Saskatoon, the floor is yours.
After four years of hosting the stars of the Western Canadian Baseball League, the Okotoks Dawgs have passed the All-Star Game torch onto Saskatchewan’s largest city.
Their job heading into 2026 will be to maintain the momentum and prestige of the game, which has been highlighted by capacity crowds, exciting baseball action and numerous memories made.
Knowing the Berries, they will be adding their own unique flavour, which is almost expected given everything they have done since joining the summer circuit.
And it started right away with the unveiling that they are turning it into a two-day event.
“Our goal is to include our fans and community into the event, and to also create a full festival environment for the weekend,” said Tyler Wawryk, Vice-President of Business Operations.
“We have some exciting things in the works and, as we get closer, we’ll be able to share more details, but we can assure you this will be the sweetest baseball event Saskatoon has ever seen.”
After Saturday’s rain-soaked 10-3 East Division victory at Seaman Stadium, now is a great time to reflect on the last four years in Okotoks and look ahead to the future of the All-Star festivities.
GIVE ‘EM THEIR FLOWERS
It’s not easy putting together a showcase event with the kind of magnitude of an All-Star Game, where you’re welcoming in the fanbases of all member teams.
The logistics of hotels, meals, celebrity guests, special broadcasts and so much more – all usually going on behind-the-scenes – shouldn’t be understated.
Dawgs managing director John Ircandia and his team, led by WCBL All-Star Game Chairman and Dawgs Academy coach Tyler Milton, handled it all with mastery.
Each year, the event got better, a testament to Ircandia’s belief that, essentially, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
He said it was important not to reinvent the wheel and use the previous season’s game as a baseline for making minor adjustments.
Despite calls from fans in other communities to move the game away from Okotoks (cue the “Okotoks gets everything” crowd), the Dawgs were called back into action for the final two years when no other bids came in.
And Ircandia says it was a pleasure getting to host the showcase over the last four seasons.
THROWING DARTS AT A MAP
After the 2023 game, I opined about who could potentially host the 2024 event, with Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and Regina at the top of my list, while Sylvan Lake was rising up the depth charts.
At the time, the Berries were just small seedlings, having not played a game yet and it being unknown whether the community would support the squad.
Two years later, I can comfortably say Saskatoon fans have proven their point.
Between the stands being packed each night and an exciting team on the field, they have become a massive success story for the league.
With the Regina Red Sox being purchased by Queen City Sports and Entertainment, which will give a major shot in the arm to their hopes for a new stadium to replace Currie Field, the Berries seemed to be the most poised East Division team to take a run at the All-Star Game weekend.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the best of the WCBL to Saskatoon for the 2026 All-Star Weekend,” said Berries president Steve Hildebrand. “Since we announced the return of a baseball team in Saskatoon, the support for the Berries has been nothing short of overwhelming.”
The team has already released the logo for the two-day event, which will also give the league some buffer in case the weather isn’t ideal like it was this past weekend.
The clock has now started on a calendar year for the Berries to get all the pieces in place to make the game as successful as possible.
CURTAIN CALL
The expectation now from the league is that the All-Star Game will move to a new location each season.
It’s a logical step as it’s no different than Major League Baseball changing venues for their festivities or the Canadian Football League moves around the Grey Cup.
It gives fans in every market something to look forward to and something to rally around.
Every community in the league is more than capable of putting on a good show with a great core of fans, baseball supporters and volunteers who want to do good by their communities.
It also gives them an opportunity to dream about what might be coming down the road.
Now, I have no seat at the WCBL Board of Governors’ table, nor do I think I have any sway with any of the teams, but if I were to bring out my crystal ball, my vote for 2027 would be for the Sylvan Lake Gulls.
The team flew onto the scene during the pandemic-abbreviated 2021 season and have made it to the West Division final each of the last three seasons. The fanbase has packed the park every night ever since, and even general manager Aqil Samuel said at the team’s Hot Stove event before the season that they would be making a bid.
The debate will most certainly be animated as we move forward on who will get the call for 2027 and beyond.
For now, I think it’s worth saying “thank you” to the Okotoks Dawgs for being the consummate hosts of the WCBL All-Star Game over the last four years. You did a fantastic job showcasing your community, stadium and team.
I said it two years ago and I’ll say it again: take a bow.
Tales of Baseball 
3 thoughts on “OPINION: Passing the All-Star Game Torch”