The U18 AA Brewers are getting ready to hit the field for their season opener this weekend, following a successful 2024 campaign that saw them win the Western Canada Championship.
Head coach Jeff Kuchinka said the team is bringing back a solid core of players from last year.
“We’ve got eight returning players, so we’ve got a good chunk of a team returning from last year’s championship team."
“It was a pretty successful year for our guys. We had a great leadership group last year, and everybody kind of had the common goal of enjoying themselves and having fun while they’re playing baseball. We’re going to try and carry that over again this year too.”
Kuchinka said his goals for the team this season go beyond the scoreboard.
“I’m just hoping that they show up and they enjoy themselves, and they have a fun season hanging out with their friends and getting to play a little baseball while we’re at it."
The Brewers will open their season with a doubleheader in Estevan — two games are scheduled for Saturday afternoon, followed by two more on Sunday.
“We’re excited for the baseball season to start this weekend, and hope to get it rolling here,” Kuchinka said.
He also expressed gratitude for the support the team receives from the community.
“We’re very fortunate to have lots of support from our community, as always. I’ve been involved in hockey and baseball and all kinds of different things in the community, and there’s never a shortage of people willing to support — whether it be financially or just coming out to watch and cheer for us. We’re very fortunate that Estevan is always there to support kids’ sports and events going on in the city.”
While the team has some new faces, Kuchinka is confident they’ll be able to build on last year’s success.
“We’ve got lots of good pitching and good hitting on our team, so hopefully in our practices some of those new guys get a chance to see that and experience it. That’ll help them out when the games start this weekend.”