Berries were Saskatoon’s hottest ticket in summer of 2024

First-year club came up win short of WCBL final

The Berries salute their faithful at Cairns Field on August 13.

If you are going through Saskatoon Berries withdrawal, you likely have company.

The Berries season came to an end just eight days ago on August 13 at Cairns Field. In a series deciding Game 3 of the WCBL’s East Division Championship Series, the Berries dropped a 5-3 decision to the Moose Jaw Miller Express.

Saskatoon claimed Game 1 of that series 14-1 at Cairns Field on August 11 and anticipation was high in “The Bridge City” the expansion club could make the best-of-three WCBL Championship Series. One night later in Game 2 of the set at Ross Wells Park in Moose Jaw, the Express rebounded with a runaway win by a 17-6 score. That set the stage for the Express to claim a tightly contested winner take all Game 3.

The crowd at Cairns Field give the Berries a standing ovation.

After the Berries fell 5-3 in Game 3, they waved their hats to the crowd while being saluted by the 1,811 spectators who packed into Cairns Field. For the summer of 2024, the Berries were the hottest ticket in Saskatoon.

Before the Berries came into existence, the last team from Saskatoon to play in the WCBL was the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets, who existed from 2002 to 2014. In their final campaign in 2014, the Yellow Jackets posted a 20-26 record to finish ninth overall in the then 13 team circuit and drew about 200 spectators per game to Cairns Field.

Carter Beck emerged as the Berries star player.

Fast forward to March 29, 2023, the Sask Entertainment Group announced it had purchased an expansion WCBL franchise to begin play in May of 2024. The Sask Entertainment Group is the parent company that also owns the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades and the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush. That meant the new WCBL expansion franchise, which would be officially dubbed the Berries on July 13, 2023, would have a sound business and marketing team behind it.

Even before the Berries hit the field, the club sold a tonne of merchandise, with team hats being a big hit.

The Berries would also have the advantage of playing at a revamped Cairns Field, which is now part of the massive sports park called the Gordie Howe Sports Complex overseen by the Gordie Howe Sports Complex Management Corporation. Cairn Field’s old grandstand was knocked down in April of 2018 to make way for the new facility built in its place.

Nolan Sparks fires a ball in from left field.

The Berries played their inaugural regular season game on the road falling 5-4 to the Red Sox in Regina this past May 25. The home debut for the new WCBL side came on May 28 at Cairns Field as the Berries dropped an 8-4 decision to the Red Sox. The Berries drew 2,200 spectators to that first home date, and despite the loss, most of the fans that came out to the park left feeling like they had a good time.

The spectators had fun with the various in game promotions. They enjoyed the various foods in the concession that contained Saskatoon Berries and also a Saskatoon Berries branded beer brewed locally by 9 Mile Legacy Brewing.

It was expected the Berries would have growing pains on the field, and they did falling in their first five straight games and posting a 3-8 record after 11 contests. Their first win came on May 31, when they blanked the Beavers in Weyburn 5-0. The first home win came one night later with a 16-10 triumph over the Lethbridge Bulls.

Andrew Albers, left, and Joe Carnahan check out play on the field.

After that 3-8 start, the Berries improved rapidly and finished with a 31-26 record, which placed them sixth overall on the 12-team circuit. The ace that allowed the Berries to improve quickly was the squad’s coaching staff.

On July 5, 2023, the Berries hired Joe Carnahan head coach. He built a legacy in the WCBL in Swift Current playing for league championship teams in 2001, 2005 and 2006. Carnahan became the team’s head coach and guided them to league titles in 2010, 2016 and 2017.

His staff included for MLB hurler Andrew Albers as the team’s pitching coach and Chance Wheatley and Alex Archuleta as assistant coaches.

Colin Plain sets to unload a pitch for the Berries.

Centre-fielder Carter Beck has emerged as the Berries most recognizable star being one season removed from being named the most valuable player of the under-18 AAA level of the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League with the South East Twins. Local area products like Nolan Sparks, Oakland Flodell, Cory Wouters and Colin Plain have came through at key times for the Berries.

