Barrhead no longer has a North Central Alberta Baseball League (NCABL) team.
That is what NCABL commissioner Paul Riopel announced during a presentation to town council on March 28.
Riopel appeared before council to invite the town to participate in a sports expo they will be hosting in Westlock as part of the league’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The NCABL is a senior AA amateur baseball league established in 1968 that traditionally has between 10 and 12 teams.
The Barrhead Orioles have been a part of the NCABL for the last two years after a 10-year hiatus.
Ryan Warehime, a former player and team governor with Barrhead’s NCABL team, the Orioles, said the reason they decided to fold is they didn’t believe they would have enough players to make a team.
Like many teams, the Orioles are comprised of a number of players ranging from teenagers to middle-aged. However, on average, the Barrhead roster tended to be somewhat older than the league’s median age of 26.
“The younger guys on the team decided they would like to play against players closer to their own age. So they are investigating playing in a junior baseball 21 and under league,” he said.
Warehime added while the older players are disappointed he is hopeful the Orioles will eventually return to the NCABL.
“It is understandable that our younger players want to play with and against players in their own age group and we wish them luck,” he said. “But in a couple years when they are too old to play in the junior league, we can always take another look at forming a NCABL team.”
The former young Orioles had their first organization, meeting, on March 29, to see if there is enough interest to form a junior team in Barrhead, but the answer was inconclusive. Sometime this week prospective players will be polled once again and If there is enough interest, the team will play in a Junior AAA league. According to Baseball Alberta’s website the deadline to register new teams is April 21.
