The Portage Collegiate Saints fastpitch team is ecstatic for their upcoming season.

The girls have had the roster in place since before the spring break, and head coach Shauna Cochrane-Thomson says they have a few weeks of practice under their belt already.

"We will have a strong team, but our only two seniors are Czarina Castillano and Kylyn Shindle," Cochrane-Thomson explains. "One of our strengths will be our pitching this season, but the team has also been tearing the cover off the ball in the gym. We are super anxious for the diamonds to dry up, so we can get outside."

The season was initially slated to begin this week, however, due to the harsh weather in the area recently, games have been postponed for an extra two weeks. PCI is set to open their campaign on the road on May 11 as they are set to take on the Sanford Sabres.

The Saints will play in just four regular-season games in the span of a week to determine the seeding for the Zone Championship, which six of the seven teams in the league will qualify for. Cochrane-Thomson says she's excited to see how the new faces on the roster are able to perform.

"We have some newcomers to the team, including Danica Botterill, who will add to the strength of our defence. We have three new pitchers in Ashley Tooth, Ella Harkness, and Chasity Peters," Cochrane-Thomson explains. "We have a lot of young talent, and I'm expecting strong leadership from Kylyn and Czarina."

PCI's only home games are a set of back-to-back outings on May 18 as they welcome Sanford at 1:00 and then play again at 4:00 against the Northlands Parkway Nighthawks.

The Zone Championship will take place on May 25th in Portage, with the six qualified teams facing off in a tournament to crown an overall winner.

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