-11.
Coyotes starting pitcher Reagan Tibbink was outstanding this season, finishing tied for first in the league in wins (five) and second in strikeouts (48).
Meanwhile, Nick Sauve led the offence as he batted .275 in the regular season with six doubles, three triples, four home runs, 24 RBIs, 17 runs scored, and four stolen bases.
Coleman Kawaguchi also broke a league record this season with 25 stolen bases.
In the playoffs, all eight teams make the playoffs and are split into two divisions for the double-elimination tournament. OC will be in a division with #3 Prairie Baseball Academy, #6 Vancouver Island University, and #7 Edmonton Collegiate. The other side features #1 University of Fraser Valley, #4 Thompson Rivers University, #5 Victoria Collegiate, and #8 University of Calgary. This year's postseason is taking place in Lethbridge, Alta.
The Coyotes open the playoffs at 9 a.m. Pacific on Thursday, May 15 against Edmonton.
OC last won the CCBC championship in 2022.