The beautiful weather the last couple of days and major league baseball franchises hosting opening games at spring training means local baseball is just around the corner. The Carroll Merchants summer collegiate baseball team is gearing up for its first full season in Carroll, and Donnie Roberts, Merchants general manager, says fans will see some changes this year in staff and the depth and consistency of the player lineup. The Corn Belt League players are being hand-picked and recruited from colleges, with 18 of the 23-man roster already filled for this year. The remainder of the players will be signed by the third week of March. The newest coaching staff addition, Luis Abreu is a Baltimore Orioles international scout, director of Midwest scouting and owns a baseball academy in Madison, Wis. He is originally from Venezuala, where he played two years of professional baseball and went on to play in the minors for the Marlins and Twins. Abreu will join Harley Thompson of Des Moines Area Community College Boone and Corey Gliden of Augustana College. The Carroll Chamber of Commerce is taking the lead in assisting the Merchants with making a home in Carroll, and Chamber board member, John Perrin said one of the ways the community can help with this goal is to host a player for the season. Perrin is hosting two players, but he says there are still 18 that need room and board while playing home games, doing community service, attending daily practices and, for some, holding down part-time jobs. For more information on how to become a host family, contact the Carroll Chamber of Commerce at 792-4383. The Merchants 2016 home game schedule, which begins June 3, can be found below. We will bring you more from general manager Donnie Roberts and the Carroll Chamber on stadium improvements and special promotions that will take place this year in future broadcasts.
2016 Merchants Home Schedule
June
3 (F)-Sioux Falls-7:00 pm
10 (F)-Sioux Falls-7:00 pm
15 (W)-Bancroft-7:00 pm
18 (SA)-Omaha-DH 5:00 pm
26 (SU)-Bancroft-5:00 pm
July
2 (SA)-Omaha-DH 5:00 pm
5 (TU)-Sioux Falls-7:00 pm
8 (F)-Military All Star Game-TBD
9 (SA)-Omaha-DH 2:00 pm
11 (M)-Clarinda-7:00 pm
17 (SU)-Omaha-DH 2:00 pm
22 (F)-Bancroft-7:00 pm
29 (F)-Sioux Falls-7:00 pm
August
1-5 Playoffs
You can also see the schedule on our community calendar section