July 10, 2025

By Ian Wilson

Western Canadian Baseball League

The stars are ready to shine brightly for the Western Canadian Baseball League.

The WCBL has announced its player selections for the East Division and West Division rosters that will take the field at the 2025 All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, presented by FortisAlberta. The signature event takes place on Saturday, July 19th at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks.

Here is a closer look at the players who have been chosen to represent their teams.

WEST DIVISION

There are six Alberta teams in the West Division, including the Okotoks Dawgs, Lethbridge Bulls, Sylvan Lake Gulls, Energy City Cactus Rats, Fort McMurray Giants and Brooks Bombers. The Dawgs are the reigning WCBL champions and have won three straight titles.

The West Division has won three of the last four WCBL All-Star Games.

PITCHERS

Okotoks has two starting pitchers that have been named to the roster. Austin Eaton - a right-handed senior from Frisco, Texas - has a 2-0 record in 20 innings pitched, along with a 1.80 earned run average (ERA), 22 strikeouts and just two walks. He's appeared in four games and three of them have been starts. Teammate Seth Gurr is a product of Coaldale, Alberta who is 3-2 with a 2.64 ERA, 27 Ks and five walks in his six starts and 34 innings of work. The righty is unavailable to play in the All-Star Game and a substitute will be announced before July 19th.

The Lethbridge Bulls have three representatives available for mound duty. Levi Abbott, a 6-foot-5 local product, has been lights out in leading the WCBL with a 0.28 ERA. The righty is also on the league's leaderboard in strikeouts (40 Ks in 31 innings) and is a perfect 5-0 in his first five starts. Joining Abbott is Maxim Mrakovcic, a 6-foot-3 righthander from Sydney, Australia who also sports a 5-0 record after six starts and 32.1 innings of work. The senior has 28 strikeouts and a 3.34 ERA. Another towering hill topper, 6-foot-4 Brett Getz, will suit up for the West. The Medicine Hat native is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 23 Ks in 23 1/3 frames. Four of his five appearances have been starts.

A trio of Gulls have also been added to the West Division pitching staff, including Josh Doelitsch, Matthew Mackenzie and Mickey McClaskey. Doelitsch is a 6-foot-6 righthander from Texas who has a 2.32 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings pitched. Of his six appearances, half have been starts. Mackenzie is 2-2 with a 3.25 ERA and 18 Ks through 19 1/3 innings pitched. The Nova Scotian has pitched in six games, making three starts and three relief appearances. McClaskey stands 6-foot-3 and plays for Gonzaga University. In the WCBL, the Oregon native has worked as a closer for the Gulls. McClaskey has three saves over nine relief appearances and has racked up 24 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings. He's also 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA.

Another three pitchers made the team from the Energy City Cactus Rats roster: Archer Blumenschein, Braden Giardina and Tristan Harley. Blumenschein is a reliever from Sherwood Park, Alberta who has one save and 20 strikeouts through 16 innings and 12 appearances. Giardina is a starting pitcher who has gone 3-0 with a 3.28 ERA and 30 Ks in his seven games and 35-plus innings with the Cactus Rats. Harley is a righty who hails from Florida and has 45 strikeouts in 36 innings. The 6-foot-2 righthander is 2-2 with a 3.25 ERA in nine games, seven of which were starts. He also has one save this year.

The Fort McMurray Giants are sending two hurlers to the All-Star Game. The pride of Oranjestad, Aruba will bring his strikeout artistry to Okotoks on July 19th. Ashe Ammerlaan has 39 Ks in his 20.1 innings in the WCBL. The lefty has a 4.42 ERA and has made four starts in his eight games with the Giants. Luke Glenn is 3-1 with a 3-1 record and a 1.62 ERA. The Queensville, Ontario product has recorded 23 strikeouts over 27-plus innings and has made three starts in his seven appearances. Glenn has only walked three batters.

