20150623_113115[1]Young baseball players looking to further their careers can now do so right at home with a new college baseball team affiliated with the University of the Fraser Valley.

The team will be a club team owned by local business person Brian Finnie, and he says they’ll be able to apply for varsity status in two years if they follow UFV’s values.

“We have to prove that our core value is training and education. That will be watched by the university. We have to be good ambassadors for the university. Our players will sign on to community volunteer work.”

15 players have been recruited already, including six from Chilliwack Minor Baseball.

Chilliwack Minor Baseball Association president Brent Bogart says he’s excited about the new team, and that it’s a great way to keep top players in Chilliwack.

“We’ve had over the years players that migrate away when they get to 18 and they go on to college. And now to keep them here it’s ideal for us. We can start training them at age 4 all the way up to 18.”

Head coach Shawn Corness says for players looking to pursue a baseball path, staying close to home can be invaluable.

“Depending on where you’re going if it’s down to the US where you’re not getting full ride scholarships anymore and the dollar the way it is, it becomes a very expensive venture for those families. Now you can stay home and save five or six thousand dollars on room and board, and have them start their education and college baseball.”

The team will play in the Canadian College Baseball Conference, joining five other teams:

Vancouver Island Baseball Institute from Nanaimo affiliated with Vancouver Island University

Okanagan College, Kelowna

Thompson Rivers University

The Prairie Baseball Academy affiliated with University of Lethbridge

University of Calgary Dinos

Exhibition play starts this fall, with the regular season getting going in March. All home games will be at the Fairfield Island Ballpark.