As the sports world is returning to normal, so too is the California League.

But as the 2022 season opens on Friday, some of it represents a “new normal” not a pre-pandemic normal.

While there was no 2020 season and the 2021 season was delayed until May, this season is starting in the traditional first week of April, although in previous years the season started on a Thursday.

But like last year, fans will notice that most series against an opponent will run Tuesday-Sunday, rather than three- and-four game series that were played before the pandemic, with the teams off on Mondays. The only time the schedule will not include six-game series is the opening weekend, July 4 (teams will play on Monday, July 4 then be off the next day), and a break that coincides with the major league All-Star break from July 18-21.

“When they were going back and forth to make schedules in September and October, they had us do a survey. They were still considering COVID restrictions,” Lake Elsinore Storm CEO/co-general manager Shaun Brock said. “For us, when we were given the opportunity, we actually love this setup. No. 1, it’s super easy for staffing.”

There are going to be times when teams are home back-to-back weeks, with a Monday off-day in between. And of the three Inland Empire teams, the Storm only does that twice, and the Inland Empire 66ers and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes only do that once each.

When Major League Baseball took over the minor leagues last year, changes were made. Some of them carry over to this year. Like last year, there is no Cal League All-Star Game and the playoffs are abbreviated. But the name is back. A year ago, the league was awkwardly known as the Low-A West League. The season is also 132 games, reduced from the pre-pandemic 140-game schedule.

When the season opened last year, teams were only at partial capacity for fans, but this year there are no attendance restrictions.

And that means not only will fans be able to go to games maskless but the experience will be different.

“Really it’s about returning to our full promotional experience,” Quakes vice president/GM Grant Riddle said. “We can have promotions on the field, which we didn’t have last year. We have a full menu. We can have our Family RV Family Feast night.”

Sixty-sixers GM Joe Hudson agreed.

“Now this year, we can do the Bernie (mascot) race. It seems like a simple thing, but we couldn’t do that last year,” Hudson said.

The Quakes had an issue last year when Gavin Lux bobbleheads didn’t arrive in time and a voucher was issued for fans to pick up their bobblehead when they arrived.

A similar situation arose for the 66ers, where vouchers were issued for several giveaways.

“Hopefully this year, we ordered so much of our stuff early, we feel like we’re in a pretty good spot,” Hudson said. “But for some food items, there is still a supply-chain issue.”

Hudson did say there are no supply issues with hot dogs or beer, however.

The lifting of COVID restrictions will help attendance, but so will something else: the return of groups. A year ago, even as fans returned to games, community groups were generally not gathering to attend a minor league baseball game together. But they are now.

But for the Storm, Brock said a pandemic lesson learned last year was that more fans is not necessarily better. So the number of fans will be limited to closer to 5,000 rather than the 6,500 or more they previously allowed for the most popular games.

“It helps a lot of our processes, F and B (food and beverage),” Brock said. “Our per cap (food and beverage per person) was almost double last year. We are able to better take care of people and they can get what they want. We learned a lot from that.”

The Storm has also changed its ticket pricing so that every seat is $8 on Tuesday and Wednesday, $12 on Thursday and Sunday and $16 on Friday and Saturday.

The Quakes, who open the season at Visalia on Friday before their home opener against the 66ers on Tuesday, return 19 players from last year’s roster. That includes the Dodgers’ top-ranked prospect, catcher Diego Cartaya (the No. 28 prospect in MLB), who appeared in 31 games for the Quakes last year, batting .298 with 10 home runs.

Other top prospects for the Quakes include outfielder Jose Ramos (the Dodgers’ No. 14 prospect), shortstop Alex De Jesus (No. 20) and outfielder Jake Vogel (No. 29).

The 66ers, who open at home against the Storm on Friday, will feature a myriad of the Angels’ top prospects, including shortstop Arol Vera (No. 3), catcher Edgar Quero (No. 9), shortstop Adrian Placencia (No. 10), outfielder Alexander Ramirez (No. 12), left-hander Mason Albright (No. 14), right-hander Alejandro Hidalgo (No. 19), shortstop Werner Blakely (No. 24), and outfielder D’Shawn Knowles (No. 30).

Vera, Quero, Ramirez, and Knowles all finished their 2021 seasons with the 66ers. Vera, Placencia and Blakely are all listed as shortstops by mlb.com and it was not immediately clear which other positions the trio might play this year.

Lake Elsinore, which has its home opener on Tuesday against Visalia, begins the season with three of the San Diego Padres’ top 18 prospects: outfielder James Wood (No. 5), shortstop Jackson Merrill (No. 6) and infielder Max Ferguson (No. 18). The Storm roster also includes reliever Hazahel Quijada, a former San Gorgonio High and UC Riverside pitcher who appeared in 16 games for the Storm last year.