There are a pair of arms from the Brooks Bombers who made the cut. Heath Hachkowski is a righty reliever from Red Deer with a 2-1 record, 2.18 ERA and 17 Ks in 12 1/3 innings. Texan Julian Pokorny has taken the mound for Brooks on eight occasions and made three starts for the Bombers. He's a K-per-inning pitcher in the WCBL over the last two summers and he has a 3.19 ERA and one save this season.

HITTERS

Behind the dish, Nick Sauve will represent the Giants and the West Division. The Calgarian, who studied at Okanagan College, has 20 hits and 12 runs through 21 games this season.

The infield includes Darcy Barry, who plays with Sauve in Fort McMurray. The Australian is in his second season with the Giants and has a .313 batting average, 18 runs, 12 runs batted in (RBI), five homers and six steals over 22 games this year.

The Gulls are contributing a pair of infielders to the squad, including Jaden Flores and Rowin O'Connor. Flores call Dallas, Texas home and has been an offensive menace in the WCBL in 2025. In his first 23 games, the Texas Southern University student is batting .338 with 22 RBI, 17 runs, 10 stolen bases and six long balls. O'Connor is a Gonzaga University player from Seattle, Washington who has a .309 batting average, 17 runs and 15 RBI in 27 games with the Lake Boys.

Hometown fans can look forward to seeing some familiar faces from the Dawgs throwing the ball around the horn. Corner infielder Connor Crowson and middle infielder Ricardo Sanchez will get big cheers from the Seaman Stadium faithful. The "Crow Show" is a local talent who has a .400 batting average, 32 runs and 29 RBI in 29 contests. Sanchez, his long-time teammate, is hitting .347 with 23 runs and 10 steals over 23 games.

The Lethbridge Bulls are sending Carter Claerhout to work a corner infield spot for the big game. The senior from Red Deer is swinging a hot bat this season. In 31 games, Claerhout has recorded a .348 batting average, seven homers, 24 RBI and 26 runs.

Timo Aracena is in the midst of a stellar campaign with the Energy City Cactus Rats. The infielder from Florida is carrying a .402 batting average through 34 games this summer, along with 30 runs, 27 RBI, 12 doubles and 10 stolen bases.

The Bombers will be repped by Maddox Shaver in the infield, along with Payton Matthews and Ben Fishel in the outfield. Shaver is batting .338 with 17 RBI in 24 games, while Matthews is hitting .340 with 16 runs, 15 RBI, five homers and seven steals over 24 contests. Both players are in their second season with Brooks. Fishel joins the WCBL out Columbia University in New York and has been hitting the ball hard this summer. Through 24 games, Fishel has a .376 batting average, 24 runs and nine stolen bases.

Season ticket holders of the Dawgs can look for Barry Eiseman and Zane Skansi to shag fly balls in the outfield. Eiseman is a senior from Reinhardt University who is in his second season with Okotoks. This year, he's posted a .387 batting average, 21 RBI, 19 runs, and nine doubles in 24 games. Skansi is in his first season with the Dawgs and has connected for seven round trippers, 30 runs, 30 RBI, 16 stolen bases and a .398 batting average in his first 27 games with the club.

Brennan McTavish is on loan from the Bulls after the Lethbridge outfielder collected 28 RBI, 22 runs, five homers, six steals and a .292 batting average through 31 contests.

Rounding out the West Division outfield spots are Parker Husu, a member of the Energy City Cactus Rats, and Elijah Olaybal, who roams the green patches of Legacy Dodge Field for the Giants.

Husu - a native of Victoria, B.C. - is batting .303 through 29 games in the WCBL, and has 24 runs and 17 RBI. Olaybal is another British Columbian on the squad. The University of Fraser Valley student registered a .313 batting average, 14 runs and eight doubles in his 22 games with Fort McMurray.

EAST DIVISION

There are six WCBL clubs in the East Division, including five from Saskatchewan and one based in Alberta. They include the Moose Jaw Miller Express, Regina Red Sox, Swift Current 57’s, Weyburn Beavers, Saskatoon Berries and Medicine Hat Mavericks. The Miller Express, the reigning division champs, represented the East in the 2024 WCBL final.

