Tri-Cities Dust Devils schedule released for the 2021 season. It will be a busy one

Major League Baseball released all 120 minor-league schedules for the 2021 season on Thursday.

That includes the Tri-City Dust Devils’ new High-A West schedule.

The Dust Devils, who have a 10-year affiliation agreement with the Los Angeles Angels beginning this summer, will play a 120-game schedule this season against the five other teams in the new league — which for years had been the Northwest League.

In a normal season — likely 2022 — Tri-City and all other minor-league teams would play a 132-game schedule, with 66 home games.

But because MLB will have its players and all Triple-A players in spring camps starting this week, all Double-A players and lower will not go to spring training until after the big leaguers and top-level minor leaguers leave camp. It’s meant to keep athletes away from each other during this pandemic.

Still, the 120-game schedule is a lot more than what Tri-City fans are used to.

In the short-season Northwest League, a team would play 76 regular-season games, and 38 of those would be home contests. The season would start until the third week of June and end around Labor Day weekend.

Because the new High-A West league means a better caliber of player coming in — two steps above what the Northwest League had — Tri-City fans should be watching a higher level of baseball.

This new schedule will have the High-A East league opening May 4, and the season not ending until Sept. 19.

Of course, baseball will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation, so the schedule could be subject to change.

So here is the schedule that was released Thursday:

• May – 4-9, Vancouver; 11-16, at Everett; 18-23, Eugene; 25-30, Hillsboro.
• June – 1-6, at Spokane; 8-13, at Hillsboro; 15-20, Spokane; 22-27, Everett; 29-30, at Spokane.
• July – 1-4, at Spokane; 6-11, Hillsboro; 13-18, at Everett; 20-25, Spokane; 27-31, at Hillsboro.
• Aug. – 1, at Hillsboro; 3-8, at Eugene; 10-15, Spokane; 17-22, at Vancouver; 24-29, Eugene; 31, at Spokane.
• Sept. – 1-5, at Spokane; 7-12, Hillsboro; 14-19, at Eugene.

Starting times have not been assigned to games yet.

According to the Dust Devils website, ticket packages will vary, but they will start at $90. Full-season ticket packages begin at $420 a seat.

For more information call 509-544-8789, or go online at www.dustdevilsbaseball.com.

The team states it will be following all MLB and state approved COVID-19 guidelines throughout the 2021 season to ensure the facility, Gesa Stadium, is up to standard.

To that point, the team is not sure at this time how many fans will be allowed into the ballpark, and is asking fans for patience and flexibility as they navigate this situation.

Prep sports schedules

If there are any people more flexible than athletic directors, then I’d like to meet them.

AD’s in high school have made schedules, than torn them up to start over numerous times since last August.

Southridge athletic director Tim Wood said he and his cohorts have made so many of them over the years that they can do them in their heads pretty easily now.

Still, it’s nice to have them on paper or online.

So here is what we have for the Mid-Columbia Conference football openers next Friday, Feb. 26 (all kickoffs at 7 p.m.):

• Chiawana vs. Hanford at Fran Rish Stadium
• Kennewick at Pasco
• Richland vs. Kamiakin, Lampson Stadium
• Walla Walla at Southridge

And yes, Southridge will be playing all of its home games this spring at the stadium at its school.

Hermiston will have a Week 1 bye.

Remember, reach out to your local school as to whether they are allowing fans in the stadium or not.

Meanwhile, Prosser has the spotlight this Friday, Feb. 19, with the lone scheduled game. Selah will visit the Mustangs at 7 p.m.

Neighboring Grandview will open its football season on Monday, Feb. 22, with a 5 p.m. contest at East Valley of Yakima.

Connell will be hosting a jamboree with Kiona-Benton and College Place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 20.

Everyone else in the region starts play next week or the week after.

• The MCC cross country season was supposed to start on Saturday, Feb. 20, in Walla Walla with a tripleheader. However, the amount of snow the region has compiled may cause a postponement.

Matt Rexus, the head coach for the always powerful Kamiakin boys team, said if it is canceled, the event would be rescheduled.

More sports

• The Tri-City Americans announced on Thursday that they have hired Don Nachbaur as an associate coach for this coming abbreviated Western Hockey League season that is scheduled to begin on March 19. Nachbaur will work with Ams head coach Kelly Buchberger, who is in his third season as the team’s head coach.

Nachbaur was the Americans head coach from 2003-2009, and has been head coach for both the Seattle Thunderbirds and the Spokane Chiefs.

Most recently Nachbaur, who still has a home in the Tri-Cities, has been a head coach in Europe for SC Bern in Switzerland, and HKM Zvolen in Slovakia.

• Hanford High grad Luke Stutesman, who is pitching this spring for Grays Harbor Community College, will also be playing baseball this summer in the Cascade Collegiate League, the league announced this past week.

• Former Tri-City American Brooks Macek has scored 16 goals and 10 assists in 52 games this season for Avtomobilist Yekaterinberg, a team that plays in the Kontinental Hockey League based in Russia.

The team currently sits in fifth place out of six teams in the Kharlamov Division with a 28-27 record.

• Former Am Colton Yellow Horn has 46 points — 16 goals and 30 assists — for HSC Csikszereda, a team in Romania playing in the Erste Liga.

Yellow Horn’s scoring numbers puts him tied for fifth in league scoring, while HSC Csikszereda is in third place among 10 teams in the standings.