The Saskatoon Berries are a

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

team based in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. Founded in 2023, the team began play in the

Western Canadian Baseball League The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league. The league is home to teams based in the Canadian Prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, and has roots dating back to 1931 in Saskatchewan's Southern Bas ...

(WCBL) in 2024. The Berries host games at Cairns Field.

Team history

Saskatoon Berries vs Lethbridge Bulls at Cairns Field 2024

Saskatoon has a long history with the WCBL, but was without a team for a decade after the

Saskatoon Yellow Jackets The Saskatoon Yellow Jackets were a baseball team that played in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The team was a member of the Western Major Baseball League, a collegiate summer baseball league operating in the prairie provinces of Canada. The team joine ...

folded in 2014. In March 2023, it was announced that Saskatoon had been awarded a WCBL expansion franchise that would begin play in 2024. The franchise is owned by Saskatoon Entertainment Group, run by father–son business partners Mike and

Colin Priestner Colin Priestner (born January 8, 1984) is a Canadian hockey executive, singer/songwriter, and athlete. Career Colin is part-owner, Managing Partner and General Manager of the Saskatoon Blades Hockey Club of the Western Hockey League. Musi ...

, which also owns the

Saskatchewan Rush The Saskatchewan Rush are a Canadian professional box lacrosse team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, that competes in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team plays its home games at SaskTel Centre. Formerly the Edmonton Rush, the team has ...

of the

National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league comprises 14 teams8 in the United States and 6 in Canada. The NLL is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

and the

Saskatoon Blades The Saskatoon Blades are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1964, the Blades were a charter team of the then-Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1966, and are the only club that has played ev ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

. The group signed a 10-year lease at Cairns Field and renovated the facilities there. The team launched a fan vote to name the new team. In July 2023, it was announced that Berries had won over the other nickname finalists, which included the Bridge Pigeons, Cobra Chickens, and River Pirates. Club president Steve Hildebrand called the name "uniquely Saskatoon." Before the end of the month, the team also unveiled its logo and team colours. Ahead of their inaugural season, the club announced a partnership with local minor baseball organizations that includes donating funds from game-day fundraisers. In July, 2023, the Berries hired Joe Carnahan as its coach. Carnahan was a four-time WCBL coach of the year as manager for the

Swift Current 57's The Swift Current 57's (formerly the Swift Current Indians) are a baseball team based in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team is a member of the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL), a collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer b ...

, the team he helped lead to the WCBL championship three times. He also won three titles as a player for the 57's. In June 2024, the team added former Yellow Jacket and

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher Andrew Albers to its coaching staff. The team's inaugural season roster included eight players from Saskatchewan, including three pitchers hailing from Saskatoon. The Berries played their first game in Regina on May 25, 2024, dropping a 5–4 game to the

Regina Red Sox The Regina Red Sox are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. They play in the Western Canadian Baseball League. The Red Sox have won the WMBL title twice, once in 2011 and once in 2012. The ...

. The Berries hosted their first home game on May 28, losing again to the Red Sox by a score of 8–5 in front of a sold-out crowd of 2,200. The team earned its first ever win on May 31, defeating the Weyburn Beavers by a score of 5–0. The Berries' first home win came on June 1, when they defeated the

Lethbridge Bulls The Lethbridge Bulls are a Summer college baseball team playing at Spitz Stadium in Lethbridge, Alberta. The team is a member of the Western Canadian Baseball League, a collegiate summer baseball league operating in the prairie provinces of Can ...

by a score of 16–10. The team went on to compile a 31–25 record before defeating

Medicine Hat Mavericks The Medicine Hat Mavericks are a collegiate summer baseball team that plays in the Western Canadian Baseball League. Based in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, they began play in 2003. They currently play at Athletic Park, a 2200-seat diamond locate ...

in the East Division playoff semifinal; the Berries lost the East Division Final against the

Moose Jaw Miller Express The Moose Jaw Miller Express are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. They play in the Western Canadian Baseball League The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league. ...

. The Berries sold more than 55,000 tickets, the second most in the WCBL. The team was also notified by the

New Era Cap Company The New Era Cap Company (commonly known simply as New Era) is an American headwear company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1920 by Ehrhardt Koch. New Era has over 500 different licenses in its portfolio. Since 1993, it has ...

that its hat was a top-seller among minor league teams in North America.

Season-by-season record

Honours

* WCBL :Regular Season Eastern Division Winners (1): 2025 :top Regular Season record (1): 2025

References

External links

Official website
{{Saskatchewan Sports Baseball teams in Saskatchewan Sports clubs and teams in Saskatoon Baseball teams established in 2023 2023 establishments in Saskatchewan

Team history

Season-by-season record

Honours

See also

References

External links