Neepawa Cubs ready for a memorable season
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- Published on Monday, April 24, 2017
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner
The 2017 baseball season could be one to remember for the Neepawa Cubs. Not only will the club field one of its most competitive squads this year, but they’ll do so on the diamond’s grandest stage, as they’ll host the Senior ‘AA’ Provincial Championship in August.
Cubs player/manager Scott Newton recently returned from the Santa Clara Baseball League (SCBL) spring meeting. He’s confirmed that all eight league clubs are back this season and will play a 14 game schedule. Along with Neepawa, the other teams this year will be the Austin Athletics, Carberry Royals, Dauphin Brewers, Ebb and Flow Lakers, Minnedosa Mavericks, Plumas Pirates and the defending league champions, the Portage Padres. Newton expects that the level of competition this season is going to be extremely high.
“It’s going to be a pretty tough schedule. Portage comes into the season the defending champs and they’re just as talented as they were last year. Minnedosa, year in and year out, are definitely one of the top teams. Plumas and Ebb and Flow have each shown improvement, so it’s not going to be easy out there,” stated Newton.
Though the opposition across the Santa Clara League continues to get better, so have the Cubs. Last year, the senior ‘AA’ club finished the season in fourth place (seven wins - seven losses), up two spots from the previous year. More impressively, Neepawa upped its game in the post season, pushing the Minnedosa Mavericks to the brink of elimination in the semi-finals. Newton stressed that those improvements have everyone on the roster feeling a sense of optimism as they prepare for the season.
On top of the upcoming Santa Clara Baseball season, the Cubs will also host the 2017 Senior ‘AA’ Provincial Championship. The tournament will be held Aug. 11-13 and feature eight teams from across Manitoba. Newton said they’re very excited about being a part of the event and showcasing exactly what Neepawa has to offer. He added that anyone who might be interested in volunteering for the Provincials can contact him at (204) 841-4727. The 2017 Santa Clara Baseball League schedule will be announced within the next few weeks.
