The North Saskatchewan River Baseball League finals are finally set to get underway tonight in Wilkie. The Brewers are home for game one against the Standard Hill Lakers, who are coming off a provincial title win this past weekend in Kindersley. First pitch is set for 6:30.
The Brewers almost made it to the championship game on the weekend though the numbers didn't crunch their way, and they were forced to wait to get an early look at Standard Hill. The team the Lakers displayed in Kindersley will be different that the one deployed in the league finals, as some imports from Meadow Lake played a big role in their win over the weekend.
West Central Online got in contact with league commissioner Kelvin Colliar ahead of tonight's game, and he talked about the familiarity factor between the two teams.
"You've got a lot of guys on both teams that you know have been in this situation before," said Colliar before going into the talent and competitiveness seen on each side, "You know you look at the Mike Sittlers, Ricky Cey, Rob Cey, and then on the other side, you've got the two Harrison boys that that have played hockey together in Wilkie as well. So there's a lot of relationships there that will make it an interesting series."
Colliar was also quick to mention another thing that will be noticed is that in both communities, they take a lot of pride in both of their baseball teams and the history of they bring. He's not only looking forward the games, but seeing how the fan bases come out and support their players.
Another note Colliar had for the series is that since Standard Hill won with some imports over the weekend, their homegrown pitching should be ready to go. Come game two taking place nearly a week later in Standard Hill, each team will be well rested. Colliar expects to make Game 2, and Game 3 if necessary back in Wilkie to present the trophy.
Hopefully Colliar is treated to a spectacular series, as he shared with West Central Online that this would his last time handing out the trophy as commissioner. Colliar has already made the move to Alberta and made a plan for the league to continue on without him next year, and a final series thriller between Standard Hill and Wilkie would be the perfect way to send him out.
"I hope it comes down to the wire. I'm looking forward to just being a fan, and then presenting the trophy (one last time)."
Not only is Colliar returning to Saskatchewan to catch the finals, but that Saturday, he will be officially inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sat, Apr 20, 8:30 AM
