The top eight teams in the North Saskatchewan River Baseball League are ready to battle it out for the 2016 league championship as the playoffs begin tonight.
The North Battleford Beavers made it in to the playoffs as the eighth and final seed with a 7-9 record. They will have a tough task in the first round though, as they have to go up against the top-ranked Lloydminster Twins.
That best-of-three series will get underway on Monday night in Lloydminster. The Beavers will play host to the Twins on Wednesday night in a 7:30 p.m. contest at Beaver Lions Stadium. If needed, a third and deciding game will take place in Lloydminster on July 25.
Meanwhile, the Wilkie Brewers enter the post-season with the second best record in the league with a 11-5 mark.
They will start their playoffs at home on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. against the seventh seeded Border City Blue Jays, who ended the Twins six-year reign as NSRBL champions last summer.
The Brewers will will travel to Lloydminster for the second game in the series on Thursday. If necessary, a third and deciding contest will take place in Wilkie on July 26.
The Unity Cardinals will also have home-field advantage to start the playoffs. After finishing in fourth place in the regular season with an 11-5 record they will be matched up with the Standard Hill Lakers in the quarter-finals.
That series will begin on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Unity. The Lakers will host a rematch on Thursday with the final game taking place in Unity on July 25 if required.
The first best-of-three quarter-final series will get underway in Meadow Lake as the third ranked Sox will play host to the sixth seeded Macklin Lakers.
All of the first round series are to be completed by July 26.
