The Okanagan College Coyotes baseball squad is back for their first season since 2019.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Conference (CCBC) hasn鈥檛 been able to complete its usual season which runs from mid-March to mid-May.
鈥淚t鈥檚 finally nice to get back after missing two full seasons,鈥� said Coyotes Head Coach Geoff White. 鈥淲e had a normal fall to get back into things.鈥�
Despite missing the last two seasons, the league was able to have a fall championship last October hosted by Okanagan College. The Coyotes went 5-0 to win the tournament.
White has been happy with what he鈥檚 seen from this group all year long leading up to the season, especially these last few weeks where they鈥檝e been playing exhibition games regularly.
鈥�(Spring training) has gone really well,鈥� said White. 鈥淚t鈥檚 gone how we hoped, and we鈥檙e playing well and the group鈥檚 coming together.鈥�
With the two-year layoff, some teams have had their rosters completely overhauled, but not the Coyotes. They have a veteran group heading into the 2022 season.
Due to the pandemic cancelling the past few seasons, players have not lost their eligibility.
鈥淲e definitely have an older group with guys not burning eligibility,鈥� said White. 鈥淲e should be in pretty good shape for the spring if we can stay healthy.鈥�
White knows what he has with his team and has high expectations to win the regular season and win the league.
The Coyotes won their first and only CCBC championship in 2018 when they beat the Fraser Valley Cascades.
For the 2022 season, an eighth team has been added to the league, the Victoria Golden Tide. The Edmonton Riverhawks are in the league for their second season, but it鈥檚 their first season under the Riverhawks name.
The Coyotes welcome the Riverhawks for a four-game series to begin the regular season, starting with a double-header tomorrow (March 31) at Elks Stadium in 麻豆精选. First pitch is at 2 p.m. for game one, while game two will start at 5 p.m. or half an hour after the first game ends.
They will also play Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 12 p.m.
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