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Senior baseball season is just around the corner in the region, with teams such as the Meadow Lake Sox and North Battleford Beavers less than two weeks from taking to the diamond for opening night. (File photos/battlefordsNOW Staff)
Diamond Dreamin'

North Sask. River Baseball League to begin play early next month

May 26, 2021 | 2:08 PM

Spring is in full swing, and before long, senior baseball will be too.

The North Sask. River Baseball League (NSRBL) announced Wednesday their season will begin early next month, with a schedule that will run from June 7 to July 14.

Just a week after initially preparing for another shorter schedule this year, co-commissioner of the NSRBL, Kelvin Colliar said following the provincial government’s announcement on Tuesday that outdoor sports would be allowed to go ahead as of May 30, the league quickly adjusted their plans to allow for an earlier start.

Colliar said following an abbreviated season last year due to the pandemic, the league, its teams and their players are all very excited to get back on the field for a full season.

“The guys want to play, and as with anything with COVID, as the protocols change, people have become really adaptable to that and finding solutions to match with what the protocols say, and I think we did that well,” Colliar said.

“The note came out yesterday at about 9:30 a.m. and we put out a call and teams met. We know we still need to practice our COVID responsibilities and that we need to stay safe, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to play.”

The bump up in schedule to early June will also allow the league to expand both its regular season and postseason schedules.

Teams will move from just eight games—all against their division last year—back to 11 this season, allowing every team to play each other once ahead of the playoffs. The postseason schedule will then also be expanded, keeping the two single-game wildcard series, before shifting to a best-of-three series format for the quarterfinals, semis and finals.

Due to a late start last season, the league’s playoffs were compressed to just single-game knockout throughout the 2020 postseason. Colliar said the return to series play will be good for the league and more enjoyable for its players.

“It’s nice to return to the best of three format, as is just a better reflection of team strength, [as opposed to] just the single knockout,” he said. “It gives the players more games to play, and we’re looking forward to getting back to it again this year.”

The NSRBL will be made up of 12 teams from across the region this year, including the North Battleford Beavers, Battlefords Trappers, and Meadow Lake Sox. Generally a 13-team league, the Unity Cardinals (senior team) has opted out for the 2021 spring season.

For more information on the NSRBL season, visit the league website.

Playoff series breakdown:

Wildcard games (July 15):

(#10 seed) vs. (#7 seed)

(#9 seed) vs. (#8 seed)

Quarterfinals (July 19 to 26):

Series 1 – (Lowest remaining seed remaining from wildcard series’) vs (#1 seed)

Series 2 – (Second lowest seed remaining) vs. (#2 seed)

Series 3 – (#6 seed) vs. (#3 seed)

Series 4 – (#5 seed) vs. (#4 seed)

Semifinals: (July 27 to Aug. 4):

Lowest seed vs. Top seed Remaining

Second lowest seed vs. Second seed remaining

Finals (Aug. 11 to 18):

Final two teams meet for league championship.

Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1