Swift Current 57’s 2025 Preview

By IAN WILSON

The 57’s are hoping for a swift turnaround.

After finishing last in the East Division of the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) and outside of the playoff picture in 2024, the Swift Current 57’s will look to make it to the postseason, as they did in 2023.

That will be the first step in trying to find the championship form that delivered the franchise seven titles since 2000.

The 57’s were a force when the league went by the name of the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL), and before that as members of the Saskatchewan Major Baseball League (SMBL). But since the circuit rebranded as the WCBL in 2018, Swift Current has struggled to find success.

Looking to lead the bounce back is Jamie LeBlanc, the new president of the club. LeBlanc took over from Brad Woods, who served on the board of directors of the Swift Current 57’s for 17 years.

“I’ve been around the club for a fair number of years,” said LeBlanc, who owns a sporting goods store in Swift Current.

“I’m just looking forward to jumping on board and be another mind, another set of eyes or ears or some different ideas, a little bit of boots on the ground to try to come up with some different things to try to help the club.”

COACHING

On the field and in the dugout, Ruddy Estrella will be calling the shots as the head coach.

Estrella worked as an assistant coach with the 57’s under skipper Jason Veyna in 2024.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to be the head coach for the Swift Current 57’s. The team has a history of winning behind it, and I am up for the challenge to bring that back. I have family that ties me to the city and the community, so it means a lot to me to be coming back,” said Estrella, who worked as an assistant coach with the Regina Red Sox and the head coach of the Brooks Bombers before he moved to Swift Current.

“I have the opportunity to put up a team that I believe can compete in this league. I’ve already been working hard to recruit high caliber players to put us in the position to be back in playoffs.”

New to the coaching staff this year is Kenny Jinks, a former ace on the team who takes over as the pitching coach for the 57’s. The southpaw from Georgia pitched in 42 games for Swift Current from 2022 to 2024 and went 13-9 with 193 strikeouts over 162-plus innings on the mound. After pitching in the WCBL, Jinks played professional baseball with the Missoula Paddleheads in the Pioneer League.

Former infielder Koby Bubash, who suited up for Swift Current in 2023, has also been brought in as the hitting coach. The Pennsylvania product is a graduate assistant coach at West Liberty University in West Virginia.

PITCHING

Workhorse Adam Korte is back for a second summer in Swift Current. The righthander from Muenster, Saskatchewan logged 64 innings over 16 games, 12 of them starts, during the 2024 WCBL season. The Dawson Community College pitcher was 3-5 with 49 strikeouts and a 5.62 earned run average (ERA) with the 57’s.

Also returning is righty Jaylen Gutierrez, who appeared in 19 games out of the bullpen and made one start for the 57’s last year. The Bronx, New York native had 38 strikeouts and two saves in 48 WCBL innings.

Jorge Maza-Leon, from Toronto, Ontario, is suiting up for a second straight year with the 57’s after registering 16 Ks and a 1-1 record over seven games and 13.1 innings for Swift Current last year.

De’Jon Mitchell and Chase Cummins are new righthanders on the squad. Both pitchers play alongside Gutierrez at Cerro Coso Community College.

Mineral Area College will be represented by a pair of righty arms. Sophomore Micah Garrett has worked as a reliever with the Dirty Birds over the last two years, while Jancarlos Rodriguez has taken the field as both a pitcher and an outfielder. Both players are from the Bronx.

Other right-handed newcomers to the pitching staff are Zackari Sanders (Trinidad State College); Daniel Paton (Hudson Valley Community College); Max Noto (Southern Maine Community College); and Nkosi Didder (Jackson State University).

Hunter Mark is a Valley City State University lefty from Las Vegas, Nevada who has also signed on with the 57’s this summer.

One pitcher who will be missed is Klevert Martina, who led the WCBL in strikeouts in 2024. He racked up 75 Ks and collected seven saves in 64.2 innings with Swift Current last summer. The righty from Kanga, Curacao will pitch for the Saskatoon Berries in 2025.

BATTING

Local infielder Brody Alexandre, who has played 123 games for the 57’s since 2019, will pluck baseballs out of the dirt again this summer. The lefty batter has scored 67 runs, produced 73 runs batted in (RBI) and smacked 17 homers for his hometown team over the years.

Alexandre will be joined in the infield by first baseman Gus Koehn, who had a .375 batting average, 35 runs, and 25 RBI this season at El Paso Community College, and shortstop Ethan Delgado, who posted a .474 batting average, 36 runs and 24 RBI in 25 games at Ecclesia College.

Infielder Trigg Mapes will get to spend more time with Estrella this year. The head coach of the 57’s is an assistant coach at Trinidad State College, where Mapes has a .363 on-base percentage in 53 games over the last two seasons.

Third baseman Wilmer Henriquez joins Swift Current from Cameron University, where he has 27 RBI, 28 runs and a .367 batting average in 37 games this year.

Utility player David Jinks, a University of Maine at Augusta student, is the younger brother of new pitching coach Kenny Jinks.

Several familiar faces will gear up behind the plate for the 57’s.

Saskatoon backstop Casey Prychak has played 71 games for Swift Current since 2023 and produced 21 RBI and 33 runs in his 227 WCBL at bats.

Panamanian catcher Luis Ayala appeared in 38 games with the 57’s last summer and scored 15 runs for the team, while Rydell Adair is a local product who has played in 11 games for Swift Current since 2023.

Juan Almonte, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a new catcher on the team. He is a student at Bluefield University in Virginia.

Returning outfielder Jose Ayala – the brother of Luis Ayala – will be counted on as a major part of the offence again in 2025. Last summer, the Grace College pupil smacked a team-best 11 homer runs and contributed 36 RBI in 51 games with the 57’s.

Outfielder Donovan Borg is back with the 57’s after getting into a pair of games with the club in 2024. The 6-foot-3 St. Clair, Michigan native attends Cameron University.

Other outfield spots will be occupied by some new roster finds, including Justin Ogando (Hudson Valley Community College) and Silas Hilton (Trinidad State College).

A couple of two-way players have also been inked to the club. Ethan Bailey is a Swift Current Minor Baseball graduate who can pitch, play the outfield or go to work as a designated hitter. Braxton Vail is a pitcher and outfielder who plays at Trinidad State College.

Home Ballpark: Mitchell Field

Home Opener: 7:05 p.m., Friday, May 30th vs. Medicine Hat Mavericks

2024 Regular Season Results: 6th place in East Division with 16 wins & 39 losses

2024 Playoff Results: Did not qualify

WCBL Championships: 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2017