Sundre Minor Ball organizers were pleasantly surprised to see an increase in the number of teams this year.
“We got a few more players registered than we expected,” said softball coordinator Michele Blackhurst, adding a lot of people attended registration night held earlier in March at the Sundre West Country Centre.
Practices at the Sundre Community Centre’s gym have already gotten underway, and everything seems to be looking good in the lead-up to the start of the season in early May, said Blackhurst.
“We’re just waiting to get on the diamonds,” she said last week, adding that while the weather has improved recently, conditions remained a bit wet.
“We want to make sure the diamonds are ready for us before we go out and use them.”
Softball Alberta coaches recently held a clinic at the Sundre High School gym for any softball players who were interested, she said.
This year the softball league has been able to field one U-10 team, two U-12s as well as two U-14s.
Although there was a U-19 squad last year, players in that age range tend to struggle to find the time to commit when juggling jobs and school. But last season, there was no U-14 squad, and organizers were not anticipating two U-12 teams this year, she said.
“It seems like we’re getting more joining. It’s nice to get some new girls out.”
Although technically not too late to register, Blackhurst said a late fee would be applied at this point.
“I don’t ever like to turn anybody away,” she said, adding the late fee charge covers the extra legwork involved in coordinating with Softball Alberta since the teams have already been registered.
Softball Alberta coaches recently hosted a clinic for Sundre Minor Ball’s softball league at the high school’s gym. The season is expected to start in early May. Submitted photo
Volunteer-wise, the softball league is in good shape, having been able to secure a number of coaches and team managers who stepped up to lend a hand, she said.
Meanwhile, the baseball league also saw some growth among its ranks this year, said coordinator Susie Smith.
The following squads have been fielded: three first league; three rookie teams; two mosquitos; two peewees; and two bantams. Although there is no midget team this year, there are more players registered than last season, said Smith.
“We actually have more teams,” she said, adding there was only one bantam squad last year.
Overall, that adds up to almost 100 baseball players, plus those in first league, she said.
Although the bantam teams are fully booked since there can only be so many players on a squad or else it’s not fun, there remains some flexibility in accommodating late joiners on the other teams, she added.
However, anyone who is interested in providing some extra coaching assistance for the bantams is welcome. Baseball teams have also been practising at the community centre’s gym, and will be getting on the diamonds as soon as the weather permits, she said.
Sundre ball fans will notice a new design on apparel, she added.
“We worked hard on getting a logo.”
An apparel night was recently held to unveil the new graphic, offering people an opportunity to buy a variety of items sporting the logo such as ball caps, hoodies, coats and shorts, she said.
Anyone interested in staying up to speed with Sundre Minor Ball can visit the organization’s social media page, while people who might want to register a player can contact Blackhurst for softball at 403-638-1428, or Smith for baseball at 403-638-1704.
