The North Battleford Beavers (pictured here) will be one of three NSRBL teams featured in the Battlefords community for the 2019 season, ensuring lots of local rivalry and friendly competition within the community’s ball diamonds. (Brady Lang/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

A home run

Senior baseball league expands to feature three teams from Battlefords

May 13, 2019 | 5:00 PM

The North Saskatchewan River Baseball League (NSRBL) kicks off their 2019 season tonight with one game on the schedule for opening night. The Battlefords Trappers will head to Lloydminster to take on the Border City Blue Jays.

While all 12 teams from last season will return this spring, there will also be two additional clubs added to the league for the 2019 campaign. Both the North Battleford Midget Beavers and Unity Cardinals Midget teams will make the jump to the senior baseball ranks, something NSRBL Commissioner Kelvin Colliar said bodes well for both their respective communities and league as a whole.

“It is really important to continue to add players into that senior league,” Colliar said. “Both of those communities will have a number of players that can fill the roles as some of the other guys in the league start to get older. To have those young players playing senior ball in their Midget years is a good thing for our league.”

The move gives the Battlefords three teams situated within the community: The North Battleford Beavers, the Battlefords Trappers, and the Midget Beavers.

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The expansion comes at a time when the league has seen its competitive nature at a high.

Last season’s champions, the Lloydminster Jays, won the AA Senior championship at provincials after taking the league. Standard Hill, meanwhile won level four playoffs, while the Macklin Lakers won five senior level.

An additional three teams also made provincials last season as each of Unity, Meadow Lake and North Battleford showed well against some of Saskatchewan’s top teams at the provincial tournament held in North Battleford.

For those who have yet to take in a ball game at the NSRBL level, the commissioner said not only is the level of competition extremely competitive, but the atmosphere in itself provides a nice opportunity for a night out.

“On any given night you’re going to see some strong pitching performances and a really good level of baseball,” Colliar said. “I know in the Battlefords the Beavers and the Trappers always set up a beer garden, so on a night when it’s nice and warm outside, there’s no better place to be then having a beer and watching a ball game. It’s a good atmosphere and we’re a pretty competitive league top-to-bottom so it’s a good way to spend the evening.”

The North Battleford Midget Beavers will play their opening game May 16 against Standard Hill, while the North Battleford Beavers will kick off their schedule May 22 against the Edam Blue Sox.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1