The Humboldt Midget AAA Dodgers baseball team is a diamond in the rough. Dodgers' coaches are hoping to sculpt the team into a fine, polished gem by season's end.
The Dodgers compete on the 12-team Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League (SPBL) circuit, which also features teams from Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Yorkton, and Weyburn-Estevan. The SPBL was previously known as the Prairie Midget Baseball League.
Humboldt's season opener was supposed to be in Yorkton on Saturday, with the Dodgers travelling there to take on the hometown Cardinals. Unfortunately, a late season blizzard that hit southern Saskatchewan meant both games had to be postponed to a later date.
The Dodgers' own home opener is May 11 against the 2010 league and provincial champion Saskatoon Giants.
"They'll be the team to beat again this year," Dodgers manager Roger Gerwing said of the Giants.
The Dodgers themselves finished last season in the middle of the pack with a .500 record, going 7-7-5. All SPBL games are seven innings, and the league does not use extra innings to settle tie games.
Gerwing noted last season was pretty much a washout at home, with the team having to play four of their 12 home games in Melfort, and another two in Watrous. He's hoping for better weather this year, and good fan support to go with it.
This year all Dodgers home games are scheduled for Diamond No. 2, adjacent to the Humboldt Uniplex. Gerwing noted city crews are working hard to get the diamond ready for the season. That includes getting rid of the dugouts, which have been virtually unusable the past few seasons anyway, due to flooding.
"They filled in as fast as we could pump them out," noted Darrell Lessmeister, the city's Director of Community and Leisure Services. "It was more of a swimming pool for mosquitoes than anything else."
Gerwing said the Dodgers are returning all but one player from last season, so the club should be quite strong - particularly with pitching and defence.
The Dodgers' pitching rotation looks especially solid. Jordan Gerwing and Dean Jaeb are the top right-handers, with Eric Bollefor (from Lake Lenore), Craig McWillie (from Viscount) and Keenan Lucas showing some solid stuff from the left side of the plate.
"Dean is really strong," Gerwing said. "He really mixed up his pitches well last year. He has the potential to be one of the top pitchers in the league."
With catcher Cody Thiel deciding to concentrate on his junior hockey career, Gerwing, McWillie and Merit Meyer will be looking to fill that spot in the Dodgers' roster. Jason Fleischhacker and Eric Bollefor will trade off at first base, while Cam Blair of Drake will man the bag at second. Karsten Hoehn, Gerwing, and Jaeb will all take their turns at third, with Curtis Fontaine filling the infield gap at shortstop.
Brandon Tkatch of Prud'homme will split time with Merit Meyer in left field, and Aaron Baker and Karsten Hoehn will do the same in right. Speedster Keenan Lucas and Jason Fleischhacker will both see time in centrefield.
As for the Dodgers' offence, Gerwing notes: "Ask me in a month.
"We'll see about hitting," he said. "It's a bit of a concern, but we'll work on it."
Mike Suchan and Braden Suchan round out the Dodgers' coaching staff. Along with Gerwing, they're hoping to further the development of what Gerwing regards as a very talented pool of athletes.
"We only have 12 players, so it's a pretty slim roster," Gerwing conceded. "But the boys are committed. They'll all get a lot of playing time. And we have some really strong players. We've even got some guys that have the potential to play college ball, if they wanted to."
