‘Fantastic’ Softball Valley facility impresses at Canadian Slo-pitch Championship

To some Lethbridge residents, Softball Valley is just a sports facility, but this week, the 11-field ballpark is hosting the Canadian Slo-pitch Championship.

One man in particular is impressed with what he’s seeing.

“My impression of the ballpark was made in the first 10 yards when I walked into the place—just a fantastic setup,” Softball Canada CEO Hugh Mitchener said. “As I walked in further, the quality of the diamonds are fantastic; the surfaces are excellent.”

Mitchener believes the facility is unrivaled within the country.

“It’s simply the best slo-pitch set-up I’ve seen in Canada,” Mitchener said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's simply the best slo-pitch set-up I've seen in Canada," Mitchener said.

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Thirty two teams from eight different provinces are competing this week, including one men’s and one women’s team each from Lethbridge.

“You get to play, you get to manage and be a part of it as a team, but it’s also just watching other teams competing against each other,” Lethbridge Dodgers manager Kevin Chubb said. “It’s the intensity and the atmosphere. As a baseball fan, there’s nothing more you can ask for.”

Round-robin action for the week-long event wraps up on Thursday night, with playoff action set to heat up on Friday.

Players are enjoying the chance to compete on the big stage.

“There was definitely some nerves at first, but after you get your first ground ball, your first hit—everything seems to settle,” Lethbridge Dodgers player Brendan Miller said. “We’re lucky to have this at home, because I get to go home and sleep in my own bed. And these fields, we get to play at these great fields all year round. So we’re very fortunate.”

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Decision makers think there’s a good chance the championship will return to Lethbridge in the future.

“We would love to come here more often,” Mitchener said. “That’s the impression I’ve got and when I go back to the office, that’s what I’ll be telling our manager at the Canadian Championships—that this is a great place to come back to.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We would love to come here more often," Mitchener said. "That's the impression I've got and when I go back to the office, that's what I'll be telling our manager at the Canadian Championships—that this is a great place to come back to."

The final championship game of the event is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. MT.