Berries WCBL championship win highlights August 2026

The Berries raise the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy as WCBL champs.

The Saskatoon Berries are the boys of spring and summer in “The Bridge City.”

They made Cairns Field the place to be in Saskatoon, and in three years, they created the best day ever locally to be at a baseball park.

On Sunday, August 16, the Berries thumped the Sylvan Lake Gulls 11-1 in Game 2 of the WCBL Championship Series at Cairns Field to sweep the best-of-three set 2-0. The Berries captured their first league championship in just their third year of existence in front of a record crowd of 2,579 spectators.

Before that moment, the Berries faithful, known as the “Jam Fam,” got a trial run about what winning a league title at home might feel like.

Merek Yeager delivers a pitch for the Berries in the WCBL final.

Just four days earlier on Wednesday, August 12, the Berries downed the Moose Jaw Miller Express 7-4 to sweep the best-of-three WCBL East Division Championship Series at Cairns Field. The crowd of 2,467 spectators, which was the Berries record crowd at that time, were roaring at the final pitch and that roar amplified after the final out was caught in right field.

The song “Oh, What a Night” that was released in 1963 by The Four Seasons echoed in the park as the Berries stormed the field in celebration. It felt like that night was the perfect night, but there was no certainty that scene would play out again in the WCBL Championship Series against the Gulls.

AP catcher Aiden Kilshaw was a key player in the Berries post-season run.

In Game 1 of the WCBL final played on Saturday, August 15 at Gulls Stadium in Sylvan Lake, the Berries pulled out a 4-1 victory. In Saskatoon, excitement started to immediately build for a potential league championship win the next night at Cairns Field.

The Berries weren’t going to be denied a series sweep. Game 2 of the WCBL final started with the Berries jumping out to a 3-0 lead after two innings of play, before the Gulls responded with one run in the top of the third to cut Saskatoon’s advantage to 3-1.

The host side exploded for five runs in the bottom of the sixth to surge ahead 8-1 and cruised to victory from that point. The sixth-inning surge allowed the “Fam Jam” to soak in and enjoy the championship victory.

The Berries celebrate scoring two runs in Game 2 of the WCBL final.

A great Saskatchewan story played out on the mound in that WCBL title clinching game. Merek Yeager, who is a 19-year-old from Muenster, Saskatchewan, got the start on the hill for Saskatoon. The right-handed hurler picked up the win striking out four batters and scattering seven hits and a walk over six innings of work.

Brooks Jones, who is a left-handed pitcher from Lawrence, Kansas, struck out five batters in holding the Gulls scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings.

Howetown product Colin Plain, who has been with the Berries for all three seasons of their existence, got the call to close out the night in the ninth inning. The right-handed hurler struck out three out of the four batters he faced, while giving up a double in the mix to start the celebration in earnest.

Ethan Murdoch drives a hit for the Berries in the WCBL final.

At the plate, first baseman Josh Henson nailed a three-run homer to start the surge in the sixth inning. Henson’s round-tripper put the Berries up 6-1 and turned the feeling of what could be a close game into a fairly secure comfort belief that the great night was truly on for the Saskatoon side.

As an extra bonus, catcher Aiden Kilshaw, who was originally from Swift Current and moved to Saskatoon, nailed a solo shot in the seventh inning to give the Berries an 8-1 advantage at that point in time. Kilshaw, who will turn 18-years-old on September 4, was an associate player who joined the Berries on a full-time basis after his final season concluded in late July with the Saskatoon Cubs 18U AAA team.

One year earlier, Kilshaw helped the Cubs win their seventh Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League championship. With the Berries in the 2026 post-season, Kilshaw went 9-for-27 at the plate for a .333 batting average, two home runs and 10 RBI.

Gael Salinas became a fan favourite with the Berries.

Right-handed relief pitcher Wesley Shackelford, who is from Belleville, Texas, was named the MVP of the WCBL playoffs. In four games of work, Shackelford threw nine scoreless innings striking out 14 batters, while giving up one hit and one walk.

He picked up the pitching win in the Berries 7-3 victory over the Regina Red Sox in Game 1 of a WCBL semifinal series on Friday, August 7 at Cairns Field. Shackelford earned the save in the Berries 5-3 win over the Red Sox in a series-deciding Game 3 just two nights later.

Following that 2-1 series victory over the Red Sox, Shackelford came in to get the save in the WCBL East Division Series clinching Game 2 win over the Miller Express. He was on the hill for the Berries picking up the save in their Game 1 victory of the WCBL final over the Gulls in Sylvan Lake.

The Berries begin celebrating their WCBL championship win.

The WCBL championship win closed out the playing career for Berries right-fielder and Swift Current, Sask., product Ethan Murdoch. He was the first member of the Berries to lift the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy after the squad became WCBL champions.

It allowed second baseman, fan favourite and Guanajuato, Mexico, product Gael Salinas cap a memorable first series with the Berries, which saw him represent the club in the WCBL’s All-Star Weekend which Saskatoon hosted on July 18 and 19.

