By IAN WILSON
The Saskatoon Berries break new ground each season.
In year one of the franchise in 2024, the purple-clad squad posted a winning record and picked up their first playoff series victory.
Their second season was even more impressive. The Berries went 46-9 and established a new Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) regular-season wins record along the way. They followed that up with another thrilling postseason series triumph over the Moose Jaw Miller Express before the Regina Red Sox knocked them out in the East Division final in August.
This year brings some built in excitement with the Berries hosting the 2026 WCBL All-Star Weekend in July. To accommodate this signature event and improve the fan experience at NexGen Patch at Cairns Field, the team is adding 352 new seats behind home plate.
Saskatoon is also participating in the second annual Rural Roots Baseball Classic against the Weyburn Beavers on May 29th in Carnduff, Saskatchewan.
The Berries continue to have high aspirations and will look to convert their regular season success into even better results in the playoffs. An appearance in the WCBL championship series and the opportunity to hoist the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy is a top priority in Saskatoon.
To capture a title, the Berries will need to get past the best that the East Division has to offer.
Let’s take a closer look at the roster and see if they have what it takes.
BATTING
Star outfielder Carter Beck – the WCBL Rookie of the Year and Most Outstanding Canadian in 2024 – is preparing for the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft this summer and has not signed on with the Berries yet. Even if he does get in some games with the club, it’s unlikely he’d be available for the stretch drive and the WCBL postseason.
The Berries will also have to fill the void left by reigning WCBL MVP Ethan Menard. 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).
After leading the league in run production in 2025, the batting lineup of the Berries should be an unwelcome sight to opposition pitchers, with or without Beck and Menard.
Outfielder Ethan Murdoch, who was tops on the club in runs batted in (RBI) with 53 in 50 regular season games in 2025, will be suiting up with Saskatoon for a second season. The former member of the Swift Current 57’s collected 47 runs, 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 13 stolen bases and a .325 batting average last year.
Joining Murdoch in the outfield are Brandon Leon (College of the Desert), Mason Gaines (University of Nebraska Omaha), and Nash Nichols (Dallas College Brookhaven), who are all new to the WCBL.
Melville, Saskatchewan native Nathan Houston is back in the Berries infield. The right-handed batter played a total of 55 games for Saskatoon last summer, including six playoff matchups. In 226 at bats, he had 55 runs, 42 RBI, 22 stolen bases and a .305 batting average.
Newcomers Brock Laird (Southeastern Louisiana University), Gael Salinas (Frontier Community College), Diesel Purnell (Hutchinson Community College), and Nick Cote (Niagara University) will join Houston in the NexGen Patch at Cairns Field infield.
Saskatoon will have fresh blood behind the plate, as well. Gavin Panks (Southeastern Louisiana University) and Aidan Marien (Hutchinson Community College) will mask up for the Berries as catchers.
PITCHING
Saskatoon’s pitching staff allowed the fewest earned runs of any WCBL team last summer and they’ll be well positioned to repeat that feat this year.
Merek Yeager, an original member of the franchise and a Berries Academy graduate, will be back on the bump. The right-handed starting pitcher from Muenster, Saskatchewan has a 6-2 record, 4.92 earned run average (ERA) and 53 strikeouts in 13 games and 60-plus WCBL innings dating back to 2024.
Also back is 6-foot-2 righty Michael Sall, who made seven starts and five relief appearances for the Berries last summer. In his 12 games and 37 innings, the Nebraskan went 1-1 with a 5.35 ERA and 40 strikeouts.
The bullpen will be anchored by closer Tanner Hosick, Clay Mixon and Colin Plain this summer.
Hosick – who goes by the nickname “Juicebox” – was outstanding in 2025. The righty appeared in 19 games, including three postseason contests. Over 25 innings, the Nebraska native racked up 28 strikeouts and five saves, while registering a 2-3 record and a 2.16 ERA. He did not allow an earned run or a walk in five playoff innings.
Mixon, a 6-foot-2 righthander from Texas, went 3-1 with a 3.52 ERA, 29 Ks and two saves in 16 games and 23 innings. Two of those games were postseason appearances.
Plain is a hometown hurler and a 6-foot-2 lefty who studies at Arizona Christian University. Another day-one player with the Berries, Plain has is 4-1 with a 3.15 ERA and 45 Ks in 24 games and 45-plus innings with Saskatoon since 2024. He has two starts and four playoff appearances for the Berries.
New to the pitching staff this season are Mason Engel (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley), Jackson Fox (Cloud Community College), Wesley Shackleford (Odessa College), Brody Wrench (University of Mary), and Jonas Anderson (Odessa College).
COACHING
The reigning WCBL Coach of the Year will be back in the dugout with the Saskatoon Berries this year.
Joe Carnahan led the Berries to a record of 46-9 in 2025, his second season with the team. That wins total established a new high for regular-season victories in the WCBL, eclipsing the 44 wins the Sylvan Lake Gulls registered in 2024.
“The organization and front office holds a high standard in how we operate on and off the field. They provide our coaching staff and players with resources to be successful, and everything they do is first class. Mix all that in with the support we receive from the fans and the city, it makes Saskatoon a special place for players and coaches,” said Carnahan, who was also a winner of top coach in the league honours multiple times when he was the skipper of the Swift Current 57’s.
“Very fortunate to have a great coaching staff that not only did a good job with the players day-to-day, but also made it a lot of fun.”
Ryan Olchoway, who pitched for the Berries in their inaugural season in 2024, is back as the team’s pitching coach. He has also worked with pitchers in the Saskatoon Berries Baseball Academy program.
Olchoway will have the expertise of former MLB pitcher Dustin Molleken at his disposal. The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Famer, who took the mound with the Detroit Tigers and in Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, has signed on with the Berries as a pitching consultant. Molleken held a similar role with the Miller Express in previous seasons.
Chance Wheatley – who won a WCBL championship as the head coach of the Lethbridge Bulls in 2021 – is returning as an assistant coach in Saskatoon for a third summer.
Home Ballpark:Â NexGen Patch at Cairns Field
Home Opener:Â 4 p.m., Saturday, May 30th vs. Weyburn Beavers
2025 Regular Season Results:Â 1st place in WCBL with league-record 46 wins & 9 losses
2025 Playoff Results:Â Lost in East Division final to Regina Red Sox; 3-3 postseason record
WCBL All-Star Weekend: July 18-19th at NexGen Patch at Cairns Field, includes bunt competition, Little League Home Run Derby, WCBL Home Run Derby, Jordyn Pollard concert and WCBL All-Star Game
Tales of Baseball 