EAST CENTRAL — The Highway 3 Baseball League is back and bigger.
The senior baseball loop has added the Porcupine Plain Pirates for its second season. They join all five squads that return from last summer’s inaugural campaign. Locally that includes the Tisdale Rangers and the Pasquia (Arborfield and Carrot River) Angels. Also back are the Humboldt Senior Dodgers, Prince Albert Royals, and defending champion Birch Hills Brewers.
“As the second season gets going, I think the two biggest things are the continuing support from the communities and the addition of Porcupine Plain, which goes to show the want for the return of more senior baseball in the northeast,” league co-founder Adam Morrison said.
He emphasized that the league was astounded by the support it received from the communities during its first season.
“Regular season games consistently saw over triple digit crowd numbers a game and when it came to playoffs it just seemed like the parks were jam packed with people wanting to support local ball players playing for their towns,” said Morrison, who also emphasized the importance of the support of local businesses.
“Sponsorships or advertisements meant so much to help get these ball teams on their feet,” he said. “The crowds and sponsors are what will keep this league thriving for a long time.”
Tisdale Rangers
The Rangers will be back on the diamond after making it to the league finals last season. The squad went 5-3 in the regular season. It beat Humboldt, 2-1, in the semifinals. Birch Hills won the first league championship series, 2-0. “We have 13 guys returning this year and everyone plays a key role in the success of our team,” Tisdale’s Tanner Kirkland said. “Happy to see everyone coming back for another year.”
The team has added a few players for this season, including local talent Drayton Hvidston. Kirkland said he is “excited to see what his skill set brings to the team.” Regarding the group, Kirkland said: “We have a lot of guys who love baseball and are going to show up every night to compete.”
The Rangers open the season on June 2 in Arborfield against the Angels. Tisdale’s first home game is June 7 against the same squad.
Pasquia Angels
In 2021, the Angels fly to the top of the league standings with a 6-2 regular season. In the playoff semifinals, they fell 2-0 to the Brewers.
Pasquia representative Lane Gerwing said almost the entire team is back, except for three players who have helped start the Porcupine Plain squad. The Angels have added a couple young players, including Jared Wassill behind the plate. Gerwing said the team’s strengths should be its depth as “everyone can hit and field well.” The Angels play in Porcupine Plain on May 31 to open the season. Their first home game is June 2 against Tisdale.
Porcupine Plain Pirates
Last season Ben Hamelin and the Slobodian brothers, Austin and Nathan, suited up for the Angels as the Highway 3 Baseball League debuted. Austin Slobodian said they “were extremely impressed with the crowds and local support. This enjoyable experience sparked an idea to bring a team to our hometown that would allow us to play alongside old friends and encourage others to pull out their gloves.
