MJBL President happy to have season start as planned

The Manitoba Junior Baseball League kicks off their season today. The league is back to eight teams this season and will have the opportunity to start on schedule. League president Jamie Bettens says it's really important for these young athletes to be able to play the sport they love when the snow melts.

"We're very excited to say that we're starting as close to on time as possible. Typically we start in the middle of May, after the long weekend," Bettens explains. "For us, it's an opportunity to get out there and make our teams, cities, and towns very proud of our product. We've gone through so much over the last few years, to actually say that we're optimistic about having a full season, is very exciting for us."

The Interlake Bluejays will be looking to bounce back this year as they finished at the bottom of the standings last season. Interlake opens their season on the road today with a double-header against the Carillon Sultans.

Bettens says they are still going to be cautious of COVID-19 but notes they will be doing their best to try to make sure it doesn't harm the season.

"We are still hyper-aware of the possibility of varients (of COVID-19) to transmit through games and outdoor events. Our teams will be prepared for that, and will take as many precautions as we can, while still following the guidelines, of course," says Bettens. "I think the weather right now seems to be more of a burden than a potential COVID-19 outbreak, but every town is different and everyone is different in how they see this. We will try to accommodate as many people as possible so they can enjoy our product in the best way possible."

Due to the pandemic, the MJBL introduced a double-knockout format for the playoffs. The league president says this year they will be going back to their usual format.

"It will go back to series. The teams certainly wanted that, they like the excitement of the double-knockout, it certainly built some momentum for us at playoff time. But it just isn't conducive to the working players that we have," Bettens continues. "These guys and girls need jobs to offset their education and everything else they're doing in life. So, the series makes much more sense for us."

The Interlake Bluejays kick off their season today at 1:00 and host their home opener on May 23 against the Pembina Valley Orioles. The doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. with the second contest getting underway at 4:00.