The two-time defending league champion Swift Current 57’s will get their season underway Thursday when they host the Weyburn Beavers at 7:05 p.m. at Mitchell Field.
The 57’s will jump right into their Western Major Baseball League regular season schedule with six games in the first seven days of the season. They also visit the Moose Jaw Miller Express on Friday and the Regina Red Sox on Sunday as they get a quick glance at some Eastern Division rivals.
The 57’s will be at home on Monday and Tuesday against the Melville Millionaires and then host Moose Jaw on Wednesday.
The 57’s will have an entirely new look to their roster with only one player expected to return from last season’s championship team.
Pocatello, Idaho’s Mitch Guiberson will be the lone holdover from the 2017 season. The 6’4’’ right-handed pitcher was a late addition but finished with a 3.22 earned run average in the regular season with a 2-1 record over four appearances. He also made three starts in the post-season with a 2-1 record and a 3.09 ERA.
The 57’s are also expecting significant contributions from outfielder Bryan Benz from the University of Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky. The 6’2’’ outfielder from Arlington, Texas led his team with 20 home runs while batting .303 with 62 runs batted in over 58 games this season.
Benz helped lead the Patriots to a 47-11 record as they were knocked out in an elimination game of the NAIA World Series Opening Round.
