Play ball!
Tuesday marked opening day of the 2011 version of North Saskatchewan River Baseball League.
What will the competition level be? Will someone besides the Lloydminster Twins and Wilkie Brewers play in the championship series? What are some of the reasons to go out to the local ballparks?
Those questions may not be answered until the final game of the season, but for baseball players and fans around the Northwest the excitement for NSRBL action is as high as ever.
The 14 teams around the Northwest will be playing for eight playoff spots and it is expected to be one of the most competitive NSRBL seasons in years. A record of 7-6 should put teams in the playoff hunt, but that will by no means be a guaranteed ticket to the post-season.
The North Battleford Beavers suffered perhaps the biggest roster loss of any team heading into the new season, as last season's MVP Rylan Rogers won't be returning to the Battlefords for the summer.
Kyle Gregoire emerged as a effective left-handed pitcher for the Beavers. With Matt Benson back for the entire season and Jared Inkster returning to the Beavers they are hopeful they can fill Rogers' void with a committed roster of good young pitchers.
Returning players Rory Gregoire, Ryan Shepherd, Bryce Gatzke and Tyler Russell will once again be tough outs as all four a .293 averages or better.
The Beavers have made strides in recent years and are coming off a 10-3-1 record last season. Expectations are high once again, as the Meadow Lake White Sox kicked the Beavers out of the playoffs in three games last season in the first round. North Battleford will be looking to clinch a playoff spot and go deep into the playoffs this time around.
The Mervin Flyers have to be excited coming into the new season, as they have absorbed some of the Edam players after Edam dropped out of the league indefinitely. Mervin has always been a solid hitting team, as they finished with the most runs scored and hits of any team last season and snuck into the eighth spot to make the playoffs.
Jon Connacher pitched in nine of the Flyers games last season, but the addition of Kelly Baillargeon will help the pitching staff immensely. The Flyers should be a mid-to upper tier team in the league now.
The Wilkie Brewers have been one of the league's top teams for longer than most of the players around the league have played in the NSRBL. After losing out in the final to Lloydminster and failing to make the provincial tournament last season, they are hungry to get back on top and prove they haven't lost that competitiveness.
Wilkie lost two a couple solid bats from their lineup, but have been able to replace them with some former Brewers returning to Wilkie. Russ Nielsen and Mike Sittler together add defence and offence and Nielsen will be a welcomed addition to the pitching staff.
The usual veterans of Nick Pernitsky, Jason Schell, Aaron Sittler, Bye Braun and Cody Wilgenbusch are back and will once again be the cornerstones of the Brewers' offence.
Two first year players moving up from the midget ranks in Robert Cey and Mitch Nielsen and the possible addition of Barrett Nielsen will give the Brewers plenty of options on the mound.
Wilkie finished 12-2 last season and are hopeful to grab a playoff spot and use their depth throughout the season to make a run at a championship.
Also playing out of Wilkie will be the Unity Midgets. A young team, with a combination of players from Unity, Wilkie and North Battleford, will be using their league games to prepare for a run at AA midget provincials. The Midgets had three wins last season, but it is the experience that helps make the players ready for provincials later in the season and more prepared to make the jump onto a senior roster the next season.
The Unity Cardinals finished seventh last season and will once again be one of those middle-tier teams that are hard to get outs against and never seem to roll over. With their ace Francis Kiefer unlikely to be able to start the season pitching because of a shoulder injury, other players will have to step up and try to fill the void.
Unity has always been a team to put a solid roster out on the field and had a good lineup one though nine. They could have a few key additions once they officially take to the field to start the season. Unity has the ability to always get runners on base and if their defence can help out the pitching and limit the extra outs they will likely be in every game they play this season.
The Standard Hill Lakers went 4-10 last season and finished out of the playoffs and could be around that mark this season. The Lakers have lost a few veteran guys over the past few seasons, but to their credit Standard Hill are still able to field a team and enjoy playing baseball.
The Lakers can surprise some teams if they are under estimated, but they did allow the most runs as a team last season, which has made it tough for them to climb into a playoff spot in a long time.
