Neepawa to host baseball championship

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Neepawa to host baseball championship

Details: Published on Thursday, October 27, 2016

By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

Some of Manitoba’s very best baseball teams will converge on Neepawa next year. The Neepawa Cubs of the Santa Clara Baseball League announced on Tuesday, Oct. 25 that they will be the host club for the 2017 Senior ‘AA’ Provincial Championship. The tournament will be held Aug. 11-13 and feature eight teams from across the province. Scott Newton of the Neepawa Cubs said they’re very excited about hosting the event.

“I feel as though the team has made some great strides both on and off the field this past year. We added some talented local players and improved in the standings, so next season, there is no reason we can’t continue to be competitive,” stressed Newton. “As for the other side of hosting this event, Neepawa has always been great when it comes to volunteers. We’ll have some work to do to get ready to welcome the other teams and their fans, but I’m optimistic that we’ll step up and do exactly what it takes to make this an incredible event.”

Rodney White is a member of the local organizing committee that bid on the tournament. He said everyone involved is really excited about showcasing exactly what Neepawa has to offer.

“We really do have some fantastic ball diamonds, some of the best in the entire Santa Clara League. This is our chance to show other teams from other leagues what we have to offer,” said White.

Baseball Manitoba representative Gladwyn Scott echoed Newton and White’s remarks and added that he expects Neepawa will represent itself extremely well, both on and off the field.

“The Cubs are an exciting team, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them earn their way into the Provincials outright,” noted Scott. “As for hosting [the Senior Provincials], Neepawa has a real nice facility [at the fairgrounds]. The main field is always in fantastic shape and the secondary diamonds are good as well. It’s a facility and community that’ll do a wonderful job hosting the provincials.”