The Souris Cardinals are ready for another season in the South West Baseball League and new manager Clark King is excited for what the year can bring.
After a long wait, the Cardinals got their season underway and King says they're ready to go. "We're feeling good, the players have been great getting things organized, so it's been an easy task for me so far. We have lots of young players, a good combination of older and younger players, it's been good."
King says being around the team for a bit now, he's noticed their level of dedication. "They're a very focused group," he says proudly. "Some of them maybe haven't played for a few years but they're really excited about getting back into action and having a good season."
Getting into the game day swing of things, King couldn't be happier. "It's finally here, it's a little nerve racking just making sure I have everything ready to go. But, we're looking good and we have lots of support from the community."
The community support has always been special for Souris and it's teams. "It's been so incredible," King says with a smile. "I think everyone is pretty excited about getting a team back in town and they're looking forward to heading up to the park and watching baseball. As a bonus, it's all local kids, so that makes it even more exciting."
Cheering on those local players means a lot to the community of Souris, something King knows for a fact. "It's very special to them. We seem to get more fans because of it and it makes for a better atmosphere. The players appreciate it, too. They get recognized on the streets, some people wear Cardinals t-shirts, heck, even people have cheered them from their vehicles. Safe to say everyone is pretty pumped about it."
Not having a team for a bit has proven Souris really is a baseball community and it goes back decades. "They are so passionate about their baseball. We dug into some history, the Cardinals first were organized in 1964 and ran right up to COVID. After that, we didn't get back together until this year. The community couldn't be more excited about having the team back. The history means something to Souris. They're passionate about the team."
Being a first year manager, King is already well aware of some of the rivalries. "Oh yeah, there's always been a little edge with so many of the same sized towns going at it. It's a great league and I can't wait to see how it goes."
A full schedule for Souris and the entire South West Baseball League can be found here: South West Baseball League - Schedule