2024 LLIWS Preview: Diamond Baseball, Boisbriand, Québec

I have the privilege of calling a Little League World Series once again this year! This will mark my third consecutive call of the Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series, held from July 28-August 4 in Livermore, California. It's for 13-year-olds, played on a field slightly larger than Little League but still smaller than Junior League (50 feet from the pitcher's mound to home plate, 70 feet between the bases). Following this tournament and its qualifiers closely over the last three years, I've come to expect fantastic action and stories, and I'm looking forward to bringing them to you again this year!

The 2024 Intermediate World Series will air on ESPN+, and I will lay out the backstory for one of the 12 competing teams each day from now until the tournament's start on July 28. I hope you'll read along and remember a nugget here and there when you watch the tournament!

Diamond Baseball, Mirabel, Québec

League:
Diamond Baseball Little League
Location:
Boisbriand, Québec
Championships:

Québec
Canada
Record: 7-2
Date Qualified: July 24
Noteworthy:
2nd appearance in 3 years (2022, 2024)
3rd appearance (tied for most by Canadian team)

First Canadian team to win 2 games (2022)

Coaches: Laurent-Philippe Laurin, Jean-Luc Turgeon, Alex Blais

Quebec's Diamond Baseball will make its third appearance in Livermore this year after peaking at the right time in Canadian nationals, downing the British Columbia-based host district in the semifinals and the British Columbia champions in Wednesday's final, despite losing twice in the round roubin.

Two years ago, Diamond Baseball went farther than any Canadian team in Intermediate League history, notching two wins, the second over Liga Pabao from Curacao, propelling them to the international bracket final. This year, they'll open with Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, with the winner facing Pabao on the tournament's second day.

Diamond Baseball may bring one other first to Livermore this year: a former participant turned assistant coach! 20-year-old Alex Blais may be the youngest coach in Intermediate League history, and having been a player on the 2017 Diamond Baseball team, I feel confident he is the first participant to return as a coach. He's actually played at the Intermediate League, Junior League, and Senior League World Series, all while preparing for the elite junior hockey career that he continues each fall and winter.

Road to Livermore
Québec
July 6	Royal Repentigny	W	10-3 (6 inn.)
July 7	Royal Repentigny	W	4-3
Canada
July 17	Cape Breton Ramblers, Halifax NS (group)	W	13-0 (5 inn.)
July 18	Layritz BC (group)	W	5-1
July 19	at Fraser Valley Firebirds, Coquitlam BC (group)	L	0-1
July 20	Lethbridge AB (group)	W	12-4
July 21	Kingston Colts (group)	L	5-11
July 23	at Fraser Valley Firebirds, Coquitlam BC (semifinals)	W	15-2 (5 inn.)
July 24	Layritz BC (final)	W	5-2
Intermediate Baseball World Series
July 28	Amelia Guaynabo PR	L	4-12
July 30	Hills, Sydney AUS (elim)	L	2-3
Aug 1	HYR, Georgetown IN (Goodwill)	L	2-7