By IAN WILSON
The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) has determined its most outstanding performers for the 2025 season.
The summer collegiate circuit that calls Alberta and Saskatchewan home has unveiled All-Star Teams, Most Valuable Players, the Rookie of the Year, the Most Outstanding Canadian, the Most Outstanding Pitcher, the Top Relief Pitcher, the Coach of the Year and the Mitch Ball Memorial Award winner.
Here is a rundown of the major award recipients of this year:
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: ZANE SKANSI
He played all over the diamond and knocked the ball all over the field this summer.
Zane Skansi was an offensive leader on the Okotoks Dawgs and helped boost the team to a 40-16 record that was good for first place in the West Division of the WCBL.
His individual statistics revealed a fearsome hitter. In 42 regular-season games and 157 at bats with the Dawgs, Skansi posted a 1.088 OPS (on base percentage plus slugging) that was the third best in the league.
The product of Gig Harbor, Washington also finished third in home runs, with 11 dingers, and in a seventh place tie for stolen bases after swiping 22 bags. Add in a .363 batting average, 42 runs and 45 runs batted in (RBI), and a picture of a complete player emerges.
Not bad at all for a slugger in his first year in the WCBL and one who can now call himself the league’s 2025 Rookie of the Year … read more
MOST OUTSTANDING PITCHER: LEVI ABBOTT
He was the last guy you wanted to see on the mound if you stepped into the batter’s box.
Levi Abbott, a 6-foot-5 starting pitcher with the Lethbridge Bulls, was the epitome of consistency and dominance in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) in 2025.
Through eight starts and 52 innings in the regular season, Abbott posted a 1.38 earned run average (ERA), which was the best among qualified starters. The righthander also led the league in strikeouts per nine innings (11.9), batting average against (.172) and walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) with a 0.81 mark in that category.
The Lethbridge native registered 69 strikeouts and went 7-1 with a shutout. The Canisius University student exhibited masterful control in giving up just 10 walks, one wild pitch and zero hit batters. He also only allowed one home run all season.
For his wizardry on the bump, Abbott was chosen as the clear winner of the WCBL’s Most Outstanding Pitcher award … read more
MOST OUTSTANDING CANADIAN: CONNOR CROWSON
Connor Crowson has always worn the red-and-white with pride, so it’s fitting that he has been named the Western Canadian Baseball League’s Most Outstanding Canadian.
The third baseman with the Okotoks Dawgs, a fixture in the heart of the lineup since 2021, was fantastic this summer.
In his 47 regular season games and 162 at bats, Crowson led the WCBL in on-base percentage (.503), finished second in batting average (.401) and his 1.077 OPS (on base percentage plus slugging) was the fourth best in the league.
The consistent hitter registered 51 runs, 45 RBI, 13 doubles, 27 walks, seven stolen bases and three home runs in 2025 … read more
TOP RELIEF PITCHER: MICKEY McCLASKEY
The call to the bullpen was answered – and then some – by Mickey McClaskey this summer.
The closer with the Sylvan Lake Gulls brought the heat to opposing batters in the WCBL in 2025 and he led the team in saves with four in 16 appearances.
Through 23.1 innings pitched, the 6-foot-3 righthander went 2-2 with a 3.08 earned run average (ERA) and 37 strikeouts.
McClaskey – a native of Lake Oswego, Oregon – surrendered 14 hits, 12 walks and eight earned runs during the WCBL regular season and he did not give up a home run in his time on the mound with the Gulls.
His bullpen efforts helped push the Gulls to a 36-20 record that put Sylvan Lake in second place in the West Division.
The hard-throwing Gonzaga University student was picked as the Top Relief Pitcher award winner after 22 voters – including WCBL head coaches, team executives, broadcasters and sports reporters who cover the league – cast their ballots … read more
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: ETHAN MENARD
The robust offence of the Saskatoon Berries helped lead the club to a new wins record in the Western Canadian Baseball League in 2025.
One through nine, the team received production from every hitter in the lineup.
Outfielder Carter Beck – the WCBL Roookie of the Year and Most Outstanding Canadian in 2024 – was a clutch slugger yet again.
