Saskatoon Berries 2024 Season Preview

By IAN WILSON

It’s been a hectic year for the Saskatoon Berries.

Since their arrival in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) was publicly revealed in March of 2023, Saskatoon has selected a team name, picked club colours, crafted a logo, cultivated a social media following, ordered merchandise, undertaken ballpark renos, sold tickets, added sponsors and generally announced their presence to Saskatchewan’s largest city.

That’s just a hint of the off-the-field activities. The Berries have also been busy putting the roster in place, including an experienced coaching staff and pitchers and hitters from across North America

Fans of the Berries will have a half-dozen hometown players to cheer for, as well as a number of high-end Canadian and American college athletes.

How will the Berries stack up in the East Division standings? Can they challenge the Moose Jaw Miller Express, who were tops in the group during the 2023 regular season? Will they be better than the Medicine Hat Mavericks, who emerged as the East Division representative in last year’s WCBL championship final?

These are all questions that won’t be answered until after the 2024 season gets underway in late May.

IN THE DUGOUT

The Berries will draw on a wealth of experience and high-level baseball accomplishments from their coaching staff.

With the hiring of Joe Carnahan as the first head coach in franchise history, Saskatoon earned instant credibility.

The Wisconsin native brings two decades of WCBL experience to the role. He played on Swift Current 57’s teams that won championships in 2001, 2005 and 2006 and he was named the league’s regular-season most valuable player (MVP) in 2002 and 2004. In addition, he took home playoff MVP honours in 2001 and 2005. The five-time WCBL All-Star became Swift Current’s head coach in 2007. The transition was a successful one that resulted in WCBL titles in 2010, 2016 and 2017. Carnahan was chosen as the league’s Coach of the Year on four occasions.

“I am very excited about this opportunity,” said Carnahan of his return to the WCBL with the Saskatoon Berries.

Team President Steve Hildebrand said he had “no doubt that he is the best person to lead and grow our team to success.”

Hildebrand added: “Joe’s career in ball and years of experience coaching in this league will help tremendously when it comes to recruiting players and developing players’ skills.”

Joining Carnahan is North Battleford’s Andrew Albers, who will serve as the team’s pitching coach. The lefty played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays.

Albers pitched for the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets in the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL) – the predecessor to the WCBL – and received Rookie of the Year honours in 2004.

“It’s going to be special,” said Albers of his return to Saskatoon.

“I’m looking forward to it, looking forward to being a part of the community up here again, and hopefully we can win some baseball games and have a good atmosphere for the fans.”

ON THE MOUND

Carnahan and Albers will have over a dozen right-handed pitching options to chose from as they enter the 2024 campaign.

Ryan Olchoway is a Saskatoon native who plays for Ottawa University. The senior starting pitcher has taken the mound in 14 games over two seasons as a member of the Braves. He has a 6-6 record, a 4.99 earned run average (ERA) and 68 strikeouts in his 61.1 innings pitched.

Another local hurler on the roster is Maris Brons, who has taken the field for the Okanagan College Coyotes since 2021. The reliever has a 2-1 record, three saves and 35 Ks in his 32-plus innings of work in the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC).

Calgarian Cory Lawson plays with Brons at Okanagan College. Lawson has a 3-2 record, 4.27 ERA and 43 strikeouts in his seven starts and 40 innings this season.

A pair of seniors from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) will attempt to keep batters off the bases. Jacob Kampf has logged 78.2 innings for the Cougars while working as a starter and out fo the bullpen for the Cougars. He has a 2-4 record, four saves and 67 strikeouts. Teague Conrad worked primarily as a starter for SIUE in 2023, going 4-4 with 48 Ks in his 64-plus innings last year.

Caden Wanless has put up impressive numbers working out of the bullpen for Hutchinson Community College. In 19 appearances for the Blue Dragons, Wanless has a 3-0 record, five saves and 61 Ks in 34 innings pitched.

Modesto Junior College also has a couple of righty relievers on the pitching staff. Elias Harrington put up 17 strikeouts in 18.2 innings this season, while Nate Criswell had 18 Ks in 17-plus frames with the Pirates.

Michael Singleton is a 6-foot-3 senior at George Fox University in Oregon. In his 38-plus innings this season, Singleton has a 2.82 ERA, a 3-2 record and 29 strikeouts over 19 appearances.

