Moose Jaw Miller Express 2025 Preview

By IAN WILSON

They were so very close.

Not only did the Moose Jaw Miller Express push the Okotoks Dawgs to a winner-take-all Game 3 of the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) championship series, the underdog squad scored a pair of late runs to even the score entering the ninth inning of that contest.

It took the home-run heroics of hometown hero Connor Crowson in the bottom of the ninth to break the tie, deliver the Dawgs a 6-5 victory, and secure a three-peat title for Okotoks.

The Miller Express were right there, when few expected them to be.

After securing a postseason berth with a sub-.500 record in the regular season, Moose Jaw found their footing in the playoffs. They dispatched the top-seeded Regina Red Sox with a pair of one-run triumphs before taking part in a wild second-round series against the Saskatoon Berries. The Millers dropped the first contest by a 14-1 score, rebounded with a 17-6 win and then followed that up with a more normal-looking 5-3 victory over the expansion Berries.

That setup a rematch of the 2022 WCBL championship and, unfortunately for Moose Jaw, a heartbreaking loss in the final game of the season.

“What a year it was. It was such a fun summer. We did a lot of things that I think shocked a lot of people,” said Miller Express head coach Eric Marriott in a Coffee With a Coach interview with Joe Gunnis.

“It was a great run and, ultimately, they got us … I’m just excited to get back to it.”

Historic Ross Wells Park, which was built in the 1950s, is getting some upgrades. A new LED lighting system is being installed, which will help reduce electrical bills and provide better visibility during home games.

The ballpark plays host to the WCBL and several levels of baseball, as well as an annual Homestand fundraising music concert that supports local school divisions in gaining access to a mental health and wellness grant.

COACHING

Marriott will guide the coaching staff for a fourth straight year. The former outfielder with the team has a 97-70 regular-season record as Moose Jaw’s skipper and has led the Miller Express to two WCBL finals appearances as the East Division champions.

He discussed his recruitment strategy for 2025 with Gunnis.

“We’re just evaluating where our specific needs are in terms of impact guys, guys that can come in and really turn around a game in a manner of one swing or in the manner of one inning on the mound or whatever that may be,” said Marriott.

“We’re making sure that we have the right guys that are coming in to carry on that culture that guys like Nate Mensik, Austin Gurney, Thomas Soto, Wes Walls have instilled into Moose Jaw. Right now, we’re just ensuring we pick those right guys and they’re progressing well, whatever year they are at in school, and that we are lined up for another run at this thing.”

Assistant coach Michael Gonzalez, who takes great care of the field at Ross Wells Park, is also back for a fourth summer in Moose Jaw.

PITCHING

Lefty Matt Vazquez – who went 12-7 with 92 strikeouts in 111 innings for the Millers in 2023 and 2024 – will not be back this summer, and neither will Regina righthander Ethan Merk, who posted a 12-5 record with 114 Ks over 155 innings between 2022 and 2024.

Their absence opens the door to several returning hurlers and newly signed arms.

The 6-foot-5 Westin Walls, who was a revelation for Moose Jaw last year as both a closer and a starting pitcher, is expected back. The Texan went 4-1 with a 4.03 earned run average (ERA), five saves and 42 strikeouts. He appeared in 14 regular season and playoff games and made five starts, including three in the postseason.

Nathan Yunick, a righty from Estevan, Saskatchewan, will look to eat up some of those innings on the mound. He got into six games for the Miller Express last summer.

Cristian Garcia, a 6-foot-3 moundsman from Arizona, will be part of a new wave of right-handed pitchers that also includes Ontarian Kaden Noble of McCook Community College; Rodolfo Guardiola, who pitches for Texas A&M International; and senior Justin Santos, a 6-foot-1 hill topper with the University of Texas at Dallas.

Sophomore Hideyoshi Kawahara is another newcomer to Ross Wells Park. The 6-foot tall righty is originally from Tokyo, Japan and is now playing for Riverland Community College.

Kameron Sparrowhawk joins the club after pitching in six games for the Edmonton Prospects in 2024. “Sparrow” is a Regina product who is currently excelling in the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) as a member of the University of Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades. Through four starts and 25 innings at UFV, Sparrowhawk is 3-0 with 29 strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA.

Southpaws on the squad include Arizona’s Jacob Glazener, who pitches at College of the Desert, and Philip Sanders, a senior out of Texas who takes the bump at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

BATTING

The big bat and strong outfield play of Nate Mensik will be sorely missed this year. The Nebraskan was a fan favourite who gave it his all during his 167 games for the Miller Express. Mensik was a .305 hitter who clubbed 33 homers, swiped 41 bags, and registered 138 runs batted in (RBI) while scoring 147 runs in three summers of WCBL regular season and playoff action.

Mensik’s baseball-bashing buddy, Austin Gurney, is back for another year and will be a key part of the offensive attack. The infielder from Campbell River, British Columbia has collected 24 round trippers, 28 steals, 34 doubles, 149 runs and 152 RBI for Moose Jaw in his 178 games for the team since 2022.

Joining Gurney in the infield is switch hitter Thomas Soto, a Texan who has hit .303 with 43 stolen bases and 103 runs for the Miller Express in 101 games over the last two summers.

Nathan Houston has signed on with the Saskatoon Berries for the 2025 campaign. The infielder from Melville, Saskatchewan is an outstanding hitter, who batted .396 with 50 runs and 48 RBI in his 67 games with the Miller Express. His bat will be missed.

Newbies to the infield include Eduardo Saenz, a junior from Texas A&M International; Indiana State junior Ben Waliczek; University of Sioux Falls first baseman Jackson Yeager; Ecclesia College sophomore Adrian Vivo Jr.; and Steven Kirtides, a 6-foot-3 sophomore first baseman from San Jacinto College.

Utility player Pacey Phillips – a Kerrobert, Saskatchewan native who takes the diamond for Bismarck State College – is another fresh face with the Millers.

A whole new crop of outfielders will track down fly balls at Ross Wells Park.

Those newcomers include Grand Coulee, Saskatchewan product Jackson Martin, a sophomore at College of the Desert; William Kelley, a 6-foot-3 Georgian playing at the University of Pikeville; Australian William Edwards of the University of Sioux Falls; and Pomona College junior Tanner Degrazia of Rochester, New York.

There’s a changing of the guard behind the dish, as well.

Gustavo Soto, a junior at Ecclesia College who hails from Mexico, is one of the catchers signed on for pitch-framing duties. He’ll split time with Matthew Rezkalah, a freshman out of California who handles the plate at Mount San Jacinto Junior College.

Home Ballpark: Ross Wells Park

Home Opener: 7:05 p.m., Friday, May 30th vs. Saskatoon Berries

2024 Regular Season Results: 4th place in East Division with 26 wins & 29 losses

2024 Playoff Results: Lost in WCBL championship series to Okotoks Dawgs; 5-3 record in postseason

WCBL Championships: 1999, 2002