DESPITE some dominant club performances in recent years, Sunraysia Baseball League president Nick Carroll says the upcoming season, which starts this weekend, is set to even out.
In the A grade competition Wanderers have claimed titles the past four years, but due to some departing players the competition is expected to open up.
“Eagles weren’t far off the mark last season but I expect all teams to be competitive … Wanderers have lost a few of their reigning premiers because they’ve moved away from work,” Carroll said.
While Hawks currently don’t have an A grade team, Carroll said he was hopeful they’d rally numbers and could be a late inclusion.
To start the season, Wanderers, Eagles and Saints will battle it out in the three-team competition.
“We’re adapting a little, Carroll said.
“This year’s competition. all three clubs will play doubleheaders just to give players some extra games and competition.
“A game will be played on the Saturday and another on the Sunday and that’ll go for about six weeks during the middle of the season.”
Across the three grades, two out of four teams will currently field only two, but Carroll said the league had been doing everything in its power to improve this, for both the current season and for years to come.
“Everybody is welcome,” Carroll said.
“We’ve been pushing it through our come-and-try day; we’ve been advertising at Wallis Cinemas the past few weeks.
“We’ve already had a number of people come up and say the sport looks cool after seeing it on the screen.
“We don’t expect top gain a ton of people directly through that but it certainly helps to spread awareness,.
“People start to talk and that’s what we want.”
Round 1 of the SBL season starts this Sunday at the Old Aerodrome Ovals.
C grade is between 9.30am and 11.30am, followed by B grade between noon and 2pm and A grade at 2.30pm.
