Betts: How the Saskatoon Berries came to be and where they’re going
The Western Canadian Baseball League’s Saskatoon Berries have been a success on and off the field. Photo: Saskatoon Berries/Facebook
May 30, 2025
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
SASKATOON, Sask. _ The Saskatoon Berries haven’t just brought a Western Canadian League team back to the city, they’ve helped transform the sport in the province of Saskatchewan.
Along with the Swift Current 57’s, Regina Red Sox, Moose Jaw Miller Express and Weyburn Beavers, the league has become a must-follow for fans.
But anytime a new team pops up, it begs the question, how did they get here?
Well, it dates back to 2014 when the Saskatoon Yellowjackets, a team in what was then known as the Western Major League, folded after 12 seasons.
That, and the Sask Entertainment Group wanting to bring summer fun to the area.
Led by owners Mike and Colin Priestner and president Steve Hildebrand, the group owns the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades and the National Lacrosse League’s Saskatchewan Rush. But something was missing when the snow melted and the temperatures began to rise.
“We bought the Rush just after COVID,” Hildebrand said.
“He (Mike) was like ‘what else can we do?’ I grew up in a baseball family, I love baseball, the Yellowjackets have been gone for a long time, so we started coming up with stuff and I presented it to Mike. I said I thought this will work.”
And so they got to work.
The name Berries comes from a simple yet meaningful origin. Saskatoon berries, also known as juneberries or serviceberries, is native to North America. When several names were put to a public vote, the Berries rose to the top.
There was some apprehension to the entire idea, Hildebrand admits, because the league hadn’t been in the city for a decade. It was easy to get the ball fans in the area on board, he said, but the key was attracting the non-baseball fan to a night out and a good time.
When the name and team colours were unveiled, dark purple and Carolina blue, popularity skyrocketed.
To say the Berries burst onto the scene would be both a pun and an understatement.
“We like to do things different, we want to be ahead of the curve,” Hildebrand said.
“New Era couldn’t believe the number of hats that were going out. We couldn’t keep up. There were games where people wanted merchandise and all we had was hoodies left. It was plus-25 and they were fine with it.”
On the field in their inaugural season, the team got off to a sluggish 0-5 start.
They collected their first win on May 31 against the Weyburn Beavers with San Jose, Calif. native and George Fox University right-hander Michael Singleton tossing seven scoreless innings and striking out eight to pick up the win. Texas and Missouri born relievers Gage Driskell and Caden Wanless closed it out. Payton McHarg (Saskatoon, Sask.) had a pair of hits.
The team went on to rebound from that rocky start and finish with a 31-25 record. They would then win their opening round best-of-three playoff series 2-1 over the Medicine Hat Mavericks before falling 2-1 to the Moose Jaw Miller Express in the East Division Finals.
Playing at Cairns Field, which is operated as not-for-profit, the Berries have taken care of renovations, including updated concession stands, the erection of a viewing deck and various field work.
The building of the organization continued from the ground up. In addition to the WCBL team, the ownership group created the Saskatoon Berries Academy to fuel the growth of the game and increase the level of play in the area.
The players attend school in the morning before training in the afternoon from 1-to-4. Nutrition, strength and conditioning and a sports mental performance coach is all part of the program led by Joe Carnahan, who doubles as the WCBL manager.
Having high level players from the area is important to the team. This season, Indiana State’s Carter Beck (Carnduff, Sask.) and Marshall University outfielder Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current, Sask.) highlight the roster.
Even more locally, Saskatoon’s own Adam Beamin (Central Arizona College), Reese Brons, Carter Kopp, (St. Xavier University), Colin Plain (Arizona Christian University), Willis Simair and Cory Wouters (McCook Community College) will don the Berries colours.
The commitment to promoting the game by everyone across the province appears to be paying off, as registrations are in line with hockey and the women’s game is also growing, Hildebrand said. The Toronto Blue Jays Rally Cap program has played a big part, which operates in the U7 and U9 age groups for around 2,000 kids in the Saskatoon area. It too, is supported by the Berries.
“I’d love to have it where we have these academy kids playing for the Berries in the summer time,” he said.
“It’s about local development.”
With a successful first season in the books, 2025 becomes a matter of building on the momentum.
Community engagement, on-field success and creating nights to remember at the ballpark are all part of that.
“The biggest thing I’ve said is let’s execute what we do really well,” Hildebrand said.
“More nights out for businesses. We built a giant deck, the suites are sold out every night. Keep getting people into the ballpark.”
Pressure is good, a privilege some say, and Hildebrand is excited to meet it head on in the team’s second season.
“We probably exceeded expectations last year to where we got to,” he said.
“But that’s also what our norm is, our standard is. We have a lot of guys who want to come here to play. The ultimate goal is to win a championship.”