The Sarnia Braves’ Julian Service will step up to the plate in the national home run derby at the Canadian AAA National Men’s Baseball Championship this week.
The Braves travel to Miramichi, N.B. representing Ontario at the Aug. 22 to 25 event, after emerging victorious at the Ontario finals in Windsor recently.
Each province selects a batter for the Aug. 21 home run derby, said coach James Grant, adding that
Service has 20 home runs this season and 198 as a Brave.
This year, Service also tallied 75 RBIs and a 0.465 batting average.
A Gofundme campaign has been set-up to help cover travel expenses for the Braves trip to the Maritimes.
In spite of most players coming from professional backgrounds, no one receives any compensation to play on the team, said Grant.
Bus expenses alone for the national tournament are estimated at $17,000, he said.
“The players cover all our diamond fees, equipment, umpires (and) tournament fees with their own money.”
To contribute to the trip, visit www.gofundme.com/f/send-your-sarnia-braves-to-nationals.