SA Baseball League season set for launch

KENSINGTON and Woodville will meet in a grand final rematch in the opening round of the SA Baseball League season at West Beach tonight.

KENSINGTON and Woodville will meet in a grand final rematch in the opening round of the SA Baseball League season at West Beach tonight.

Reigning premier Kensington, which claimed last season’s best-of-three grand final series against Woodville 2-0, will again enter the season as one of the favourites.

The Cardinals, who have won five of the past six baseball crowns, will be spearheaded by three-time Capps Medal winner Nick Talbot.

Coach Leigh Norman said the club had lost several players to retirement, but had maintained a strong line-up.

“We feel we’ve filled the gaps and are combining that with some young guys who played over in college in the off-season,” Norman said.

“We’ve been the hunted for a long while and it’s a pressure on our shoulders, but the guys are very experienced and have been coping with that for a while.”

The Cardinals have bolstered their pitching stocks, adding Jake Muscat, Steven Chambers and import Tim Brown.

Meanwhile, Woodville coach James Henty was confident his young squad would bounce back from last season’s disappointment.

“We are shaping up really well, we’ve got the same squad and again our strong pitching will be a big strength,” Henty said.

The stand-alone season-opener will be the first game since the $4 million facelift at West Beach.

The first full round of matches in the expanded 36-game SABL season will be played on Sunday, October 10.

The Cardinals host Glenelg, while Woodville visits West Torrens.

In other games, Sturt visits Goodwood, East Torrens hosts Southern Districts, Port Adelaide opens against Henley & Grange, and Golden Grove Central Districts faces Northern Districts.

Adelaide plays Northern on Thursday, October 15.