The players are equally enthused.

"I was looking forward to the start of the professional tournament," said Du Xiaolei, who helped the Jiangsu Huge Horse beat the Guangdong Leopards 11-8 before an appreciative crowd of around 3,000 in Wuxi on Aug 16. "It is the moment that an athlete can show his value, and we need more such opportunities."

The 29-year-old said he wasn't satisfied with his initial performance, but he's confident of improving as the season plays out.

"As a professional player, I hope to keep playing baseball at a high level and to contribute to its development in China," he added.

The CNBL season will see each of the four teams play 36 games in a balanced home-and-away schedule over seven weeks.

The top two teams will clash in a best-of-five championship final in late October.

According to Chinese Baseball Association statistics, the number of people engaged in the sport here has topped 1 million, largely attributable to a current baseball craze in schools.

"There's been a boom in Chinese teenagers playing the game in recent years, with a number of leagues and tournaments being launched from primary schools to high schools," said Ma Zhenxin, GM of Jiangsu Huge Horse.

He also noted that a number of private clubs have sprung up, including more than 30 in Nanjing, Changzhou, Yangzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou and other cities in Jiangsu province.

At the grassroots level, Ma said Jiangsu Huge Horse has spared no effort to deepen its talent pool.

"I learned to play baseball more than 10 years ago, when I was in primary school," said Chen Lei, a local university graduate and a baseball enthusiast.

"The new CNBL is great for the game, and I'm convinced that more Chinese will participate in the sport in the future."