THE EARLY DAYS - 1993 TO 1998

The White Rock Tritons Baseball Program began in the mid 1990’s with the intent of having a place for the graduating Senior Little League players (then ages 14 and 15) in the WRSSBA program to continue to participate at a highly competitive level. At the time, the WRSSBA did not have an elite program for its older high school players.

In the Lower Mainland, since the mid 1970’s, the influence of highly structured and regulated baseball programs such as Little League, Connie Mack, and Babe Ruth was breaking down beyond age 12. High school baseball players looking to excel were seeking out independently run, traveling teams which had the flexibility to provide the coaching, the games and the exposure required for superior baseball development. Within that context, WRSSBA administrators asked Bill Beckett who had his own Tritons Baseball Club. A fledgling independent club team going into its second season, to fuse the two programs together thus was the beginning of the unique connection between an “independent” team and a community baseball association.

The original Tritons team in 1993 was coached by Bill Beckett and assisted by Ken Myette and Rick Hill. Bill had players on his roster from several Lower Mainland communities and brought most of them with him. The new White Rock team was to be called the “White Rock Tritons”. It was a young team of mostly 17, 16 & 15 year old players. Since they were looking for a viable league to play in they chose the Northwest Senior American Legion program that first season. To fill out the schedule they played as many local B.C. clubs as they could and entered three or four tournaments.

The following season the Tritons added a second team called “Tritons 2″. It was coached by Greg Swenson (now on the coaching staff at Washington State University). The Tritons 2 team was a team of older players with mostly 18u players from in and around Greater Vancouver and Watcom and Skagit County. Both Triton teams were filled with outstanding talent and played both locally and in a league in the Greater Seattle-Tacoma area. Since then several players from both of these teams went on to college ball and a few to professional baseball. Todd Shiyuk was drafted in 1999 in the 10th round by the San Diego Padres after attending the University of Alabama at Huntsville.

During these early days of Tritons baseball, the Tritons were one of several strong independent teams operating in and around the Lower Mainland. The current Premier Baseball League was not yet in existence. Rather, there were 5 teams on Vancouver Island which played in a league known as the Island Premier Baseball League. The independent Mainland teams played exhibition series and tournaments with the teams in the area.

The existence of strong baseball connections was present from the beginning. One of the highlights of the Bill Beckett years was a two day instructional clinic which brought in some of the most highly sought after baseball clinicians in North America. Gary Ward from powerhouse Oklahoma State University was the keynote speaker and clinician as well as Robert Sapp who at the time had the most prolific and successful junior college program in the U.S. at Middle Georgia College.

A NEW BEGINNING

1998 marked the start of the new era for the Tritons after recent problems forced a new direction for the club. The Tritons General Manager at that time, Jan Thorogood sought out the services of ex-professional Tim Dell to take over the helm of the White Rock Tritons program. Tim, a Delta product and a draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers brought an extensive knowledge and passion for the game. Along with Dell, current Tritons l6U Head Coach, Mike Joy was added to the staff after two successful years in the WRSSBA coaching their l6U program. Unfortunately, Tim’s stint as the Head Coach only lasted some 12 weeks when he chose to move his family to Indianapolis to take on a new challenge in the business world.

To fill the void, Alan Mauthe, a former member of the Canadian Olympic and National Team was brought on board. A standout at Lewis & Clarke State College in Lewiston Idaho, Alan had the opportunity to play for and learn from AABC Hall of Fame coach Ed Cheff. Alan brought a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm that had an immediate impact to the club’s performance resulting in a 55-23 record for the season. Although the club fell short in the Provincials, a number of players from that year vent on to successful careers. In 1998 Ed Welsh was drafted in the 12th Round by the California Angels, Tyson Munn was drafted in 1999 in the 43rd round by the Seattle Mariners, David Harriman after a successful college career, was drafted in 2002 in the 17th round by the Oakland Athletics, and Brent Swanson was signed by the San Francisco Giants.

Unfortunately, because of business priorities and personal reasons both Al Mauthe and Mike Joy were unable to return for the 1999 season. Don Archer was then brought on to assume the duties of running the organization after a successful year leading WRSSBA to a Provincial Babe Ruth title.

Today Alan Mauthe now resides White Rock after a successful pro coaching career with the Boston Red Sox. Sporting two World Series rings while serving as the Minor League Video Co-coordinator and Hitting Instructor for the Lowell Spinners, Alan now operates Next Level Performance Inc. a start up company geared towards athletic and coaching development.

TRITONS BASEBALL AND THE PBL: STABILITY & GROWTH FROM 1999 - 2004

The arrival of Don Archer to lead the team in 1999 was a major development for Tritons baseball. Don was a veteran baseball man. He played with distinction at Oregon State in the 1960’s, he played pro baseball for a few years in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system, and he spent a number of years as a manager and coach of the Coquitlam Reds, one of the earliest and historically one of the strongest independent team organizations.

