When it came time to plan for an 18U house league baseball season, Yorkton director Tom Courville found a number of communities not ready to field teams because of COVID-19 and the Parkland Minor Baseball League at that level looked like it might not hit the diamond.
But then Langenburg, Foam Lake and Wynyard announced they wanted to play, and a four-team loop was set.
Langenburg coach Boyd Haas said being able to play is “huge” for the players and fans involved.
“Just to see the smiles on people’s faces ... to have that contact again, it’s great,” he told Yorkton This Week.
To make the season a little more interesting for players Courville set out to find some sponsorship dollars. He found them through Richardson, and with the donation scheduled games under the lights in Yorkton for the three visiting team, games that included a live announcer and music between innings, all contributing to the experience.
Haas said over the years all but a couple of his players have played under the lights before, some in Esterhazy others in Melville, but it’s still a fun experience, and different in the sense catching a ball under the lights is not the same as in the sunshine.
Courville said thanks to Richardson the night under the lights was just one extra for the players to enjoy.
