The crack of the bat! The pop of the glove and the chatter from the infield! It’s music to the ears of the people of Saltcoats!!! The Saltcoats Regional Park is once again alive with the sounds of baseball. Residents from Saltcoats have been coming out to watch practices and semi-drivers on the highway have even been honking their horns as they drive by, excited to see kids outside playing sports again after a difficult year of cancellations due to COVID-19.
The Government of Saskatchewan has announced that as a part of Step One of Saskatchewan’s Re-Opening Roadmap, games and competitions for outdoor sports are permitted. Baseball Sask has outlined protocols for games in this first stage of re-opening. Players, coaches and spectators are asked to stay home if they feel unwell and are encouraged to screen themselves for Covid symptoms before showing up to games and practices. No inter-provincial travel is allowed and at this point in the re-opening plan there are no tournaments allowed. Public health orders must be followed and teams should be vigilant when it comes to disinfecting equipment. More details about Saskatchewan’s Re-Opening Roadmap and Baseball Sask’s Return to Train and Play Protocols can be found online.
Saltcoats’ teams have games lined up over the next few weeks with other teams in the area. Jesse Baron is coaching the Saltcoats U13 team who will be playing their first games on Tuesday, June 8th in Saltcoats and Wednesday June 9th in Esterhazy. The players are very excited to get back to playing games.
Brady Kitzul is a member of the team and is happy to be back playing sports. “I am feeling really excited about games because there have been no sports this year for me and I didn’t play baseball last year so it will be fun to get back to playing games,” he says.
His teammate, Eddie Baron, is also ready to play games again. “In general, I am feeling pretty good about playing games, mostly because it was uncertain if we would be able to play games. It is good we get to compete with other teams. It is always fun to hit, pitch, and field in an actual game because you can challenge yourself to make good plays. It is also very enjoyable when there is a close game because it is very intense and puts lots of pressure on the players to make good plays.”
Jake Morrison is another member of the team and is glad to be playing games again but is also missing some of his old teammates that are not on the team this season. “I am very excited to be playing games because I haven’t played a baseball game or that many games in a while. I am kinda sad that we are missing some players that we used to have but overall I am really excited to be playing again.”
Carson Waloschuk is also on the U13 team and is grateful for the chance to play games this season. “I am really excited about playing games this year because last year we only got to play a couple of games and this year we already have more games scheduled than the entirety of last year. We also get to play it as a team of friends and not be split into 2 teams. Our first game is next week on Tuesday. I am super excited and cannot wait!”
Gavin Morrison, another member of the team, is excited but is feeling a little apprehensive about playing a game after so long away from competition. “I am really nervous about the game. All we have done this season was practice so it will be very weird to play this season.”
Mike Farquharson is coaching the Saltcoats U11 team and their first game is Sunday, June 6th at 6:15pm in Churchbridge. Their home games for the next month are on June 9th, 16th, 18th and 23rd, all beginning at 6:15pm.
Kaynen Cross is part of the team and says that he is looking forward to the games because he has lots of fun playing baseball.
His teammate, Kamden Bradford, says that he enjoys playing baseball and is excited to play some games.
Addison Neal is excited to play games and improve her skills. “I think it’s fun to play games with other teams, it is way more fun to do and I get to work on things that I am not so good at.”
Tyler Tangedal is also looking forward to improving by playing games. “I like playing baseball and games help improve my skills more than practices do because I get to experience the real game. Games are more fun too.”
Dougal Farquharson plays with the U11 team but is also playing with the U13 team as an Affiliated Player (AP). “I am happy that we get to play games this year because I want to play other teams, playing with friends, and getting to field, bat, catching, and batting. Baseball is fun for me in general, so I of course like that we get to play this year,” he says.
Kalliegh MacCallum, another member of the team says she hasn’t had the chance to play very many baseball games yet so she is excited for the chance to play this season.
Jacob Baron is feeling optimistic about the upcoming season. “I feel excited about playing games. I have not gotten to play a baseball game in such a long time. I think our team will do great. My goal is to hit a home run.”
The coaches are also excited to see their teams play games again this season. “We are very happy to begin play and we want to thank everyone for helping us get back on the diamonds. All the hard work that the Saltcoats Ball Diamond Improvement Committee has put in over the last three years is really seeing some benefits. We are hoping to host Provincials again this summer and there is a real hope that this might happen. So much is dependent upon what covid numbers are and if there are any team transmissions. We have a good core of kids who have committed to play so we should be in good stead to put on another Provincials here in Saltcoats,” says Mike Farquharson.
Although there are currently no solid plans, there is also a possibility of July 1st baseball if there is enough interest.
Everyone is glad to see kids out playing ball again. “Watching them get out and being kids is great to see. Gives us hope that we might finally be over the worst. Huge shoutout to all the front line workers for getting us to where we can play again,” Mike says.
Everyone is encouraged to come out to socialize and support the teams! You can catch the teams’ first home games on June 8th and 9th.