Defending champs get ready for fastball season

Ken Johnston
Editor

Batter up!
The baseball season is about to get into full swing in the Rainy River District as area fastball teams prepare to compete for the 2003 season.
Last year’s champions, the Rainy River Legion Royals, held their first practise last Thursday and according to team catcher, Don Gall, is going to be pretty much the same team as last year. “We have just about everyone coming back. We only have one player we are still waiting to hear from as to whether he will play.”
The team was 15 members strong last year and can have up to 18 on their roster. “There has been interest from a few other guys,” said Gall. Plus the team is actively trying to recruit a coach for the season.
The team was 16-2-1 last year and had the awesome arm of Murray Armstrong on the mound for almost all of the season. He will be returning again this year with the Royals.
The league itself has lost one team. Emo folded this year leaving eight teams in total. Fort Frances, Couchiching, Barwick, Stratton, Pinewood, Big Island, Big Grassy and Rainy River make up the league.
Rainy River’s first game of the season is next Tuesday against Pinewood.The rest of the schedule will see RR play all Tuesday games except for one near the end of the season (See schedule on this page).