The East Division defeated the West Division by a score of 13-6 in the 2024 WCBL All-Star Game.

PITCHERS

Ian Heck got the full experience at the 2024 WCBL All-Star Game. The two-way talent with the Weyburn Beavers participated in the Home Run Derby, served as the starting pitcher for the East Division and later hit a triple in the contest. Heck has been selected as an All-Star again this year and is officially listed as a pitcher, although he could end up in the batter's box or the field during the game. The Californian is 2-3 with a 3.99 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 38 1/3 innings and seven starts this year. At the plate, he's batting .328 with 29 RBI, 16 runs and four homers in 31 games.

Heck will be joined by a pair of mound mates from the Beavers, including Logan Kinter and Joe Hart. Kinter is a right-handed reliever from New Mexico with a 3.52 ERA and 40 Ks in 23 innings. He also has a 3-4 record in his 10 games for Weyburn. Hart has made nine appearances, including three starts. In that time, the WCBL veteran has 21 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings.

The Miller Express will have three pitchers available to pound the strike zone. Texan Westin Walls, a 6-foot-5 righty, has racked up 47 strikeouts over 37 innings in nine appearances, eight of them starts. Rudy Guardiola also hails from Texas and is 3-1 with a 4.57 ERA and 26 Ks in 39 1/3 innings of work. The 6-foot-3 moundsman has been primarily used by Moose Jaw as a starter. Nathan Pisio is a homegrown bullpen arm, who has a 3-2 record, two saves, 21 strikeouts and a 2.11 ERA over 11 relief appearances and 17 frames.

A pair of right-handed starting pitchers will represent the Regina Red Sox. Californian Blake Johnson has been superb for the Queen City ball club. He's got a 1.65 ERA and 43 Ks in 32-plus innings over six starts. The senior has a 1-0 record and has only issued six walks this season. His teammate, Kai Langford, is 3-2 with a 3.62 ERA and 22 strikeouts in his five starts. The Texan has logged 27 1/3 innings and recorded a shutout over Sylvan Lake this summer.

The Saskatoon Berries will send two pitchers to the All-Star Game festivities. Southpaw Matt Whitney is 4-0 in his six starts this year. The former member of the Fort McMurray Giants has a 3.20 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings. He'll be joined by closer Tanner Hosick, who has three saves, a 2-1 record and a 1.84 ERA. The Nebraskan has made 10 appearances and has 16 Ks in 14 2/3 innings.

Xander Roberts and Luis Diaz will represent the Medicine Hat Mavericks and the East Division at the game. Diaz has excelled out of the bullpen for the Mavs, registering 39 strikeouts in 41-plus innings while registering a 4.35 ERA. The Mexican has a 1-1 record and one save in 12 games. Roberts is a righty from Kansas with a 4-1 record, a 3.73 ERA and 23 Ks in 31 1/3 innings. The Tabor College senior has pitched in seven games and made six starts.

Swift Current will send Brody Bornstein and Adam Korte to Seaman Stadium. Korte is a product of Muenster, Saskatchewan and has been mainly used by the 57's as a starting pitcher. He's 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings on the bump. Korte has started seven games and he picked up a save in his lone relief appearance. Bornstein has worked mostly out of the bullpen for Swift Current. In 12 games and 24-plus innings, the Californian has 21 Ks.

HITTERS

Carter Beck, the MVP of the 2024 All-Star Game and runner-up in the Home Run Derby, will patrol the outfield for the East Division again. In 24 games with the Berries this season, the Carnduff, Saskatchewan product is batting .323 with 24 runs, 19 RBI, eight stolen bases and a pair of home runs.

Jeremy Freeman Jr. will join Beck in the outfield. The speedster from Chicago, Illinois - a member of the Mavericks - leads the league in stolen bases, with 17 swipes. Through 32 games with Medicine Hat, he's posted a .326 batting average, scored 36 runs, smacked 11 doubles and collected 20 RBI.

