Cochrane Minor Ball (CMBA) is giving players the opportunity to play higher-calibre ball right here in town.

The association is introducing Baseball Alberta 'AA' teams at both the bantam and midget levels to complement their highly successful Little League program.

“Some of the older kids were looking for more a more competitive program and some of them were already going to Calgary to play,” says CMBA president Corey O’How.

“Our goal is to allow these Cochrane players to play here for as long as they want to.”

Cochrane Minor Ball had converted all its programs to Baseball Alberta a few years ago but found it wasn’t a perfect fit for all age groups. They believe using a combination of the two is ideal.

The bantam ‘AA’ program is for those ages 15-16. Because the midget ‘AA’ age group is for 16 to 18-year-olds it allows youth to play here two additional years beyond the Little League age limit.

Across the province, there are over 40 bantam teams and over 30 midget teams in the Baseball Alberta's 'AA' program.

The teams play two weekends a month starting in May, first competing against Calgary area teams then travelling further into central and southern Alberta. The teams are tiered in July and then play against teams in their respective divisions.

Third party coaches are being recruited for the two teams and the player evaluation process begins in early February. The rosters will be finalized by mid-March and there will be 11 or 12 players on each team.

Fall Ball Training Registration Opens Oct. 1

The Cochrane Minor Ball fall ball camp begins Nov. 4 and registration opens on Monday, Oct. 1.

There are 36 spots available and they will be filled on a first come-first served basis. It’s a seven-week program that runs Sundays for two hours with one hour of dryland training with P3 Sports trainers and one hour on the indoor turf at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre with instructors from Coyote Baseball.

Registrations will be accepted on minor ball’s website, www.cochraneminorball.ca.