New season of Slovak Extraliga will introduce two new teams
Slovak Extraliga is still waiting for its start, but based on our information, the games could start in May. While there’s no specific date yet, we already know who will play. Team from Košice joins Extraliga once again and Skalica will see the top league for the first time.
Seals Košice played Extraliga baseball for a long time in the past and its former players will be the core of the new Extraliga team Crows Košice. „Majority of our players grew up with Seals Košice,“ explained Max Martin, who is behind the new club, for our webpage. „However, we play under name Crows, since sport club Akademik TU Košice, which Crows are a part off, offered us the playing field.“
With the players who already have experience in Extraliga, we can expect Crows to show what they are made of. „We played in the First League last season and our team was very young, so we finished in the middle of the table despite a good start to the season. This season we managed to convince a few experienced players from Seals, to help us out. With this experience, we certainly have ambitions to play close games against any opponent in the league. We want our younger players to improve as baseballers, Extraliga will certainly be a huge plus for them.“
Several times, we saw newcomer to be demoted from Extraliga early. There were many fans of Slovak baseball who fondly remembered Košice, however. The question is, what are the plans for the baseball in the eastern parts of Slovakia. „In the following years, we would like to create a stable baseball community in the second largest city [in the country],“ said Max Martin. „If we are successful, we will have to work on building new fields, as the current one is not satisfactory for the league games. Long term, it is also necessary to work with the youth, starting from the youngest categories, but for now, we want to work on the abovementioned goals, so that the young players have a stable club and good conditions.“
Skalica will be the youngest
Baseball in Skalica made itself a name in Slovak baseball community. They were able to work well in the young categories a it is the young players who will create the core of the Extraliga team. „We will be the youngest team in Extraliga,“ explained Radovan Nespala for Milujeme Baseball. „Everyone is excited. The team has a good chemistry and we will enjoy our time on the field. Players will be able to get valuable experience and take it as a preparation for the European Championship. We will play each game to play smart and as a team.“
Skalica played in Czech youth leagues last season. In 2019 they finish in sixth place in cadet rank Region South league, but they couldn’t play the league in 2020 and 2021 season due to Covid restrictions. „We have good relationship with several Czech clubs, since I’m in baseball for 30 years,“ mentioned Radovan Nespala. „During that time, we kept in touch. We have a good collaboration with Třebíč and Hodonín. In case the borders open up, we are certain to play few games in Moravia and Vysočina. As far as the competitive games go, that’s a discussion for autmn, when the next season starts to be organized.“
