Aaron Cadrin and the North Battleford Beavers will open their 2024 spring season Monday night in Glaslyn. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Renew budding rivalry

N.B. Beavers, Glaslyn Orioles headline NSRBL opening night

May 13, 2024 | 1:00 PM

It’s opening night for the North Sask River Baseball League (NSRBL) season on Monday, with a pair of games scheduled to open the year, headlined by a local rivalry and rematch from last year’s playoffs.

Reigniting a budding rivalry that began last season with the return of the Glaslyn Orioles, the Beavers and Orioles met in the opening round of the NSRBL post-season in a classic best-of-three series. It was a showdown that saw the Beavers win the deciding game by a 1-0 score, keeping fans of both teams on the edge of their seats to the final out.

“It was definitely a hard-fought battle,” veteran player and coach of the Beavers Kyle Gregoire recalled of the series. “We’re excited to have another team in the league there in Glaslyn, and they are one that you definitely have to be ready for the game ahead of time to play, so we’re excited [to renew the rivalry tonight].”

“We have a lot of games right off the bat in May here, so hopefully we can have a good month to start the season and just kind of get on a roll from there.”

Jonah Hicks, who plays for the Orioles said now with a full year of play under their belts, Glaslyn will be looking to prove themselves as a team to beat in the NSRBL this season, with the added benefit of knowing what to expect heading into the spring schedule.

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“We want to show them that wasn’t a fluke last year,” Hicks said of pushing the eventual champion Beavers to the brink last summer.

“For lots of our guys that was their first year in the league, so now going into this year, they have a pretty good understanding of what the league has to offer. There will be a lot less surprises now, and guys will be a little more comfortable and more familiar with the other teams in the league and other players heading into this season.”

Perhaps adding an extra layer to the growing rivalry is its multi-sport facet as the Glaslyn North Stars’ hockey team also faced off with the Meota Combines in the Sask Prairie Hockey League (SPHL) finals earlier this year.

“I know there’s a lot of guys on that Meota [hockey] team that plays on the North Battleford [ball] team too, so it’s kind of a two-sport rivalry,” Hicks said of the familiarity between the two sides.

He added that among the biggest highlights from the Orioles’ return last season was the community’s enthusiasm behind them, with fan turnout only growing in number and gaining traction as the season progressed.

“Even right from the start I thought we had pretty good support, and it just got better throughout the year, so I’m expecting the same support and maybe even better this season,” he said. “We’re excited to get started.”

Monday’s season opener will be a 6:30 p.m. start in Glaslyn.

The lone other game for NSRBL opening night will see the Lloyd Twins play host to the Standard Hill Lakers, with the first pitch at 6:30 p.m. in Lloydminster.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1