The North Saskatchewan River Baseball League is back, and their schedule for the new season is now out.
The schedule for the first games of the season has been posted at the league’s website. The season begins at 3 p.m. June 6 with the Meadow Lake Sox in Unity taking on the Unity Jr. Cardinals.
Three games are scheduled for June 7 at 6:30 p.m.: the defending champion Lloydminster Twins at Wilkie Brewers, the Macklin Lakers at Border City Blue Jays and Mervin Flyers at St. Walburg Reds. On Tuesday, June 8 the Battlefords Trappers are at home to Kindersley Stallions at 7:30 p.m. while the North Battlefords Beavers take to the road against Standard Hill Lakers.
Games on June 9 see St. Walburg at the Jr. Cardinals, Meadow Lake at Mervin and Wilkie at Border City.
The schedule is described by the league as “in-progress” and subject to review by the teams.
The season got the go-ahead with the announcement by the province that they were moving up outdoor sports for inclusion in Step One of the Re-Opening Roadmap. Step One took effect on May 30, with gathering sizes increased to 150 people for outdoors.
There are 12 teams competing in the NSRBL this season: the Beavers, Trappers, Meadow Lake Sox, Wilkie Brewers, Unity Junior Cardinals, Kindersley Stallions, Macklin Lakers, Mervin Flyers, St. Walburg Reds, Standard Hill Lakers, Lloydminster Twins and Border City Blue Jays.
According to the league’s website, the home games in North Battleford and Kindersley will start at 7:30 p.m. Games in the other communities have a 6:30 p.m. start time.
The NSRBL was one of the few leagues in the province to be able to get a season in during the COVID-19 pandemic year 2020. They competed in a shortened schedule of eight games per team last summer. The Lloydminster Twins ultimately defeated the North Battleford Beavers in a two-game sweep in the finals, with fans in attendance for the clinching game at Beaver Lions Stadium.
