Dawgs' Skansi named WCBL Rookie of the Year

Okotoks Dawgs slugger Zane Skansi has been named the Western Canadian Baseball League Rookie of the Year. Photo: WCBL

*This article was originally published on the WCBL website on Oct. 1. You can read it here.

October 2, 2025

By Ian Wilson

Western Canadian Baseball League

He played all over the diamond and knocked the ball all over the field this summer.

Zane Skansi was an offensive leader on the Okotoks Dawgs and helped boost the team to a 40-16 record that was good for first place in the West Division of the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL).

His individual statistics revealed a fearsome hitter. In 42 regular-season games and 157 at bats with the Dawgs, Skansi posted a 1.088 OPS (on base percentage plus slugging) that was the third best in the league.

The product of Gig Harbor, Washington also finished third in home runs, with 11 dingers, and in a seventh place tie for stolen bases after swiping 22 bags. Add in a .363 batting average, 42 runs and 45 runs batted in (RBIs), and a picture of a complete player emerges.

Not bad at all for a slugger in his first year in the WCBL and one who can now call himself the league's 2025 Rookie of the Year.

"It’s an honour and I’m extremely grateful to be named Rookie of the Year. None of it would be possible without my coaches, teammates, and the Dawgs organization," said Skansi of receiving the honour.

"First and foremost, I want to thank my parents for supporting me and being my biggest fans throughout my baseball journey. I also want to thank all of the coaches in the Dawgs organization for giving me the opportunity to play in a Dawgs uniform, and for a summer that created lifelong friendships and memories. Lastly, I want to thank all of my teammates for grinding out the summer and bringing the energy to the park every single day."

Skansi was selected as the award winner after 22 voters - including WCBL head coaches, team executives, broadcasters and sports reporters who cover the league - cast their ballots. Each voter was asked to submit their first, second and third choices for the major awards. Nine players received first-place votes for the WCBL Rookie of the Year, but it came down to a two-person race between Skansi and William Edwards of the Moose Jaw Miller Express. Skansi appeared on 15 different Rookie of the Year ballots, more than any other candidate, and he also received votes for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

"Zane, in my eyes, is the MVP of the league," said Lou Pote, the interim manager of the Dawgs.

"No one had more clutch hits and no one was more consistent from start to finish than Zane. He played all three outfield spots and played everywhere in the infield, as well."

The 6-foot-2, right-handed hitting Skansi was quick to credit his teammates for his on-field success.

"I think most of my success for the summer came from my teammates. I think it’s always easy to play when you’re having a good time and the group of guys we had made it really easy to just have fun and play baseball," said Skansi, adding he was impressed by the calibre of play in the summer collegiate circuit.

"I thought the WCBL brought great baseball, great coaches, and great fans. It was my first summer playing in the WCBL and I’d recommend this league to future players looking for good competition, great coaches, and great atmospheres."

Skansi is currently a grad assistant coach at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. He's working on getting a masters degree in business administration.

"I am still looking for professional baseball opportunities, but when that road ends I want to join the United States Air Force," said Skansi, who is an avid fan of the Seattle Mariners.

Along with Skansi and Edwards, other players who received multiple first place votes for Rookie of the Year included Brooks Bombers outfielder Ben Fishel, Swift Current 57's infielder Wilmer Henriquez and Regina Red Sox outfielder Rafael Jackson.

The 2024 winner of the award was Carter Beck, a star outfielder with the Saskatoon Berries.