United States products like Bailyn Sorensen, Jalen Freeman and Ethan Menard have endured themselves to the Saskatoon and area community since arriving in May.

On the attendance front, the Berries are playing in front of an average home crowd of about 1,900 spectators a night.

A group of youngsters meet Berries mascot “Barry the Bear.”

For Berries president Steve Hildebrand, who is still better known as the associate general manager of the Blades, you could tell the Berries and baseball were his passion, and it was cool to see the season work out like it did.

Hildebrand was able to spend the summer working with his son Max Hildebrand before the go off to be WHL rivals again. Max Hildebrand, who was once an accomplished baseball player himself, is the Berries equipment manager but is best known as the star netminder of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.

It was exciting to see the Berries in the post-season, and it was a pleasant surprise to see them win a best-of-three East Division Semifinal 2-1 against the Medicine Hat Mavericks. Berries fans also experience the tough part in being in the post-season.

A member of the “Berry Bunch” performs at the seventh inning stretch.

Due to the WCBL being a summer league for players playing university or college ball mostly in the United States and partially in Canada, some university and college programs start recalling their players when the WCBL playoffs are on. When the Berries post-season run concluded, about half of their roster had returned to the university and college ranks.

The toughest departure was seeing Sparks depart for Northern Kentucky University Norse Baseball Team following the Berries Game 1 win over the Express in the WCBL’s East Division final. In four post-season games with the Berries, Sparks, who is an alumnus of the Saskatoon Cubs Under-18 AAA Team, was 5-for-18 at the plate with two home runs and four runs batted in. He batted .302 in the regular season, and his timely hits were missed after his departure.

Youngsters run the bases after the Berries last game on August 13.

Even with the departures, the Berries and their fans could see how close to seeing the club go all the way.

Last Saturday playing before 6,341 spectators at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks, the Express found themselves locked in a 5-5 tie with the host Dawgs heading to the ninth inning of a series deciding Game 3 of the WCBL final. In the bottom of the ninth, Dawgs first baseman Connor Crowson hit a solo home run to deliver Okotoks to a 6-5 victory, a third straight WCBL title and an eighth WCBL championship overall.

For the Berries, they gave their fans more thrills on and off the field than maybe a first-year should have been able to provide. They made going to a high-level baseball game in Saskatoon the sexy thing to do and here is hoping that becomes a tradition that follows for a long time to come.

A picture memory is made after the Berries last game on August 13.

A “boys of summer” team that connected with the folks in Saskatoon is here.

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

-------

If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Expect offence to take centre stage for Hilltops in 2024

Trey Reider fires a pass down field on August 1.

It was the year of the defence for the Saskatoon Hilltops in 2023, and it hid the fact their offence was pretty good.

In 2023, the Hilltops allow just 51 points against over their eight regular season games. It was the lowest points allowed total for the team in regular season play dating back to 1949.

Saskatoon followed that up giving up just 25 points in four post-season games on the way to winning the Canadian Bowl to become CJFL champions for a 23^rd time. On the campaign itself, the Hilltops posted a 12-0 overall record giving up a total of 76 points against, which is the team’s lowest total in that department since 1949.

Actually when it comes to combined action in both the regular season and post-season, the 1949 Hilltops are the only squad in the history of the team to give up fewer points against that the CJFL championship winning 2023 Hilltops did.

When you break things down to average points allowed per game, the 2023 Hilltops in overall play gave up an average of 6.3 points a game, which is the lowest total in team history.

With that run, the Hilltops defence seemingly gathered up all the headlines in 2023. The Hilltops offence was strong too, but it was often overshadowed by the defence.

Drake Douglas (#86) was a first team CJFL all-Canadian in 2023.

The 2023 Saskatoon Hilltops were like the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s. Everyone wanted to see “Mean” Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham and Mel Blount on defence. In time, players like Franco Harris, Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth and Mike Webster took centre stage too.

The Hilltops in 2024 return 11 of 12 starters on offence from the previous season. The offence is led by a sure-fire star in quarterback Trey Reider, who is playing his final season of CJFL eligibility.

