info@baseball.ca  (613) 748-5606

News

Image

Provincial Preview: Manitoba

With the 2013 baseball season right around the corner Baseball.ca will visit with each of the 10 Provincial organizations during a 10 week period. This week we meet with Baseball Manitoba Executive Director, Morgan de Peña.

The long, cold winter is a harsh reality for many Manitobans each year leaving the baseball community starving for the snow to melt so they can get onto the ball field.

“We have been running some early spring baseball camps indoors, including a week-long camp during spring break, and the response was so good we had to open up other dates,” explains Baseball Manitoba Executive Director Morgan de Peña. “If this is any indication of the interest to play ball, we should have an upswing (in registration) at the younger ages.”

Interest in baseball during the winter was at its peak in early January when members of the Toronto Blue Jays, including slugger Jose Bautista, made their way to Winnipeg as part of the club’s annual winter tour.

“They came to our province as part of their winter tour, and there was a tremendous turn-out at the Polo Park Shopping Centre in the middle of January,” said de Peña. “Our highest registration numbers came when the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series in the early 90’s, and (we) hope that the excitement they have created for this year translates into more participants.”

Registration is still in its early stages and the season won’t likely kick-off until mid-May, but excitement for baseball in Manitoba is certainly brewing.

For players thinking about signing up for baseball this summer, de Peña explains that a system is in place to make sure that children will enjoy a program where they will improve their skills, while participating in a fun, learning environment.

“New players to the game will receive the opportunity to play on a team that matches their skill level, allowing them to progress in the sport while achieving some success,” he explained. “Players can make new friends, improve their social and communication skills, and develop teamwork and work ethic through practices and team functions.”

The Rally Cap program is making strides in Manitoba and is now proving to be successful at keeping kids involved in baseball beyond their experience in the program.

“Every year that we have had the Rally Cap program, we have seen the registration increase,” added de Peña. “One of our leagues, Carillon Minor Baseball, has experienced great success with the Rally Cap Program. Their baseball registration numbers in the lower age categories have been very good in the past few seasons.”

Some exciting new programs are coming out this summer like Baseball Canada’s ‘My First Pitch’ which has de Peña excited.

“Provincially we are excited about the My First Pitch Program for the Mosquito players, and getting this off the ground,” he said. “This is an important age group, and a necessary skill that all players should learn.”

A new set of player development camps will also be sweeping across the province this summer which is part of a new skill development approach that Baseball Manitoba is taking.

“Following the foundation of Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD), Baseball Manitoba has shifted some of our own programming to be more skill development based,” explained de Peña. “As such, we have acquired access to a van that was donated and plan to use it by hiring young clinicians to travel around the province delivering baseball camps to young players in their own regions.”

Another new initiative that will be coming to baseball fields in Manitoba this summer will be Challenger Baseball, a program that allows children with cognitive or physical disabilities the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of playing baseball.

“We have some excited staff members, board members and volunteers who will be trying to grow the game of baseball with a population that has not historically been a part of the baseball community,” said de Peña. “It is our hope that by sharing information about this wonderful program and helping volunteers with the delivery, people living with disabilities can enjoy baseball in all regions of Manitoba.”

The Blue Jays came to Manitoba in January and will be back July 3-5 at Shaw Park in Winnipeg when former Jays Jesse Barfield, Candy Maldonado, Brian McRae and Duane Ward roll into town to conduct a Honda Super Camp.

For registration information, please click HERE.

Once the snow clears and the temperature rises, it promises to be a great summer for baseball in Manitoba!

For more information on Baseball Manitoba, please visit www.baseballmanitoba.ca


Partners