There's arguably no better feeling in baseball than the excitement of Opening Day, a day in which teams will take the field for the first time, each with a renewed sense of hope and optimism. For players, it's a chance to shake off the rust and start anew.

The Boston Metro Baseball League will officially kick off its 36th season on Sunday, April 16th, with an early slate of four games scheduled in the 28+ MetroWest Division.

The 2023 season will see a total of 42 teams across four divisions, including the 18+ Division, 28+ Boston Division, 28+ MetroWest Division, and 38+ Masters Division.

With the start of a new season fast approaching, let's take a closer look at each of the four divisions.

18+ Division

A total of 10 teams will make up the 18+ Division in 2023. Each team will play a 24-game regular-season schedule.

Two new teams have joined the division for the 2023 season. Welcome aboard to the Boston Phoenix, managed by Ethan Weinhaus, and the Clutch Hittin' Mets, managed by Julio Ramos.

The Middleboro Mocka Rays enter the 2023 season with their sights set on defending the 18+ title, following a 2022 season in which they made history by becoming the first wild card team to win the 18+ championship.

This season, the reigning champs will aim to do something that no team has done since the 2015-2016 Cambridge Spinners — repeat as 18+ champions.

With the dynamic 1-2 punch of Justin Sylvia and Jonathan Matos once again leading the Mocka Rays' rotation, this team has the ingredients to pull it off, but they will certainly have a target on their back all season.

The 18+ Division plans to open up the 2023 season on Sunday, April 23rd. The full schedule will be available soon and can be found here.

28+ Division

A total of 13 teams will make up the 28+ Boston Division in 2023. Each team will play a 22-game regular season schedule.

Two new teams have joined the division for the 2023 season. Welcome aboard to the Lowell Angels, managed by Mark Cibulski, and the Milton Fighting Irish, who moved up from the 18+ Division and are managed by Mark Daly.

Because of the odd number of teams, the 28+ Boston Division will go from two divisions of 7 teams to a single division of 13 teams. The top 8 teams will be eligible for the postseason and seeded based on total points. Unlike last season, there will be no wild card game between the No. 8 and 9 seed, as voted on by the team managers.

The Boston Cardinals will be back to defend their title after winning the 28+ championship in historic fashion last season.

The 28+ Division will kick off the season on Sunday morning, April 23rd, when the Boston Bison host the Boston Dodgers at Cassidy Playground (Cleveland Circle) in Brighton, beginning at 10:00 AM.

The partial 2023 28+ Division schedule can be found here.

28+ MetroWest Division

A total of 8 teams will make up the 28+ MetroWest Division in 2023. Each team will play a 21-game regular-season schedule.

A new squad has joined the MetroWest Division for the 2023 season, and they might have the coolest team name in BMBL history. In what is perhaps an ode to the Hartford, CT Minor League Baseball team, welcome aboard to the Metrowest Yard Goats, managed by John Margeson.

In other division news, the Worcester Pirates have changed their team name to the Medway Brewers, and the Metrowest Astros are now the Metrowest Mets.

The MetroWest Division opens up the 2023 season on Sunday, April 16th, with all eight teams set to take the field, including the Metrowest Orioles, who will begin their 2022 championship title defense when they take on the first-year Yard Goats at Tetreault Field in Mendon. First pitch is scheduled for 9:00 AM.

The full 2023 28+ MetroWest Division schedule can be found here.

38+ Masters Division

A total of 11 teams will make up the 38+ Masters Division in 2023. Each team will play an 18-game regular-season schedule.

A new team has joined the division for the 2023 season. Welcome aboard to the Boston Havoc, managed by the one and only Rob Forrand. The Havoc franchise will now have a team represented in three separate divisions.

In other division news, the South Shore Giants have changed their team name to the South Shore Mariners.

The Los Gigantes enter the 2023 season as the reigning champs after a dominating 2022 season that saw the team lose just one game. Last year's performance was nothing short of remarkable, and they will be looking to build on that success as they defend their title in 2023.

The 38+ Masters Division is set to begin on Monday, April 17th and will feature a slate of five games beginning at 7:30 PM.

The full 2023 38+ Masters Division schedule can be found here.

Best of luck to all teams in what should be another thrilling season in the BMBL.