NORTH BATTLEFORD — North Battleford Beavers have cleared the first playoff hurdle to retain their NSRBL title.
Defeating Glaslyn Orioles in two straight games to advance to semifinals now leads the senior baseball team into the next step of league playoffs.
Earning a 12-2 record in the regular season, the second-place North Battleford Beavers played the seventh place Glaslyn Orioles in a best-of-three series to start their 2025 North Saskatchewan River Baseball League championship quest.
All eight NSRBL teams began their series the week of July 7. Games for the senior Beavers squad were played July 8 and 9, with a game three set for July 14 if needed. The winning four teams following the opening playoff series will set their semifinal series once all games are complete.
Defending their back-to-back league titles, the North Battleford Beavers are primed for another deep playoff run.
While the Beavers don’t know their opponents yet until all first-round playoff series are over, they will use the time to refresh for the next round and a Sask. Baseball provincial quest.
Fans can stay tuned to the NB Beavers Facebook page or the NSRBL website for the latest news and updates on playoff schedules.
Gavin Nolin was named team MVP for the Beavers, and reigns as the league’s top pitcher in the 2024 season. The league website, as of July 8, showed Nolin played 11 games with 18 hits, scoring 16 runs, including six home runs in the season. Nolin’s pitching stats included three wins in five games on the bump with an ERA at 4.85.and a remarkable 23 strikeouts.
The Unity Cardinals were the Beavers’ strongest opponents this season, handing North Battleford’s senior baseball teams their only two losses of regular season. Making Wilkie their home diamond for the season, due to ongoing Cardinal’s diamond reconstruction, worked in favour of the Unity Cardinals as they finished the regular season with a 13-1 record.
The top seeded Cards will face the eight-seed Mervin Flyers in their opening playoff series that began July 10, with games two July 15 and if necessary, a game three is set for July 16. Unity Cardinals player, Tanner Huber, was named team MVP.
Both semifinals and finals are slated as best-of-three series. You can find playoff schedules, stats and other details on the league’s website, News.
July will be a busy month for both teams as, in addition to league championship playoffs, they are also entered in provincial championships upcoming Aug. 8-10, with no locations or details listed on Baseball Sask. website as of July 8.
