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WMBL to change name to Western Canadian Baseball League in 2019

Jun 16, 2018 | 7:28 PM

EDMONTON —  Next season, the Lethbridge Bulls will be playing under the Western Canadian Baseball League banner following the recently announced re-branding of the WMBL.

At their Board of Governors meeting last month, the Western Major Baseball League voted to change the name of their league at the start of the 2019 WCBL season.

A new logo is expected to be released by the league, featuring a maple leaf with a baseball alongside the Western Canadian Baseball League script.

In a statement, president Kevin Kvame said this change will hopefully attract a more Canadian flavour for players moving forward.

“We are excited about the new name, in that it will highlight the fact that the League’s footprint lies entirely in Canada,” said Kvame. “We are a baseball showcase for Canada and are proud to bring in fans and players to celebrate our beautiful country. Being in Canada gives us a unique advantage to provide great experiences to not only our homegrown talent, but visiting players as well. The same applies for the fans and community sponsors of the League.”

An all-star game will also be returning to the league, as all-star games are now on the schedule for the 2019 and 2020 seasons in Edmonton.

Kvame added in his statement that Edmonton was the right fit to host the league’s annual showcase for the next two seasons.

“The League is thrilled that Pat [Cassidy] and the Edmonton Prospects are committed to putting on a showcase for the League’s wealth of talent,” he said. “We expect Edmonton, like it has done for so many events over the years, to fully embrace the opportunity of hosting this event in 2019 & 2020.”

Sitting with six teams in Alberta and six in Saskatchewan, the league is hoping the re-branding and all-star game announcements will peak interest in further expansion across the Prairies.