Part of the “Fam Jam” at Cairns Field cheers on the Berries.

The Berries win helped further build the WCBL legend of the team’s head coach in Joe Carnahan. Officially hired by the Berries on July 5, 2023, Carnahan was part of six WCBL championship winners in Swift Current.

He was a player for three title wins in 2001, 2005 and 2006, and he was the team’s head coach for championship victories in 2010, 2016 and 2017. Carnahan stepped down as the head coach and general manager of the Swift Current franchise on September 21, 2020.

With Carnahan as head coach, the Berries got through their growing pains quickly. In their inaugural 2024 campaign, the Berries finished sixth overall in the 12-team circuit with a 31-26 record and fell in a series-deciding Game 3 to the Miller Express in the East Division Championship Series.

The Berries relish lifting the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy.

In 2025, the Berries topped the league’s overall standings with a 46-9 mark, and their win total was a WCBL record for most wins in one regular season. They again fell in a series-deciding Game 3 in the East Division Championship Series this time to the Red Sox, who advanced on to claim the WCBL title.

This past season, the Berries finished fourth overall in the WCBL with a 38-18 mark. They rolled in the post-season posting a 6-1 record that included finishing with a five-game winning streak. They were 4-0 at home and 2-1 on the road.

Steve Hildebrand, left, and Joe Carnahan enjoy their WCBL title win.

Carnahan was named the WCBL coach of the year for a fifth time following the 2025 campaign. On July 11, Carnahan got to see one his Berries grads in Carnduff, Saskatchewan, product Carter Beck, who played centrefield, be selected in the first round and 26^th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the MLB Draft. Beck became the highest ever Saskatchewan born player to be picked in the MLB Draft.

Of course, Berries president Steve Hildebrand played a big role in bringing Carnahan to Saskatoon and creating a culture that allowed Carnahan and the rest of the organization to realize all this remarkable early success. They all helped create a game day atmosphere making Cairns Field a field of dreams with various promotions and concessions that contained various items that contained Saskatoon Berries.

It was fitting that following the WCBL title win on August 16 that a large number of the families and billet families of the Berries players, coaches and staffers got to take part in the championship celebrations on the Cairns Field turf. It started with a big fireworks show and ran long into the night.

The Berries WCBL title win will be a forever memory.

Ultimately, the WCBL championship win was one that everyone with the Berries organization was a part of resulting in a moment that will always be a cherished and joyful memory for the rest of their lives.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Taylor cemented in Hilltops lore with Canadian Bowl pick

Zaden Taylor is a team captain for the Hilltops.

Zaden Taylor already has a moment that ensures he will forever be part of the Saskatoon Hilltops storied lore.

During last year’s CJFL Championship Game played on November 9 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Hilltops kicker Ryden Gratton booted a 37-yard field goal with 28.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to put the host Saskatoon side up 21-18 over the Okanagan Sun. On the ensuing Sun drive, Taylor, who has built a playmaking reputation at outside linebacker, intercepted Sun quarterback Liam Kroeger to seal the 21-18 victory for the Hilltops and allow them to raise the Canadian Bowl winning their 24^th CJFL title.

“I just remember getting swarmed by my teammates and that amazing feeling,” said Taylor. “To have something that incredible happen and a memory like that happen and get to celebrate with my teammates literally right beside me as it happened, it was pretty surreal.

“It is hard not to overplay it in my head.”

When the Sun got the ball at that point in the game, they needed to gain yards in chunks in order to get in range for a game tying field goal. Taylor remembers things were happening at a frantic pace on the play when the opportunity presented itself for him to make his interception that closed out victory.

“That one I believe it was more of a broken play, because I remember covering into the like hook/curl a little deeper,” said Taylor, who stands 6-feet and weighs 215 pounds. “I remember feeling the receiver that was trying to like hook around me was completely covered.

“I saw it was their main receiver. He kind of cut on it. It looked to be like he was either coming from an out or he skied across the field, and I saw (Liam) Kroeger’s eyes just all over him.

“I just break on the ball and try to make a play on it.”

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant has seen many team members over the decades make countless big plays dating back to when he first joined the club as a receiver way back in 1983. With Taylor’s game-clinching interception occurring right in front of the Hilltops bench, Sargeant said that moment was forever burned into his memory.

“It sealed the victory to our 24^th national championship,” said Sargeant, who has guided the Hilltops to 15 CJFL title wins as head coach to go along with two victories as a assistant coach and his first coming in 1985 as a player. “I’ll never forget that moment when he made that play and ran over and gave me the football.

“Right then and there, we knew we were taking these to celebrate a great team victory. Zaden’s been a kid that since he walked in on the first day he has been very important to us. He started as a defensive back, and then because of his football IQ and his playmaking ability and toughness, we moved him to linebacker to the “sam” position.

“He has been patrolling that greatly for the last couple of years and done a tremendous job. He is a team captain now, and as I said, he is very important to our defensive success and team success.”

