The Weyburn Beavers will start their 2013 season with a home game against Moose Jaw on Friday, May 31. They will host the Moose Jaw Miller Express at Tom Laing Park, and it will be a special dedicated game for both teams.
The Weyburn Beavers will start their 2013 season with a home game against Moose Jaw on Friday, May 31. They will host the Moose Jaw Miller Express at Tom Laing Park, and it will be a special dedicated game for both teams.
The Beavers will be dedicating the 2013 season to Brennan Luffman, who passed away tragically this winter.
The Luffman family - mom Charlene, dad Randy and sister Shelby - along with Brennan's girlfriend Keyla Tochor will throw out the first pitch simultaneously prior to the game.
The night will feature a pregame jersey retirement ceremony as Luffman's #45 will be honoured. During his Western Major Baseball League career, Brennan played with the Weyburn and Moose Jaw.
Other special guests of the evening will be the Arcola Kisbey Combines hockey club, a Big Six hockey team that Luffman played with last year.
After the game, children in attendance will be allowed on the field to run the bases and meet the Beavers and get autographs.
The canteen and beverage booth will remain open after the game to allow the Luffman family, fans and teams to socialize and enjoy the evening.
As a lasting tribute to Brennan's memory, the Beavers plan to build a covered deck on a concrete pad at the ballpark and name it after him, known as "Luffy's Lounge".
Plans will be available for viewing and for those wishing to make a contribution to the project, an account has been set up at the Weyburn Credit Union called "The Brennan Luffman Memorial Trust Fund."
Phil Curtis, head coach for the Beavers, had a lot of optimism for the upcoming season. "The biggest thing is that we have a lot of veteran leadership, as well as guys who are from winning programs. Bringing a winning attitude to a team goes a long way, and these guys know how to win. I expect them to be leaders out there and lead us to some victories."
"We have a good core everywhere on the field," said Curtis. "We got good depth, which I really focused on this season. It is a grueling season in the WMBL and injuries do happen."
"It is important to have those extra bodies on the field, that are going to be effective in case we do have injuries," said Curtis.
Also joining Curtis on the coach bench are Derek Wallace, another Beavers alumni, and new addition Jonathan Ali.
"Derek has played for the Beavers for four years, I have been in the WMBL for seven years, and we both know what it takes to win in this league," said Curtis. "Jonathan adds a lot of coaching experience, as he ran his own baseball academy in Winnipeg."
There are a lot of good competitors in the WMBL that the Beavers will have to face. In particular, Curtis said they were watching the Regina Red Sox. "They have had a very successful run in the last few years. They are the top dog, and we have struggled against them in the past years. We need to find a way to bring them down."
The Beavers have 45 games in the 2013 WMBL season. Half of those are home games at Tom Laing Park, with one game to be hosted in Estevan. The regular season is through June and July, with playoffs in August.
