Recently the number of games high school baseball and softball teams can play each season has been increased. This is a change coaches have wanted to see for a while.

“I think the changes to 26 games can be positive because it allows us to play in other tournaments or other teams we wouldn’t get to play in a normal tournament season,” head coach Jeremy Boreman said.

This change will result in some complications for scheduling.

“It’s gonna’ affect my schedule a lot because the amount of JV games versus varsity games,” Boreman said. “It would be better if we could limit JV games to one game per day meaning we play each team once. That will allow me more flexibility to allow the varsity players to leave early and the JV players won’t have to leave nearly as much.”

“KSHSAA (The Kansas High School Activities Association) did not open up how long the season goes. So, they did not extend the season,” USD 259 athletics director Chris Asmussen said. “So what they did is they took the schedule that is currently there the start the end time of the spring season and they just added six more games. So, it’s going to be kind of hard to add these games into the schedule according to that.”

The additional games won’t be mandatory, so schools do not have to schedule the full 26 games in a season.

“Schools are just going to schedule those six games if they want to, they aren’t required to,” Assmussen said, “so no I don’t believe every school is going to fill out or schedule completely but it will have an impact it’ll give kids more of an opportunity to play games.”

Baseball players are looking forward to being able to play more games throughout the season.

“The more practice thing, I like that since we have more time to develop,” baseball player Christian Basgall (11) said.
“We ended pretty early last season. So I think a developing team like us might benefit us more,” baseball player Jacob Branna (11) said.

The baseball team will open their season on March 14 against North High.