The summer season of Cochrane Minor Ball teams is now in full swing.

The minor and major teams have completed two-weekend tournaments so far, including one hosted by Cochrane Minor Ball last weekend. This weekend the Major team is off to the AAA Summer Slam in Medicine Hat while the minors are idle.

A Junior Crush team won gold in their division in the spring league.The Majors won both of their opening tournaments, first in Airdrie on the Canada Day weekend and then here and Calgary last weekend. They were 4-0 last weekend and only lost one game in the Airdrie tournament before winning both their semifinal and the final.

The minor team has all but one new player getting their first crack at playing regional ball, says CMB president Corey O'How. He says they have been gaining plenty of experience.

League play for both teams continue through July and wrap up with provincial playoffs on the August Long Weekend.

Last year, Cochrane hosted the major tier 2 and 3 Prairie Little League championship. The Crush went on to win the Major AA tier two Prairie championship. The same weekend, the Minor tier won team won the Provincial/Prairie championship on the road in Medicine Hat.

An Intermediate Crush team also won gold in their division.The Crush had another solid spring season. Both a junior and intermediate team gold medalled in their respective divisions. One of their senior teams also won silver on the season. 

Over 700 local youth play ball in Cochrane and a solid base of volunteer coaches help to make that possible. 

"Our association has done a much better job in recent years of giving our coaches more resources and training," says O'How. As the town grows, we are getting more and more people moving here and we have a lot of really good enthusiastic coaches that are eager to help out."

(The photo gallery offers photos from a cross-section of Cochrane minor ball teams.)