After a month of indoor practices, the Dauphin Clippers baseball team finally got some outdoor workouts in before starting the season later this week.

Clippers coach Don Sheldon said training sessions began in early April, with about 12 players showing up.

Although he would have liked to see more players tryout for the team, Sheldon feels the Clippers will be a committed squad once the season begins.

“I think it will be a good team in terms of commitment level once we get going,” he said, adding there are a lot of returning players from last year’s squad. “And there’s a few new up and comers that I’m excited to see what they can do,” he said.

Sheldon feels the team will be competitive in the Prairie West High School Baseball League and will have a good chance to win their zone and advance to provincials.

Dauphin’s season begins, Wednesday in Brandon against the Neelin Spartans, followed by a doubleheader on Sunday, with game one in Roblin at noon, and the night cap at 4 p.m. in Swan River.

The schedule will see the Clippers play seven games in 14 days, with the first four games on the road, followed by three home dates.

“We’re kind of stuck to just pretty much Monday practices and then playing on Wednesdays and Sundays. We’ve got seven games in 14 days, so it’s going to be a stretch where we’ll be asking a lot from our pitchers,” he said. “But that’s the nature of high school baseball. It’s a quick season. They want everything wrapped up by the start of June.”

Starting with four games on the road will benefit the Clippers, Sheldon said.

“That will actually serve our team pretty well, I think. It will give us a chance to practice on our diamond a little bit before we have to play a game on it,” he said. adding last season the Clippers weren’t able to get on the diamond until their first game of the season. “So this year, hopefully, we’ll have a few practices under our belt and know the field a little bit better so home field advantage will actually feel like home field advantage.”

Dauphin’s first home game is, May 14, against Russell at noon.