LAC LA BICHE - Minor ball associations in the Lac La Biche area are getting their baseball and softball teams ready to hit the diamonds for the upcoming season.
Candace Walgren, president of the Lac La Biche Minor Ball Association, said for this season, the association will be fielding a 9U, 11U, 13U, and 15U AA baseball team.
“In softball we will have a U9, U11, U13, U15 and U18 team this season. We will also have three t-ball teams this year,” Walgren said.
While 15U AA baseball players in the Lac La Biche area will have a team to play on locally for the 2025 outdoor season, those in the 15U A and 18U A levels unfortunately will not.
According to information released to the public on April 2, the Lac La Biche Minor Ball Association said that due to low registration numbers for 15U A and 18U A baseball, the association will proceed to cancel all registrations at these levels and these teams will be made inactive.
“We ask that if there are opportunities to join other associations, to take those opportunities and your player will be released from Lac La Biche Minor Ball,” according to the statement.
Ali Ghutmy, a member of the Lac La Biche Minor Ball Association, said 18U baseball is low mainly due to players getting older. “By this age, many people have jobs and other commitments.”
According to Walgren, the Lac La Biche Minor Ball Association averages 150 to 200 kids who register to play baseball and softball. The AA level, she said, has already started to prepare for the season with some indoor training.
“Our league teams will hopefully be starting at the end of April. League games run from May till the end of June,” Walgren stated.
When Lakeland This Week spoke with Sherry Lorrie Chevigny, the umpire manager/director for Plamondon Minor Ball, on April 15, she explained that the association was still finalizing things for the upcoming season. Chevigny added that the association’s deadline to enter teams was the end of that week.
“For sure we have two baseball teams - 15U and 13U,” she said.
While there are enough players for the 11U and 9U baseball levels, as of April 15, no one had come forward to volunteer as a coach for those teams.
Plamondon Minor Ball, according to Chevigny, has one softball team of U18 girls this season and two young teams of players in the ‘Learn to Play’ ball level.
Plamondon Minor Ball typically averages 80 to 100 kids in their program.
