The Nanaimo NightOwls will host a trio of non-league games against Island teams beginning Thursday, June 30. (Nanaimo NightOwls)

By Alex Rawnsley

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Nanaimo NightOwls preparing for showcase of local baseball talent

Jun 30, 2022 | 7:29 AM

NANAIMO — The results won’t count in the West Coast League (WCL) standings, but plenty is still on the line for a host of local ball players over the next week.

The upstart Nanaimo NightOwls will play three non-league games against local opposition starting with the Ladysmith Pilots on Thursday, June 30, then two games against a team of Nanaimo Selects players on Tuesday, July 5 and Wednesday, July 6.

NightOwls GM Jim Swanson told NanaimoNewsNOW the games are a standard fixture of the WCL schedule, allowing teams to better connect with their communities and tinker with their own lineups.

“It’s a perfect development opportunity for our coaches to maybe get a look at a guy in a different position, try some different things and see what will help us be as strong as we can in the second half of the season.”

Thursday’s opponent, the Ladysmith Pilots, are in the upper echelon of organizations for senior men’s baseball on Vancouver Island, Swanson said.

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The game will feature senior level players from across the mid-Island testing their bats and arms against the college-aged NightOwls roster.

Swanson said the refurbished Serauxmen Stadium provides a great atmosphere for both the Pilots and the Nanaimo Selects to showcase their stuff.

“We wanted to give an opportunity for every player at that upper high school level, the Coal Miners league and the ex-college guys to step on the field and get a sense of what [the NightOwls] are like. The ball’s moving around the diamond, there’s a pace to the game that’s a step up.”

The team itself continues to navigate its way through an inaugural season. Through 22 games, the team is 10-12 with a dozen of those games being decided by three runs or less.

“We need to get hot, we need to get on a roll here a little bit but clearly we’re competing with everybody else we’re up against. We’re losing some close games and winning some close games and that’s the way it’s going to go.”

Following Thursday’s encounter hosting Ladysmith, the team travels to Edmonton for a quick three-game set before returning home for back to back series against Wenatchee and Victoria through mid-July.

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alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley