HUMBOLDT, MUENSTER — Former foes will now become teammates on area diamonds this coming summer.
Humboldt Minor Baseball and the Muenster Sports Club have announced they are joining forces at both the 18U AAA and AA levels and in the 15U AAA and AA categories. The teams will compete under the new East Central Baseball Association banner.
“I think it will make our organizations stronger, it is a great partnership, and will benefit both communities,” ECBA board member Chad Hofmann said.
In the past, Humboldt 18U AAA players competed for Muenster. The latter community had athletes play for the Humboldt 18U AA squad. Now with the 15U and 18U programs being run by the new ECBA board, there are some name changes. The 18U AAA team, formerly the Muenster Red Sox, will now be the East Central Red Sox. The 18U AA squad will be called the Muenster Red Sox.
At the 15U AAA level, the team will be known as the East Central Dodgers. The 15U AA squad will carry the Humboldt Dodgers.
“We wanted to keep the Red Sox and Dodgers names,” Hofmann said. “On the AAA teams, players come from various communities, so we wanted to show we are an East Central team. The AA teams will be made up of Muenster/Humboldt first then, if numbers allow, will have players from surrounding communities.”
Last season Humboldt and Muenster both fielded 15U AAA teams. Hofmann said that it did not make sense to have two AAA teams 10 kilometres apart. Neither community had a 15U AA team last season, but Hofmann noted membership was down throughout the province due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This merger will allow our teams to be able to compete against the larger centers,” said Hofmann, the 2020 Baseball Saskatchewan Coach of the Year when he led the 18U AAA Red Sox. “It also ensures that both the AAA and AA teams will have quality leagues to play in and we will have players playing in their appropriate division.”
The ECBA teams are run by a board made up of Hofmann, Paul Strueby, Dean Elmy, Brett Suchan, and Jeanine Wassermann. Head coaches for the organization’s AAA teams will be hired by the board through an application process. The board will also select head coaches for the AA squads. Parents will be considered for the positions based on the information provided on their child’s registration form. Assistant coaches will be chosen by the head coach with the board’s approval.
