M.I.N.K. League Announces Four Team Playoff and Ends NBC Playoff Affiliation For 2016

Major League Baseball may have just finished up with the 2015 World Series, but baseball is being talked about in our area for next summer already. The Missouri Iowa Nebraska Kansas League (M.I.N.K) wrapped up league meetings in St. Joseph recently and announced several changes that will go into effect.

Last year there were a lot of rain outs that caused the M.I.N.K League Championship to be one game, instead of the standard three-game series, before the winner headed to the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kansas. This was one of the reasons the league has decided to end its long time affiliation and will now expand the M.I.N.K League playoffs. Next season the top two teams from the North and South Division will play in a one game divisional championship. The winners of the divisional championship will then play in a best of three game series for the M.I.N.K League Championship.

"I think this is a step that most leagues are making," said Sedalia Bombers Owner Jud Kindle. " We are always trying to better our league and by doing this we will now be able to focus more on the M.I.N.K. We will still have a 44 game schedule the postseason will just be a little more exciting with a two round format."

The M.I.N.K. League also announced they will follow the NCAA rules and regulations, which a lot of the players are familiar with since they play for colleges before the M.I.N.K League starts.

One of the biggest additions from last year is also scheduled to come back. "The All-Star game was a big deal last year," Kindle said. "The All-Star game brought a tremendous amount of scouts out to see the top caliber player s in our league.

There have been no new additional teams announced for the 2016 season thus far, but here is how the divisions will look.

The Sedalia Bombers will be in the North Division along with the Chillicothe Mudcats, Clarinda A's, and St. Joseph Mustangs. The Mustangs won the North Division by two games over the Sedalia Bombers last year, before the Mustangs went on to win the M.I.N.K League Championship.

Last year, the Nevada Griffons won the M.I.N.K League South by four games over the Branson Nationals. The South Division will also have the Joplin Outlaws and Ozark Generals.