Taylor joined the Hilltops for their 12-0 CJFL championship season in 2023 from the Delisle Composite High School Rebels nine-a-side football program. At that time, he was the rookie looking to capitalize on every repetition that came his way.

Zaden Taylor unloads a big hit on a Regina Thunder receiver last season.

This season, Taylor is now a grizzled fourth-year veteran and a defensive captain. The 21-year-old is living the days he envisioned getting here when he was a rookie.

“It is pretty cool to be on the other end of it,” said Taylor, who had 25 total tackles, one quarterback sack and four pass knockdowns in the Hilltops eight regular season games in 2025. “I remember as a rookie watching those older guys play hoping I’d be there one day.

“Now that I’m here, it is as cool as I thought it would be. To start for a team as prestigious as the Hilltops is pretty surreal, and it is awesome.”

Taylor’s football journey began when he was a youngster playing in Saskatoon Minor Football’s flag program, when his family lived in Saskatoon. He got a taste of tackle football playing in the Kinsmen Football League.

By the time Taylor entered high school, his family had moved out to Asquith, which is a town located about 55 kilometres straight west of Saskatoon. While going to Lord Asquith School, Taylor was allowed to play with the Rebels due to the fact his school didn’t have a tackle football program.

As a result, Taylor was traveling by car 30 minutes from Asquith to Delisle almost daily for football practices and games during the high school season. During his high school days, Taylor said he found at that time he really enjoyed the physicality of the game.

“I played hockey a lot as a kid, and I was always a big physical player,” said Taylor, who played linebacker and a little bit of running back for the Rebels. “Football kind of brings more physicality into a sport.

“I just kind of enjoyed it from there. Hitting heads is fun.”

The Rebels have built their own strong history having four provincial titles starting in 2002. With that squad, Taylor gained an experience of football being family.

“The camaraderie of that team is really fun,” said Taylor. “You get to know the guys a lot, because we did a lot of summer practices together – just like captains-led practices and all that.

“It was a winning culture out there. There was a lot of winning to do out there and a lot of fun to have after the wins.”

When his high school days concluded, Taylor’s former Rebels teammate in current Hilltops star running back Corbin Ebben just finished his first season with the venerable CJFL club. Taylor’s then current Rebels teammate in offensive lineman Tobin Kirkness was going to Hilltops winter workouts, so defensive standout decided to give that experience a chance.

Zaden Taylor has built a playmaking reputation at outside linebacker.

“I had nothing else going on after high school,” said Taylor, who was teammates with Kirkness on the Hilltops in 2023 and 2024. “I said, “Why not, and I’ll give it a try.”

“It turns out I really enjoyed it even further being around guys that were around my skill level to way better than me. It was a lot of fun to learn from those guys.”

When Taylor joined the Hilltops, Sargeant said it was noticeable how much the Rebels grad was improving each week, each month and ultimately each year. The Hilltops coaches were devising ways to get Taylor more involved on the defensive side of the game.

“He (Taylor) has got great instincts,” said Sargeant. “Sometimes, we put him on a blitz opportunity to impact the game.

“He is one of those playmakers that knows how to get to the ball, and when he gets there, he does something real productive. He is a high-end player, and we’re very fortunate that he is a big part of our success game in and game out.”

Now that Taylor is in his fourth year, Sargeant said the coaches are looking forward to how the skilled linebacker will run with the role of being a team leader.

“Well number one, we’re here to defend a national championship,” said Sargeant. “We’re here to get the 25^th national championship for our tradition, for our fifth-year players and for the city of Saskatoon.

“We’re embracing everything that comes our way. We know it is not going to be easy. We know the spotlight is on us, so we’ve got to take it on.

“I need my best players, my leaders, people like Zaden, players like Zaden, they’ve got to be the best players and the best leaders. If we do that, then we’ve got a chance to be playing in the biggest, best games, and that is what it is all about.”

Taylor said a big turning point last season came when the Hilltops fell in their regular season opener 31-11 to the Rifles in Winnipeg on August 10, 2025 at Maple Grove Rugby Park. He said the veterans led by example from that point onwards to winning the CJFL title.

“It was a tough start to the season,” said Taylor. “We lose to Winnipeg.

“We had I think our third string quarterback in at the time. We didn’t know what was going to happen going into that game, but I do believe we were overconfident in it anyway. From there, the coaches really got on us, and I think that was the biggest momentum changer.

“When you see all the older guys working as hard as they are after a loss like that, it just motivates the entire team to get better, and that is just exactly what happened.”

Taylor said he wants to carry on what he learned from his former veteran teammates who have graduated from the historic squad. When his Hilltops days wrap up, Taylor would like to continue playing the sport, but for now, he wants to fully live in the moment playing for the blue and gold.

Zaden Taylor (#8) enjoys getting a sack last season.

“If an opportunity arises after my fifth year, I’d definitely give it a lot of consideration,” said Taylor. “For right now, the focus is finishing my years off here with the Hilltops and hopefully getting two more championships.”

This piece first appeared in the Saskatoon Hilltops game program on August 23, 2026.