During the Hilltops eight regular season games, Reider completed 108-of-167 passes for 1,571 yards and 16 touchdowns, while throwing five interceptions. He topped the PFC with a 114.6 quarterback efficiency rating, was named a PFC all-star and took honours as the PFC’s Most Outstanding Quarterback.

Reider returns along with two of his biggest receiving targets in Drake Douglas, who is also in his final year of CJFL eligibility, and Noah Flaman, who is in his fourth year of eligibility. In the regular season in 2023, Douglas hauled in 56 passes for 591 yards and four touchdowns for the Hilltops on the way to being named a first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star. Pass catcher Noah Flaman, who is known as “TD Noah,” caught 21 passes for 422 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season.

That trio played a large part in allowing the Hilltops to top the PFC in regular season scoring with 335 points for an average of 41.9 points per game. Saskatoon finished second in total offensive yards gained in the PFC at 3,556.

Noah Flaman (#85) was a touchdown maker for the Hilltops in 2023.

The biggest missing piece is star power running back Boston Davidsen, who was the Hilltops lone starter that exhausted his CJFL eligibility following the completion of the 2023 campaign. In being named a first team all-Canadian all-star, Davidsen led the PFC in carries (170), rushing yards (1,184) and rushing touchdowns (nine). He finished his CJFL career posting two straight seasons for rushing over 1,000 yards.

Still, a pair of third-year running backs in Charles Sawi and Corbin Ebben have been improving and gaining experience in preparing for the time right now when they have the chance to step into a bigger role. Sawi gives the Hilltops an explosive playmaker, while Ebben brings a power game that is similar to Davidsen’s.

The Hilltops return their starting offensive line in right tackle Cody Shumanski, right guard Victoire Bikulo, centre Matt Noble, left guard Erik Barsness and left tackle Davin Johnson. Saskatoon also has a super sub waiting in the wings in Quinton Pike. Pike started the Hilltops final regular season game and all four of the club’s post-season games at right guard in 2023 after Bikulo was lost due to a lower right leg injury.

Shumanski was a first team all-Canadian all-star a season ago.

When the Hilltops open their regular season schedule on Sunday hosting the Edmonton Huskies at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, it will be the time for the Hilltops offence to take on more of the spotlight.

Charles Sawi can make explosive plays for the Hilltops.

The Hilltops lost some key pieces on defence due to graduation after the 2023 campaign concludes. Middle linebacker Matt Wist, outside linebacker Wade Keating, defensive back Carter Wingert and defensive tackle Craig Torgerson all exhausted their CJFL eligibility. Wist, Keating and Wingert were all key starters and Torgerson played frequent snaps on the defensive line rotation.

Defensive end Riece Kack moved on to join the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team in the U Sports ranks.

Still, the Hilltops defence will be anchored by star veterans in defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens, outside linebacker Noah Gedir and hard-hitting safety Dalton Urban. Stevens was a first team all-Canadian all-star.

With that noted, watch for the Hilltops offence to fly high in 2024.

Berries fever takes over Saskatoon, other notes

Joe Carnahan has words for the umpire crew on Thursday.

Joe Carnahan is well on his way to becoming a household name in Saskatoon.

On Thursday, the Saskatoon Berries head coach took one for the team to give his players an extra spark in their 3-0 loss to the Medicine Mavericks in Game 2 of a best-of-three WCBL semifinal series. The Mavericks win on that night evened the series at 1-1.

Late in that Game 2 with his players having concerns with the strike zone of home plate umpire Brendan Boucher, Carnahan came out of his team’s dugout to make his feelings known. Along with getting in a shouting match with members of the umpire crew, Carnahan proceeded to kick dirt in order to cover up home plate.

Carnahan got tossed, and he walked out of the park to a standing ovation from the 1,974 spectators that packed into Cairns Field. While the Berries are a first-year expansion team, Carnahan has a long and storied history with the WCBL.

He played on Swift Current’s WCBL championship teams in 2001, 2005 and 2006, and he was Swift Current’s head coach winning WCBL titles in 2010, 2016 and 2017. This isn’t his first rodeo going through the ups and downs of a WCBL campaign.

