BNS 17U Program Announcement

We hope you've had a great offseason, as baseball season is just around the corner!

 

As we know many associations are busy planning for the upcoming season, please note the BNS, Bluenose League, and Championship Handbook will be released before the end of January. 

 

The most significant change will be to our BNS 17U program. Starting in 2026, 17U players will be eligible to play with an association team as well. This decision was made as a result of consultation with several groups, and analysis of the current program. Given the changing landscape of high-performance baseball not only Nova Scotia, but across the country, it's felt this format will provide the best opportunity for athletes to continue to develop. 

 

Please note that some minor changes will come to the 18U-22U Roster policy, and this will still apply to players that are with the BNS 17U program. This will also include changes to the current Exceptional Player rules that allows some 18U aged players to request to play in the 22U league. The full details will be released with the BNS Handbook.

 

The 17U program will have an increased emphasis on training and practice, with a reduced competition schedule compared to previous years. The team will still participate in several tournaments, and the NSSBL for five games (pending on agreement with the league), but will not participate in the 22U Bluenose League. 

 

As the 17U team will play a reduced schedule, the athletes named to the program will still be expected to prioritize the few events that the Provincial team will be partaking in. The program will avoid key dates for the 18U AAA teams (National Eliminations) but will still be planning to attend 2-3 tournaments in preparation for Nationals. This will be communicated directly to 18U AAA coaches as the season approaches.

 

Once the coaching staff is in place, further information on tryouts will be announced. 

 

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office.