The Moose Jaw Mallards are off to southern Ontario today as they prepare to take on the rest of the country at the Bantam baseball national championships in Vaughn, Ontario.
The provincial champs will tackle some tough competition, beginning Thursday when they face New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
"I think (we're ready)," said head coach Mark Mann. "We've had two and a half weeks of practice.
"I think we're as ready as we're going to be."
The team has added two Saskatoon players and one from Regina to shore up their pitching depth at the tournament. But Mann emphasizes that he's not picking up ringers to leave his own boys sitting on the bench.
"These guys got us there, and they've earned the chance to go out and play," said the coach.
The use of aluminum bats at the national tournament will be a change of pace for the Mallards, who use wooden bats during their league play.
"It's something we didn't want to do because we've been swinging wood all year, but it's still aluminum at nationals," said Mann. "It's going to be harder for the pitchers because they won't be able to miss their spots like they have throughout the year. If you miss a spot with a wood bat, you're okay. But with an aluminum bat, it's going to go somewhere still."
For more, see Wednesday's Times-Herald
