Emerging from the conclusion of Major League Baseball’s 99-day lockout. Minor league and college baseball teams have pressed on through it all. After two roller coaster years for both levels.

Despite being affiliated with MLB teams and MLB overseeing some minor leagues. Minor League Baseball was not drastically affected by the MLB lockout. Players on the 40-man roster were locked out but minor league camps have gone forward. The various minor leagues are set to start their seasons on time. This is a breath of fresh air for the minor leagues. After the minor league season was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic caused the 2021 season to be delayed by a month for various levels.

The 2021 season followed a restructuring of Minor League Baseball. Which shrunk the number of MiLB teams from 160 to 120. While Major League Baseball gained more direct control over the Triple-A through Single-A levels. After decades of minor leagues being operated independently from MLB. Having the minor league season go forward will help players beyond their development. They’re striving to put food on the table while pursuing their big league dreams.

While MLB owners and players were bickering over how much to raise players minimum salary. Which in 2021 was a beyond modest $570,500. Many minor league players make five-figure salaries. The weekly minimum pay for Triple-A players was raised last year from $502 to $700. Though players are only paid through their five-month season. If paid weekly through the entire year with that minimum sum; a Triple-A player would make at least $36,400. That’s lower than the median household income in Mississippi.

While there was no minor league season in 2020. The 2020 College Baseball season was cut short only a few weeks into it. To add insult to injury, some baseball programs were cut that year to save money. Colleges went forward with a mostly normal 2021 baseball season. Locally this season, college baseball teams are roughly a month into their seasons.

In NCAA Division I, Cincinnati and Xavier’s baseball teams are showing some promise. Both showing more vitality than their university’s respective men’s basketball teams in the last month. The University of Cincinnati’s team heads into Friday 6-5 with a 4-1 home record. The program set an attendance record earlier this month. After starting off 0-9, Xavier Baseball won their last three games. Spending their first month of the season playing in road and neutral games. Xavier’s first home game is against Michigan on March 23rd; two days before Cincinnati hosts Xavier.

Northern Kentucky Baseball is 4-7 going into Friday; matching Cincinnati’s NCAA Division III Mount St. Joseph’s record. The NKU Norse will have a three-game series against USC Upstate in Spartanburg, SC this weekend. Followed by a road game at regional baseball powerhouse Louisville this Tuesday. While they’re under .500, NKU have a couple of impressive wins. Last month, the Norse beat No.7 Mississippi State on the road. They also beat Xavier at home 16-6 back on March 2nd. Elsewhere in Northern Kentucky, NAIA school Thomas More has Greater Cincinnati’s best record so far this season.

Going into Friday, Thomas More has an 11-7 overall and 4-3 conference record. After winning the first two games in a three-game series against No.22 Freed Hardeman. Along with this, Thomas More recently announced a noteworthy partnership. With the independent minor Frontier League’s Florence Y’all’s. Through this partnership, Thomas More will start playing home games at Florence’s Y’all’s Ballpark in 2023. Thomas More currently plays home games at their Crestview Hills campus. Y’all’s Ballpark will also be renamed Thomas More Stadium.

Speaking of the Florence Y’all’s, their season will start on May 12th. The defending Frontier League West division champions will host the Tri-City ValleyCats. Along with this, Florence will host the Frontier League Tryout Camp and Draft on April 25th and 26th.