Ethan Murdoch led the team in runs batted in (RBI). Designated hitter Cory Wouters, shortstop Nathan Houston and second baseman Abiam Medina also racked up hits and helped push runs across the plate.
One Berries batter stood out among his peers for his work at the plate and at first base.
In his second summer in Saskatoon, Ethan Menard was a dependable presence who could often be found batting second in the lineup. The results of his 2025 WCBL season were sublime. The Louisiana native posted the top slugging percentage (.728), on-base percentage plus slugging (1.175) and isolated power (.335) in the league.
In 35 regular season games and 158 at bats, Menard scored 48 runs, smacked 62 hits, punched through 13 doubles and recorded 39 RBI while stealing 10 bases.
The right-handed hitter led the Berries in batting average (.392) and he and Wouters finished tied for second in the league with 12 home runs.
The superb season has been rewarded with Menard being named the 2025 Most Valuable Player in the WCBL … read more
PLAYOFF MVP: BRADY BYE
The league’s postseason MVP award winner, who was named after the championship final, was catcher Brady Bye of the Regina Red Sox.
Bye led all hitters in RBI with 10 while posting a .333 batting average over eight games and 36 at bats. He picked up a hit in every playoff game during the Red Sox journey to the title, which saw them go undefeated on the road with an overall record of 6-2.
“It means the absolute world to me,” said Bye of clinching the WCBL championship.
“I’m so happy for all my teammates. We’ve been working really hard and every single person on this field earned this. I think we had a lot of grit. We could’ve shut down earlier in the year but we stayed gritty throughout the whole time and I think grit gave us the upper hand in the playoffs.”
When he wasn’t getting it done with his bat, Bye was getting it done on the field with the Red Sox pitching staff.
The home-grown talent, a student at Point University, was a consistent and steadying presence on the team heading into the WCBL postseason … read more
COACH OF THE YEAR: JOE CARNAHAN
The Saskatoon Berries were a behemoth during the 2025 season.
The club set a new record for victories in a regular season by going 46-9 to finish first overall in the WCBL standings.
They only lost back-to-back games once during the summer and their season included an 11-game winning streak and a 10-game unbeaten string.
In addition to their .836 winning percentage, the Berries set new WCBL team records for runs scored in a single season, with 495; runs batted in (RBI), with 415; and total bases, with 967.
Saskatoon also led the circuit in hits (635), home runs (67), stolen bases (152), slugging percentage (.484), batting average (.318), and OPS (.893).
As potent as their offence was, the Berries pitching allowed the fewest earned runs (196) in the league while issuing the lowest walk total (160). Their walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) total of 1.27 and earned run average of 3.66 were also the best in the WCBL.
Head coach Joe Carnahan was at the helm for all of it … read more
MITCH BALL MEMORIAL AWARD: RON SHEWCHUK
The WCBL has named Ron Shewchuk as the top umpire on the summer collegiate circuit for the 2025 season.
Rob Allan, the league’s supervisor of umpires, named the veteran official as the winner of the Mitch Ball Memorial Award, which is given annually to the WCBL Umpire of the Year.
“Ron Shewchuk is a leader on and off the field. Ron has been umpiring in the WCBL since 2014 and has averaged about 60 games per season,” said Allan.
“Not only did Ron umpire in 69 games in the WCBL this year, which including nine playoff games and the All-Star game, but he also was a video supervisor for 91 games. The video supervision was a new program that we started this year where we had an umpire supervisor watch almost every game via video and give feedback to the WCBL umpires. So, Ron on most days would video supervise two games from the previous day and then go umpire a game in the evening. Ron is instrumental to umpire development in the WCBL.”
League President Kevin Kvame noted Shewchuk’s relentless dedication to his craft in acknowledging the award winner … read more
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS
The WCBL gave special recognition to one player and one team as a result of their accomplishments this summer.
Joshua Tucker of the Sylvan Lake Gulls made WCBL history this summer by becoming the first pitcher to record more than 300 career strikeouts.
The southpaw from Spokane, Washington appeared in 46 games for the Gulls between 2022 and 2025.
In his 222.2 regular season and playoff innings, Tucker went 19-7 with 311 strikeouts.
