NEW ERA BEGINS FOR BRITTON YOUTH BASEBALL

    A new era is beginning for youth baseball in Britton.
    For the first time players in grades 9-12 will be able to play in a high school league with other teams around the state.  Britton has joined forces with Sisseton and Webster and a total of 28 players are on this year’s roster.
    The Sisseton-Britton-Webster squad was scheduled to kick off its season last Sunday at Elkton but that game was postponed due to weather.  The team will now open against Redfield and Clark in Clark on Saturday and Sunday.A total of 12 games are scheduled for the varsity and an additional eight or nine for the junior varsity team.
    Mark Nelson of Sisseton is serving as the head coach and is assisted by Trent Bestland of Sisseton, and Adam Suther and BJ Richter from the Britton program.  Nelson, a Sisseton grad, has been coaching baseball since he was in Middle School with the Peewees in the rec league but just returned to his home town last fall after being away for 25 years. 
    “Trent is the Legion baseball coach and had the idea to get this started,” said Nelson.  “His plate is pretty full so he kind of passed it off to me and we ran with it.  We met with the Britton coaches and bounced it off the Webster Association and got some traction, so this is year one when we get our feet wet getting into a high school program.  It was something that none of the towns could really do on their own, so hopefully it works out.”
    “We didn’t really know if Britton was ready for a high school team but decided to give it a try and iron out the details as they come,” said Richter.  “Most of the games will be Wednesdays and Sundays until the region to avoid conflicts with track or golf events.
    “It’s a brand new step but an exciting first step for Britton baseball and it’s nice to have a collaborative effort,” added Richter.  “It gives kids another opportunity to explore something they love and I think a great deal for our program going forward.”    
    Of the 28 players on the roster 13 are from Sisseton, 11 from Britton, and four from Webster.  The league allows players in grades 7-12 to participate but it was decided to limit the local team to players in grades 9-12.  For this year the team’s home field will be in Sisseton, and indoor practices began being held in Webster’s indoor facility the first part of March.
    “Webster has a beautiful indoor facility and we’ve been using it quite a bit,” said Nelson.  “We’ve been lucky to be here.  We have had a couple of outside practices but not enough to really get comfortable on the diamond yet.”
    Nelson has a young club with just two seniors and four juniors but he has been impressed with the talent level on the squad.
    “The kids are fielding it well and we do have some talented young pitching.  We might struggle against some of the tougher teams but I think we can compete, and the kids and coaches are having fun.  I think we could really compete at a high level in a year or two.  Our players are also enjoying playing with kids from other towns instead of playing against them, and it’s been fun to see them get to know each other.”
    Nelson also complemented the Britton baseball program. 
    “You can see that Britton has really put the time into their kids and I can tell they have built quite a program based on the talents of their young kids.  They have put in the time and it shows.”
    There are about 78 teams in the state with club baseball squads that are not affiliated with the school.  Sisseton-Britton-Webster is required to play each team in its region (8 or 9 teams) and a regional tournament will be played the end of May.  Two teams from the region will qualify for a state tournament.  B-103 Radio plans to broadcast about five regular season games and the regional tournament.
    “I don’t know if our goal this first year with a young team is to go to state, but we want to play competitively and maybe win a game in the region,” said Nelson.  “But baseball is kind of the great equalizer and if you have a couple of pitchers get hot towards the end of the year you never know.”
    For right now, players and coaches are just enjoying the opportunity to compete on the diamond at the high school level.
    “We’re very appreciative of the Webster facility and of all the parents and coaches from all three towns,” stressed Nelson.  “The Sisseton Baseball Association has also helped us get off the ground financially and we’ve had parents buying jerseys.  We’ve just had tremendous support and are thankful all the way around.”
    Nelson is also getting good vibes from the players.
    “You can just tell that the kids want to be here.  They get after it in practice, work hard with positive attitudes, and the energy in the room is really good.  It’s fun to coach kids that want to play hard.”