In baseball, good coaches are always thinking about the next game, because in leagues like the WCBL, teams are playing every day. You can expect Carnahan knew putting on a show and getting kicked out would get his players fired up and refocused for the series deciding Game 3 that was to come on Friday night in Medicine Hat.

In that Game 3 at Athletic Park, Berries scored four runs in the top of the ninth to break a 2-2 tie and ultimately post a 6-2 victory to take the series 2-1. Combined with the fact the Moose Jaw Miller Express upset the powerhouse Regina Red Sox sweeping the other East Division semifinal series 2-0, the Berries find themselves having home-field advantage for the best-of-three East Division Championship Series against the Express.

Game 1 is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. at Cairns Field. Game 2 is slated for Monday at 7 p.m. at Ross Wells Stadium in Moose Jaw. If necessary, Game 3 will be held on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Cairns Field.

The Berries stumbled out of the gates with an expected expansion team slow start posting a 3-8 mark to start the regular season. When the regular season wrapped up, the Berries finished with a 31-25 mark to sit third in the East Division just two games back of the Mavericks for second place.

The Express finished fourth in the East Division with a 26-29 mark.

Carter Beck has had a stellar season for the Berries.

The presence of Carnahan along with pitching coach and former MLB pitcher Andrew Albers on the Berries coaching staff did create the conceivable potential the Berries could progress at a rapid rate.

Centre-fielder Carter Beck has emerged as the Berries most recognizable star being one season removed from being named the most valuable player of the under-18 AAA level of the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League with the South East Twins. Local area products like Nolan Sparks, Oakland Flodell, Cory Wouters and Colin Plain have also come through at key times for the Berries.

Plain, a right-handed pitcher who is an alumnus of the Saskatoon Cubs under-18 AAA team, closed out Friday’s win throwing three scoreless innings striking out five batters and give up just one hit.

United States products like Bailyn Sorensen, Jalen Freeman and Ethan Menard have endured themselves to the Saskatoon and area community since arriving in the area in May.

On the attendance front, the Berries are playing in front of an average home crowd of about 1,900 spectators a night.

It is cool to see this season has turned out as it has for Berries president Steve Hildebrand, who is still better known as the associate general manager of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. When the Sask Entertainment Group, the parent company owns the Berries and Blades, bought into the WCBL with the Berries expansion franchise, you could tell the Berries and baseball were Hildebrand’s passion. He really, really wanted to make this work.

To add on to the already memorable campaign, Hildebrand was able to spend the summer working with his son Max Hildebrand before the go off to be WHL rivals again. Max Hildebrand, who was once an accomplished baseball player himself, is the Berries equipment manager but is best known as the star netminder of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.

The Berries are well into playing with house money in 2024. Still at this point in the campaign, you suspect the Berries want to get greedy at this point and win it all.

Backed by the warm crowds that they are playing in front of at home and are starting to follow the team on the road, let’s just see how far this feel-good story can go.

• On Saturday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Team Canada downed Czechia 2-1 in the Gold medal game of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Liam Kilfoil, who plays for the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, and Caleb Desnoyers, who plays for the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats, netted singles for Canada. Jack Ivankovic, who plays for the OHL’s Brampton Steelhead, made 18 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Canadian side. Gavin McKenna, who is a star left-winger of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, had three goals and three assist in five games for Canada at that event. McKenna will turn 17-years-old on December 20.
• The CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference opens regular season play with all six teams hitting the field on Sunday. The defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops host the Edmonton Huskies a 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Regina Thunder travel to Winnipeg to take on the Rifles. The Edmonton Wildcats venture to Calgary to face the Colts.
• On Friday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on PSI Hockey Training, which is an off-ice conditioning program that has attracted the “who is who” of hockey players seemingly in Saskatoon and area. That piece can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by pictures from Softball Canada’s Under-19 Women’s Canadian Fast Pitch Championship tournament that was held on the diamonds at the Complex. That post can be found by clicking right here.

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

-------

If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.