The San Pedro Junior College (SPJC) is in a celebratory mood after claiming the top place at the Association of Tertiary Level Institution of Belize (ATLIB) softball nationals played on Saturday, February 25th, in Independence Village, Stann Creek District, southern Belize.
The SPJC’s co-ed team previously won the central regional championship in northern Belize by defeating Wesley Junior College 9-2. This win secured them a ticket to compete for the national title in Independence against the best teams nationwide. The teams competing included Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College (CEMJC), the University of Belize (UB), and Independence Junior College (IJC).
The game day started at 9AM at the 3D Softball Field in Independence. In the first match, SPJC overcame IJC with a 2-0 win. With this victory, San Pedro secured their space for the finals later that day. The next team advancing to the finals was CEMJC, a strong team from northern Belize. The San Pedro team prepared for the final game as UB and IJC battled for third place. At the end of these rounds of matches, UB took third place away from the hosting team, and IJC had to settle for fourth place.
The championship was next, and although CEMJC walked onto the pitch with a determined game plan, they were no match for SPJC. The island team played a flawless game beating CEMJC 5-0 and claiming the championship. Team captain Jorge Castillos proudly accepted the first-place trophy raising his team as the 2023 ATLIB softball champions. The island champions also snatched the Most Valuable Player (MVP) prize, with SPJC’s Julio Bardalez recognized as the top player in the league.
The San Pedro Sun joins the entire island in congratulating the SPJC softball team on a job well done in representing Ambergris Caye well.
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