The Langley Blaze Baseball Organization provides their players an opportunity to develop the skills necessary to compete at the highest level of high school baseball available in Canada. In doing so, the players also learn about the life skills and knowledge that are necessary to graduate beyond the Blaze to the ‘next level’ wherever that may take them.
As an organization, we have 4 teams (Futures, Bantam, Junior, Premier) registered in the challenging and highly competitive BCPBL – British Columbia Premier Baseball League. Our season is laid out like this: Fall Ball > Winter Training > Spring Season/Training > Regular Season and highlights are below.
Choosing to come and play for the Blaze organization means that you are serious about wanting to take the next steps in becoming a better player, student and person. We want and encourage you to be serious about getting to the next level.
The Premier Blaze (Grade 11, 12 and Gap Year) maintains their reputation as the best high school aged team in Canada through their accomplishments on the field and their successes off the field. The Junior team (Generally Grade 10 & 11 players, and potentially Grade 9 players) is groomed to become more familiar with the necessary skills and work ethic required for success at the Premier level, while our Bantam Team (Grade 8 & 9 players) is designed to be competitive while having the players getting prepared for our Junior program. New to the BCPBL for the 2027 season is the introduction of the BCPBL Futures Division. This division has been created to compliment the Bantam division and making sure new players to the BCPBL are ready.
Coaches of all 4 teams work collaboratively to provide positive reinforcement, character mentoring, and developmental training while introducing the players to the Blaze tradition and our ‘lead by example’ mentality.
Of utmost importance to the Blaze organization is the developmental progression of its players which may result in being drafted into the professional ranks or the placement of graduating players into collegiate programs where new educational and athletic opportunities await them. Numerous Blaze alumni are current student-athletes attending post-secondary institutions in Canada and the U.S. We have a +99% success rate of our graduating players moving on to post secondary opportunities.
Blaze alumni who have been fortunate enough to have college opportunities are receiving the dual benefit of receiving a post-secondary education while playing college baseball. These players get significant exposure to scouts who scour the collegiate ranks looking for draft prospects for the yearly MLB amateur draft. Being in the right place at the right time may lead to an opportunity for a professional baseball career upon graduation from university or college. We ensure our graduating players are placed in the right post-secondary program for their individual needs of success.
While a number of Blaze players have been drafted by MLB teams directly from the Blaze, several alumni have also been drafted by MLB teams upon graduation and completion of the collegiate careers and are now playing professionally. The Blaze organization is extremely proud to have had 35+ players drafted by MLB clubs since 2001, more than any other high school or club team in Canada. The ongoing development of high caliber players, and the program’s reputation for excellence has enabled the Blaze coaching staff to build relationships with MLB general managers, scouts and scouting directors as well as U.S. college and university recruiters and coaches. These relationships lead to ongoing communication and expedited access to ensure that any potential opportunities at the higher levels are maximized wherever possible.
Please make sure to read the following. Players coming to the Blaze are committing to the process of selection to one of our four teams.
PROGRAM AT A GLANCE:
Fall Ball (Sept-Oct):
Fall Ball marks the beginning of the selection process to make one of our four teams: Futures/Bantam, Junior, and Premier. Participating in Fall Ball means you’re committed to this journey and are serious about getting to the next level.
Fall provides the ideal learning environment for our players. Our primary focus is on advancing player development from the previous season, and making the necessary adjustments to ensure future success. This development-first mentality allows players to concentrate on continuous improvement to get to that next level.
The fall program includes scheduled games vs competition from the BCPBL and more. Individual team games for Futures/Bantam, Junior, and Premier are released closer to fall and the practice schedule is determined by each teams coaching staff as time permits. Each team plays a significant number if games throughout the fall.
Winter Training (Nov-Feb):
All players receive the advantage to practice outdoors on the McLeod Stadium turf. This allows our athletes to continue to progress with their fall throwing programs much longer than the competition. We call this our "Turf Advantage". This advantage also allows for the continuation of on field repetitions and game like scenarios. The same goes for late January & early February, as the weather heats up, our players begin to get on-field development before all other provinces in Canada.
December and January is primarily spent in the blue-collar confines of the the "Barn" if weather dictates we need to be inside. If the weather co-operates, we stay on the turf! No other program in Canada can compete. The "Barn" features 4 hitting cages, 2 full length bull pens, and retractable 1,500 sq defence work area.
Spring Season:
Beginning in late January and early February, the Blaze will begin their work outdoors, back on the McLeod turf! The goal of this early time outdoors is to transition the several months of work in the cages, bullpen sessions and individual drill work into live games. Games normally start in late February depending on weather conditions.
Spring Training & Arizona Pro Tour:
Much of the reputation, professional & college connections, separation from our competition, opportunity and history of success has been established by our annual Spring Training trip to Phoenix, AZ. The accolades and competitiveness that the Blaze program brings to Spring Training complexes across the state attracts the eyes of many professional and college programs to our games. The Blaze typically has a schedule that features several games against top ranked NJCAA powerhouse programs as well as many games against Minor League organizations. The Minor League organizations typically bring A, High-A players to compete against the Blaze, however countless times the Blaze have faced Major Leaguers.
The trip is truly an unforgettable experience for our players and their families. For our players to be able to witness countless fields littered with ball players all trying to make “The Show” is an eye-opener. For our players to be able to the drill work and mechanics used by the professional coaches and players is unrivalled for their development. For our players to be able to compete against Major League prospects and players in front of 40-50 scouts is a player’s dream.
Our Futures, Bantam and Junior teams will also participate in Arizona Spring Training with practices and games throughout the 10 day trip. On off-days, those players are welcome to come to the Premier Pro-Tour games and participate in pre-game activities.
The full schedule for our Arizona Spring Training Pro-tour and Bantam/Futures and Junior schedules are released in late February/early March.
Upon graduating from our program, the majority of our players will have had the following:
40-60 At Bats against Professional Pitching
10-20 Innings Pitched against Professional Hitting
15-20 Games Played against NJCAA Colleges who consistently rank in the Top 25
25-30 Games Played against Professional competition
100+ Professional & Collegiate scouts watch our players play before they have even stepped foot on a collegiate campus or professional field….
Pre-Season:
Upon returning from the Arizona Pro Tour, the Blaze feed off of competing at the professional level with several games prior to the start of the BCPBL season. The Pre-Season games typically see us hosting teams from Alberta seeking warmer weather, local college programs and several other PBL teams. The Blaze use those games to continue their development and begin more team based, communication oriented, collaboration focused drills and practice.
Season:
The BCPBL season typically starts in late March/early April and runs 5-6 games per week for the next four months with extensive practice time. The BCPBL is a 13-team league that has been dominated by the Blaze since their inaugural season in 2001. The BCPBL offers a 44 to 48-game schedule that allocates a 4-game series against all teams in the league each season. The BCPBL has offered the most competitive baseball in Western Canada for the past 20 years. No league or schedule offered by any other program competes with what is offered by the BCPBL, it is for that reason that many teams from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario travel west to compete with such high-quality competition. This level of competition is essential for the growth of our players, who without the high level of talent, would be left static with their development.