WILKIE – The diamonds are once again buzzing with six minor ball teams in Wilkie. With three Learn to Play teams, two in the U5 division and one in the U7, there is also a Rally Cap team. The U11 and U13 teams are also the provincial teams representing the Wilkie Minor Ball group.
The season started in April with indoor practices. There were some delays due to weather, however the teams have been able to make their way outdoors to hon in on their skills and play a few games as well.
Dani Cey with WMB said registration numbers have been consistent over the past few years, with around 60-70 kids joining. While it has been great to see the number of players continuing to remain steady, finding umpires has been an issue.
“Our biggest struggle is probably finding umpires for our older teams. Most of the umpires we have play ball themselves so trying to coordinate can be quite difficult,” said Cey.
The minor ball group will be holding their annual Siebens Meats fundraiser during the month of May. This is their main fundraiser for the group, although a raffle was added to the fundraising efforts this year as well.
Minor Ball Day in Wilkie will be on June 15, with games running on all diamonds from morning until evening.
“We always do a park clean up night the evening before. Players, coaches, and parents all come out for a night to get our diamonds looking great before Minor Ball Day,” added Cey.
She also added there are many volunteers who put their time in to help make the ball season run smoothly.
“With the Minor Ball club basically everything is volunteer based, from the executive to the coaches, to the parents and the players, absolutely everyone is involved to make things work the way they do. We are very proud of the Wilkie Minor Ball group we have here!”
For those who would like to take in a ball game or two over the season, there is a Facebook group updated regularly with posts about home games.
