As the warmer days set in, baseball enthusiasts gear up for the Sylvan Lake Gulls to kick off the second season with a home opener June 1 versus Okotoks.
“We have filled our roster of 30 players,” said baseball club president and COO Aqil Samuel.
Gulls fans will recognize Cleary Simpson (Infielder), Tyler Mcwillie (Pitcher, IB), Kyle Froehlich (Pitcher, Outfielder), Tyler Boudreau (Pitcher), Jake Finkelstein (Pitcher), and Jackson Clement (Outfielder) as the returning players from last year’s team. The 2022 roster will have 20 American-born players and 10 Canadians.
As part of the second season in the Western Canadian Baseball League, the Gulls will play over 55 games. The first five games will be on the road including game number one in Lethbridge on May 26.
With preparations coming along nicely, fans will see several new additions to the Gulls Field this season, said Samuel.
“This winter we were working on getting the main building finished. We will have the 10 Sky Suites and the rest of the upstairs of our building built; this will include the home and visitor dressing rooms, bathrooms, a board room and more.
“Our commercial kitchen will be built so we will be serving an expanded menu out of the concession. Our picnic table patio on the third base berm will be elevated and expanded from seven to 14 picnic tables. We have added a row of Legacy Seats (34 total) on our concourse.”
The Town of Sylvan Lake has expanded the parking space for the field by almost double and is ensuring infrastructure for an internet service provider is brought to Pogadl Park in time for the season. This will allow for smoother business operations, said Samuel.
The Gulls Field will also be installed with a scoreboard this season.
Samuel hopes baseball fans find their fix at the Gulls Field and all the Western Canadian Baseball League stadiums, especially during the time of uncertainty around Major League Baseball.
“Looking forward to seeing the best college baseball players from all across North America and the teams that weren’t able to play in the 2021 Covid season.”
Fort Mcmurray, Brooks, Medicine Hat, Swift Current, Weyburn, Moose Jaw and Regina will all be back this season.
The Gulls fans will get a truer sense of what the WCBL is, said Samuel.
“Last year was really a ‘soft launch’ for us, this year we want to show Gulls fans what we were planning for our Inaugural Season that was cut short due to the pandemic.”
The Sylvan Lake Gulls played their first game in June 2021 against the Edmonton Prospects.
With the season bringing players from far and wide, the organization is looking for a few more Gulls host families from Sylvan Lake and area to host one or more athletes through the summer. Those interested could submit the application form available on the Gulls’ website under the “Community” tab.
For further details and Gulls season tickets visit www.sylvanlakegulls.com.