Don’s move to the Peninsula was another significant step in the evolution of Tritons baseball. For six strong years, from 1999 to 2004, Don’s tenure also coincided with the evolution of the Premier Baseball League. In 1999 six (6) lower mainland teams officially joined the IPBL: North Shore, Vancouver, Coquitlam, North Delta, White Rock, and Abbotsford. Don was one of the leaders in promoting the expanded league. In 2000, two (2) more teams were added; Whalley and Penticton. In 2000, the league name was changed to reflect its membership to the British Columbia Premier Baseball League.

In 2004 after a number of successful campaigns and seeing a number of the players from that era move on to successful college careers, Don decided to retire. Today, Don continues as the area scout for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The evolution of the PBL is an interesting phenomenon. After close to 25 years of Independents” doing their own thing, the PBL represents the return of structure to elite youth baseball in B.C. The PBL has rapidly risen to the status of the best high school league in Canada and it is second to none in the Pacific Northwest.

Baseball in B.C. is learning that working together can be very beneficial. While baseball in certain communities struggles (in recent years the PBL added Kelowna, but then lost the Penticton and Vancouver franchises), the White Rock Tritons continue to be one of the strongest and most dependable organizations in the PBL.

From 1999 to 2004, the Tritons excelled in the PBL and at various tournaments throughout the Northwest. In 2001 the Tritons won their first PBL championship playoff. The following year they came second in the PBL Championships. In 2003 they finished second in regular league play and then won the PBL Championship. Throughout these years the Tritons continued to send numerous players to college or university baseball, to BC select teams, and to the Canadian junior team. Players receiving professional opportunities include Chris Barski drafted in the 11th round in 1999 and signed with the Anaheim Angels, Paul Marlow drafted in the 46th round in 2003 by the Toronto Blue Jays, and Morgan Brinson drafted in the 32 round in 2004 and signed by the San Francisco Giants in 2005.

CONTINUING THE COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE (2005-Present)

In the Fall Ball season of 2004 Josh Ridgway assumed the Head Coaching position along with former college teammate Jeff Zeilstra as the Pitching Coach. Having played for then Treasure Valley Head Coach Van Tol, Josh and Jeff brought structure and much needed discipline to the organization as well as providing excellent baseball knowledge and playing experience.

Ridgway, who also played at NCAA Division I Murray State in Kentucky, later to be drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers; brought a wide range of experiences and skills as a coach which he communicated very well to his players. During his brief tenure as the Head Coach, he was invited to participate in the Mizuno UI 6 national talent identification camp in November 2006 in Toronto’s Skydome. Later that year, he was named as one of the assistant coaches for the 2006 BC U17 Select team which will participate in the Canada Cup in August.

Part of Coach Ridgway’s legacy will be his ability to produce quality individuals who have moved on to play College baseball. In 2006 the Tritons graduated 12 players who are currently involved in college baseball programs. In 2007 another 4 moved onto further their academic and athletic dreams. During this time, The Tritons also saw Coach Jeff Zeilstra assume the Head Coaching position for a club team in Toulouse France. Later that year, Jeff was named Head Coach of the French National Team successfully competing in the European Championships this past fall. Before leaving on his new career path Jeff was responsible for Mike Joy rejoining the program in 2006 as the head coach of the Junior Tritons after several productive years in the Coquitlam Reds organization, winning consecutive JPBL Championships in 2004-05. In recent years, Mike played a leading role in the organization and development of the junior PBL.

In the fall of 2007 saw more changes to the program. Much as a result of Coach Ridgway’s successes during his brief stay, he caught the attention of Douglas College (NWACCA), who hired Coach Ridgway to lead the Royals back to respectability and solidify their baseball program for the future.

This in turn led the way for yet another alumnus to step in, fill the role and continue the tradition. Brent Swanson (98-99) now assumes the Head Coaching role after an assistant position last year. Another former teammate of both Ridgway and Zeilstra at Treasure Valley he is expected to continue the philosophy and beliefs of his predecessors and maintain the strong tradition of excellence.

Finally, we wish to acknowledge and thank the executive of the WRSSBA for their efforts in making significant improvements to our program with the addition of a field lighting system in 2006 and an indoor training facility to the South Surrey Athletic Complex this past fall. The Tritons are proud to have what we feel is now one of the best baseball facilities in B.C.

The Tritons Baseball Club takes enormous pride in the fact we have a built a strong tradition of excellence in both athletic and academic successes. We as an organization continue to make strong contributions to the growth and development of the PBL and junior PBL. We are very proud that we are one of the only organizations that continue to work closely with their local association, White Rock South Surrey Baseball, in providing assistance in the development of youth baseball on the Peninsula.

We look forward to the coming year and the continuing relationship we have with the community that was established by our predecessors some 15 years ago.