The Saskatoon Berries also had a record-setting campaign.
The purple-clad team from Saskatchewan’s biggest city went 46-9 and finished first overall in the regular season.
The 46 wins set a new high for victories, breaking a record that was set by the Gulls in 2024 when Sylvan Lake registered 44 regular-season wins.
The Berries also set new WCBL team records for runs scored in a single season, with 495; runs batted in (RBI), with 415; and total bases, with 967.
WCBL ALL-STAR TEAMS
The WCBL has named its regular season all-star team selections for the 2025 campaign.
The announcement includes First Team, Second Team, Third Team and Honourable Mention rosters consisting of pitchers, catchers, infielders, outfielders and designated hitters.
Here are the picks, as nominated by WCBL coaches, and voted on by broadcasters and members of the media who cover the league:
FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Catcher: Brady Bye (Regina Red Sox)
Infielders: Ethan Menard (Saskatoon Berries); Connor Crowson (Okotoks Dawgs); Carter Roth (Medicine Hat Mavericks); Timo Aracena (Energy City Cactus Rats)
Outfielders: Zane Skansi (Okotoks Dawgs); William Edwards (Moose Jaw Miller Express); Carter Beck (Saskatoon Berries)
Designated Hitter: Barrey Eiseman (Okotoks Dawgs)
Starting Pitchers: Levi Abbott (Lethbridge Bulls); Joshua Tucker (Sylvan Lake Gulls); Westin Walls (Moose Jaw Miller Express)
Relief Pitchers: Mickey McClaskey (Sylvan Lake Gulls); Donovan Gamez (Lethbridge Bulls)
SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Catcher: Luis Ayala (Swift Current 57’s)
Infielders: Thomas Soto (Moose Jaw Miller Express); Matthew Fox (Regina Red Sox); Jaden Flores (Sylvan Lake Gulls); Ryan Dauphinee (Weyburn Beavers)
Outfielders: Bernie Soccaras (Lethbridge Bulls); Austin Gurney (Moose Jaw Miller Express); Ethan Murdoch (Saskatoon Berries)
Designated Hitter: Cory Wouters (Saskatoon Berries)
Starting Pitchers: Matt Whitney (Saskatoon Berries); Ian Heck (Weyburn Beavers); Tristan Harley (Energy City Cactus Rats)
Relief Pitchers: Heath Hachkowski (Brooks Bombers); Zac Laird (Saskatoon Berries)
THIRD TEAM ALL-STARS
Catcher: Bailyn Sorensen (Saskatoon Berries)
Infielders: Wilmer Henriquez (Swift Current 57’s); Carter Claerhout (Lethbridge Bulls); Ben Waliczek (Moose Jaw Miller Express); Tyler Vanneste (Medicine Hat Mavericks)
Outfielders: Jeremy Freeman Jr. (Medicine Hat Mavericks); Rafael Jackson (Regina Red Sox); Ben Fishel (Brooks Bombers)
Designated Hitter: Ian Heck (Weyburn Beavers)
Starting Pitchers: Ashe Ammerlaan (Fort McMurray Giants); Luis Diaz (Medicine Hat Mavericks); Blake Johnson (Regina Red Sox)
Relief Pitchers: Ayden Page (Regina Red Sox); Chase Tucker (Okotoks Dawgs)
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
Catcher: Logan Grant (Okotoks Dawgs)
Infielders: Nathan Houston (Saskatoon Berries); Abiam Medina (Saskatoon Berries); Wyatt Ormonde (Brooks Bombers); Stevyn Andrachik (Lethbridge Bulls)
Outfielders: Brennan McTavish (Lethbridge Bulls); Payton Matthews (Brooks Bombers); Jake Skaggs (Okotoks Dawgs)
Designated Hitter: Jack Kalisky (Lethbridge Bulls)
Starting Pitchers: Adam Korte (Swift Current 57’s); Maxim Mrakovcic (Lethbridge Bulls); Xander Roberts (Medicine Hat Mavericks)
Relief Pitchers: Tanner Hosick (Saskatoon Berries); Nathan Pisio (Moose Jaw Miller Express)
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