The Carillon Sultans will begin the 2017 Manitoba Junior Baseball League season tonight (7 p.m.) when they face the Interlake Blue Jays in Ile des Chenes.

"I think the team is ready to go," said Carillon manager Alex Grenier who is returning for his second season in the Sultans dugout. "He had a great practice on Saturday in Ile des Chenes. The guys came out and helped out with some maintenance on the diamond as part of their fees and then we had a really good practice. It looks like everybody will be there so we'll have a full contingent to choose from. They'll be ready to play."

"The players that have been coming out for practices, they definitely want to be there," added Grenier. "They want to be a part of this team. They're going to make mistakes but the fact they want to be there tells me something. I'm enthused to be part of this team this year."

Carillon finished in sixth place last season with a 10-16 record.

The Sultans eliminated the St. Boniface Legionaires in the opening round of the MJBL playoffs and then lost out to the eventual champion Elmwood Giants in the semifinals.

Grenier says filling out the lineup card shouldn't be an issue this season.

"I'd like to see 12 guys out every game. I have 14 on the roster including two who are midgets. I have the entire Carillon "AAA" midget team to draw from as well. I think we're okay. We have some strong pitching and some returning players that should be our backbone. I want to see 12 guys at the park every time we play so we'll see what happens."