With the news from Baseball Alberta on Friday that baseball activities are to be suspended until September 1, 2020, one of my first thoughts was of our 18U players. Part of this was for selfish reasons as I was to coach a tremendous group of young men and women at the 18U AA level. Much of this, however, was due to our graduating players not having a chance to finish their minor baseball careers. They will be missing out on foundational memories and experiences: the rigours of a season, the camaraderie shared between teammates and coaches, road trips, and their final provincial or league championship.

The SPMBA board agreed that an effort needs to be made to provide our 2002 birth year players with an opportunity to continue playing baseball in some way. Some players have been able to secure commitments to post-secondary teams. Others may not have an idea of where they could head with baseball once their minor baseball journey has ended. Therefore, I am developing a guide to aid our players through this process. This infographic, the SPMBA Guide to Collegiate Baseball, is a snapshot of what is to come.

In short, our graduating players have a couple options if they're looking to continue with baseball. A gap year could be an immediate option: an opportunity to physically develop, work, and upgrade classes, certainly if players intend on playing baseball at the post-secondary level. A second option is to play Junior AAA baseball. Junior AAA is a league for the 21U age group, administered by Baseball Alberta. Teams play doubleheaders on Sundays and hold a practice or two through the week to accommodate their players. Teams attempt to keep registration costs low, play a provincial championship in August, and the league champion attends a Western Canadian championship in late August. A third option is the Powerline League, a Senior A league in the central Alberta area. A Sherwood Park-based team was in the league until partway through the 2019 season, when they had to cease operations. The PBL has teams in Edmonton and outlying areas.. Fourth is the Senior AA North Central Alberta Baseball League. There is a Sherwood Park-based team in this league. They play games in Edmonton and the Central Alberta area and practice regularly. Games are held throughout the week and the season culminates with a playoff and league championship.