Saskatoon’s other right-handed pitchers include Tyler Davis (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley), Jackson Downing (Arkansas State University), Ethan Price (Cloud County Community College) and Colin Plain (College of the Desert).

Price hails from Bowmanville, Ontario and the reliever has 36 Ks in 26.2 innings, spread over two seasons with the Thunderbirds. Plain has also served mainly out of the bullpen, as well, and is a strikeout-per-inning pitcher.

The lefty options for the Berries include Nick Nolan and Jacob Hadden.

Hadden has worked as a starter and a reliever at Hutchinson Community College. He’s appeared in 15 games and started four of them this season, going 4-2 with a 3.28 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 46.2 innings.

BEHIND THE PLATE

A trio of backstops from Louisiana will frame pitches for the Berries.

Bailyn Sorensen is a junior at Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU) who played 30 games for the Lions this year. In his 97 at bats, the business administration major recorded 19 runs, 16 runs batted in (RBI) and five homers.

University of Texas at Tyler catcher Ethan Menard suited up in 26 games for the Patriots in 2024. He posted a .257 batting average, went yard four times and produced 11 RBI over 74 at bats.

Dominic Archila is coming off of his second season at Panola College. During his 53 games there, Archila has a .264 batting average and a .370 on-base percentage. He also scored 22 runs and registered 14 RBI.

AROUND THE HORN

Several Modesto Junior College Pirates will invade the Saskatoon infield this summer.

Bryce Campbell has signed on with the Berries as a first baseman from the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) program. In two seasons with the Pirates, the 6-foot-4 righty batter has 55 runs, 51 RBI and a .364 on-base percentage over 74 games.

Campbell’s teammate at Modesto, Aaron Martinez, has also played for two years at the college. The sophomore has a .295 batting average, a .402 on-base percentage, 57 RBI and 53 runs in 69 games played. Martinez also has experience as a right-handed relief pitcher.

Fellow infielder Landon Nunes has suited up in 69 games for the Pirates, as well. Nunes has registered a .296 batting average and a .433 on-base percentage in those games.

Infielder Jaden Lamothe joins the club out of the University of British Columbia (UBC), where has 29 hits, 20 runs and 20 RBI in his 39 games with the Thunderbirds in 2023-24.

Gage Driskell slots in as a utility player, as does McGwire Turner. Driskell has a .393 on-base percentage and 34 runs scored at Panola College, while Turner is a sports communication major at SLU. With the Lions in 2023, he recorded 14 hits over 30 games.

The Berries have a player on the roster who is a legitimate two-way threat. Local product Cory Wouters has been a menace at McCook Community College. As a freshman first baseman, Wouters has a .416 batting average, 48 runs, 44 RBI and nine dingers in his 52 games this season. On the mound, he’s pitched in 11 games – four of them starts – and piled up 69 strikeouts over 41-plus innings.

IN THE OUTFIELD

Homegrown talent will be on display in the outfield.

Payton McHarg had an outstanding junior year at Washburn University. The local lefty slugger launched 21 home runs, smacked 17 doubles, produced 67 RBI and scored 66 runs while batting .354 with a .473 on-base percentage.

Carter Beck of Carnduff, Saskatchewan also impressed this year at the University of Mary. As a member of the Marauders, the freshman hit a dozen long balls, contributed 53 RBI, crossed home plate 50 times and scored 11 bases in 49 games. Beck also had a .349 batting average over 189 at bats.

Sparks will fly at Cairns Field – Nolan Sparks, that is. The Saskatoon product played in 26 games Yavapai College Roughriders during his sophomore season. In that time, he hit .379 with a .450 on-base percentage, 24 runs, 10 RBI and seven steals.

Texan Riley Nelson will be an option in the outfield and the infield for the Berries. The teammate of Sparks at Yavapai College earned First-Team All-Conference and First-Team All-Region honours this year. As the No. 3 hitter in the Roughriders lineup, he led the team in batting average (.412), hits (70), doubles (21), homers (13), RBI (55), walks (29) and on-base percentage (.495). Nelson played in all 54 games this season and was used primarily as a first baseman.

Home Ballpark: NexGen Patch at Cairns Field

Home Opener: 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 28th vs. Regina Red Sox

Mascot: Barry