The St. Albert Cardinals play ball this weekend against Fort McMurray in the NorWest midget AAA league.
Game times at Legion Memorial Park are 4 p.m. today and 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Wednesday the Cardinals host the Spruce Grove White Sox at 6:30 p.m.
The 2014 Baseball Canada silver medallists and provincial champions have 11 players back from last year’s 47-16 team.
The U18 medal is the first for the St. Albert Minor Baseball Association since 2004, when the Cardinals were awarded silver as the host team at nationals.
In league play the Cardinals finished 26-5 as the top seed in the provincial draw at Legion park.
The bantam AAA St. Albert Cardinals have home-field advantage this weekend with three games scheduled at Legion Memorial Park.
The Cardinals are up to bat today against the South Jasper Place Jays at 9 a.m. and the Fort McMurray Oil Giants at 6 p.m.
Sunday’s game against the East Central Bulls starts at 4 p.m.
Wednesday the Cardinals visit the Sherwood Park Athletics at 6:30 p.m.
The Cardinals are also one of four bantam AAA teams confirmed for the annual St. Albert Early Bird tournament May 15 to 18.
The Cardinals graduated the majority of their roster from last year’s 26-23-1 team.
The St. Albert Minor Baseball Association has been awarded the 2015 Western Canadian championships in peewee AA, bantam AA and midget AA.
The tournament runs Aug. 13 to 16 at Legion Memorial Park.
This year SAMBA has two midget AA teams (Red and Blue), one bantam AA team and two peewee AA teams (Red and Blue).
The senior AAA St. Albert Tigers make their season debut in the Sunburst league Friday against the Parkland White Sox at 6:45 p.m. in Spruce Grove.
The first home game is May 21 against the Confederation Park Cubs at 7:30 p.m.
The Tigers are also hosting a Sunburst tournament June 12 to 14 and their annual Tigers Baseball Association tournament July 10 to 12.
Last year the Tigers finished fourth in the five-team standings at 6-14 and in the semifinals lost two straight to the first place Red Deer Riggers (19-0) in the Sunburst semifinals.
The third season for the St. Albert Junior Cardinals in the North Central Alberta Baseball League starts May 10 against the two-time defending champion Edmonton Blackhawks.
The first pitch is 2 p.m. at Legion Memorial Park.
The Cardinals are also hosting the NCABL-sanctioned Rainmaker Rodeo Invitation Tournament May 22 to 24 at Legion park.
Last year in the NCABL senior AA circuit the Cardinals finished tied for seventh in the 11-team standings at 8-12.
The St. Albert Senior Cardinals will play the waiting game before flying into action in the Alberta West Central Baseball Association.
The team’s first game in the 35-plus league is tentatively scheduled for May 25 against the Eagles in Spruce Grove.
The Edwards brothers, Dave and Matt, are running the show this year after Gary Tater, a longtime senior Cardinal, retired.
Last year the Cardinals placed second at 11-5-1 in the eight-team standings and in the playoffs were eliminated by the Westlock Red Lions for the third consecutive season. In the third and deciding game in the A-side semifinals the Cardinals led 5-4 after four innings before bowing out 10-5.