The Weyburn Beavers are sending Noah Brooks to the prestigious exhibition game. The B.C. native is batting .310 with 24 runs, 21 RBI, three homers and seven steals in 31 WCBL contests.

William Edwards, who leads the league in doubles with 14, will be on hand from Moose Jaw. The 6-foot-3 outfielder, originally from Australia, has a .365 average, 38 RBI, 37 runs, six long balls and 11 swiped bags in 33 games for the Miller Express.

New Mexico's Silas Hilton will represent the 57's in Okotoks. The Trinidad State College outfielder is batting .306 with 21 runs in 28 games with Swift Current.

Jackson Syring was originally selected as an All-Star for the Regina Red Sox for a second straight year, but the outfielder from Derby, Kansas is unable to attend. Instead, the team will send Rafael Jackson, who has 11 stolen bases, 35 runs, 21 RBI and nine doubles in 32 games. The product of the Virgin Islands is batting .346.

The East Division will have three catchers to choose from.

Luis Ayala, a backstop with the 57's, is batting .345 with 17 runs, 11 RBI and six steals for Swift Current through 29 games.

Brady Bye, a veteran with the Red Sox, has registered a .346 batting average, 19 RBI and 17 runs for Regina over 22 games this year. The local talent is in his third season with Regina.

The Berries have offered up Bailyn Sorensen to help behind the plate. The Louisiana pitch framer is in his second season with Saskatoon. In 28 contests this year, Sorensen has 27 runs, 21 RBI, 12 doubles and five steals.

The East Division has plucked two more Berries for infield work. First baseman Ethan Menard - who has eight homers, 31 runs and the top batting average in the WCBL by hitting at a .432 clip in 19 games - will be alongside second baseman Abiam Medina, a native of Puerto Rico in his first season with Saskatoon. In 24 games, Medina is batting .365 with 21 runs and 23 RBI.

Austin Gurney and Thomas Soto, long-time members of the Miller Express, will represent Moose Jaw by plucking grounders from the infield at Seaman Stadium. Gurney, who hails from Campbell River, B.C., leads the league in RBI, with 40, while also scoring 30 runs and batting .394 in 32 games. Soto's 46 runs are tops on the circuit. The Texan also has a .313 batting average, 18 RBI and nine steals over 32 games.

A pair of Mavericks - Tyler Vanneste and Carter Roth - are repping the Gas City as infielders. Roth plays third base and has more hits than anyone in the WCBL. Through 31 contests, the Stratford, Ontario product has hit safely 58 times, good for a .417 batting average, while producing 30 RBI. Vanneste has clobbered six homers, scored 27 runs, manufactured 23 RBI and batted .351 in 27 games.

Wilmer Henriquez will swap out his 57's ball cap for an East All-Star lid. The New Jersey native has eight round trippers, 20 runs, 19 RBI and a .310 batting average in 25 games with Swift Current.

The Beavers will have Ryan Dauphinee as a returnee to the All-Star Game. Through 31 games this season, the Surrey, B.C. shortstop has 32 RBI, 27 runs, 11 doubles, four homers and a .323 batting average.

Jalen Seward was chosen as an infielder for Regina but he cannot attend the midsummer classic. His substitution is Matthew Fox, a shortstop from California who is hitting .302 with 23 runs, 12 doubles and seven stolen bases in 30 WCBL contests.

ALL-STAR GAME DETAILS

The WCBL All-Star Game takes place on Saturday, July 19th at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks.

Each pitcher will throw a maximum of 30 pitches or one inning, while position players will play a minimum of two innings or long enough to get one plate appearance.

In the event that All-Star players are unable to attend or participate, WCBL teams must select someone to replace them on the roster.

Autograph sessions will take place with former Major League Baseball (MLB) star Matt Stairs, several WCBL mascots will be in attendance, and the matchup will be followed by fireworks displays.

More All-Star Game announcements are expected in the days leading up to July 19th.

WCBL unveils 2025 All-Star Game rosters