Of the six regulars who had over 40 plate appearances in Standard Hill, the Lakers core all had respectable batting averages and are hoping to improve on that this season.
It will be the third NSRBL season for the St. Walburg Reds and it is again a season where they hope to establish themselves in the league and build some momentum and confidence.
The Reds are still a young team by NSRBL standards, but they have one of the best pitchers in the league in Scott Thompson. If the Reds can tighten up their defence, something they are aware of and interested in improving, they could win a few more games this season.
The Reds' bats are coming along and, if they get a favourable matchup against teams underestimating them, games could be closer than some of the scores put up against them in the first two seasons.
The Meadow Lake White Sox have made themselves into an elite team over the previous five seasons with hard work, commitment and determination. Hard throwing Quincy Winkler was complimented nicely by Craig Werran, Les Ellis and Davin Hildebrand last season on the pitching staff.
It appears Meadow Lake added some new players this season, which should give them some more youth, excitement and speed and they have some of the best timely hitters in the league in Kevin and Trevor Gerwing and Regan Beck.
The White Sox make things happen and, after they lost in the semi finals to the eventual league champions last season, they are ready to take the next step and play for the league championship. The White Sox are also hosting the A2 provincials so they will make sure they are playing good baseball at the right time and ensure they have a chance to win each and every game they play.
The Kindersley Raiders missed the playoffs by a win last season. After losing some valuable players from two years ago, the Raiders talent level dropped a step in the league during the 2010 campaign, but they are expected to compete for a playoff spot again this season.
Pitching often hasn't been an issue for the Raiders, who have a good foundation of younger and experienced guys to get them through the season if injuries don't hurt them too much.
A good baseball town where league playoffs and a run at provincials are always in the plans would suggest they want to improve on last season. It will likely take a record over .500 to do so.
Lloydminster could have a league of their own with five teams, but of those five teams three made the playoffs last season and appear to make for a real competitive league.
The Lloydminster Meridian Twins finished the season without a blemish on their roster and earned their second straight league title. The core group makes for arguably the scariest and most consistent batting lineup in the league. The Twins can hurt teams in so many ways and there are never easy outs in their lineup.
With Warren Stang leading the pitching group, the Twins don't appear to be ready to take their foot off the gas pedal. With that said they do have a target on their backs after winning the league title without losing a game, but it is something the Twins have grown used to after playing in the league championship for as long as this reporter can remember.
Expect the Twins to be playing into August once again.
The Lloydminster Junior Redhawks finished in third place with a 12-2 record and were bounced from the playoffs by the Wilkie Brewers. The Redhawks have perhaps the most complete roster with shortstop Reid Flasch captaining the defence, Jason Fechter leading the pitching staff and the offence led by those two along with Travis Robinson.
It is expected the Redhawks lost one of their best pitchers and batters in Steven Latos who is listed on the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets roster, but the Redhawks will be a threat in the league once again. Two years ago, this group of ball players was known as one of the best midget teams to ever play in the league and they have continued that momentum and success now as a junior team in their second year of NSRBL action.
The Border City Blue Jays were the third team from Lloydminster to make the playoffs last season and are always expected to compete for a playoff spot.
If the Jays win the games they are supposed to win, meaning they beat the teams with worse records than theirs in the standings, they should be in the hunt for a playoff spot. A 13-game schedule means no team can afford to have an off night and the Jays are certainly a team that will capitalize on an off night and don't have too many off nights themselves.
The Midwest Expos returned to the league last season and with a core group of guys who love to play baseball they have a chance to improve on last season's record. The unfortunate thing is that of the nine teams who finished ahead of the Expos, they don't appear to be falling back just yet so the Expos will have to earn every win they get.
The Expos will need to reduce the number of mistakes made and come into each game with the attitude that it is a must win if they have expectations of making the playoffs.
The Lloydminster Midget Twins are the final team in the league. The Midget Twins had one win last season. Expect an improvement from what was a young midget team last season. Another year older and more experience gives them a fighting chance against some of the other young teams in the league. Four wins isn't unheard of for the Midget Twins, as they will be preparing for a lengthy run at midget AA provincials.
