Wilson: WCBL Finals preview - Gulls vs. Berries

The Western Canadian Baseball League finals will feature a battle between the Saskatoon Berries and Sylvan Lake Gulls. Photo: WCBL

August 13, 2026

By Ian Wilson

Western Canadian Baseball League

There is a changing of the guard in the Western Canadian Baseball League.

When the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy is lifted at the conclusion of the 2026 WCBL Championship Series, one team will be raising it for the first time in franchise history.

The Saskatoon Berries advanced to the big dance after eliminating the defending champion Regina Red Sox in the opening round and sweeping the top-seeded Moose Jaw Miller Express in the best-of-three East Division Final.

In the West Division, the Sylvan Lake Gulls went the distance with the Lethbridge Bulls in their opening series before sweeping their rivals, the Okotoks Dawgs, for a second straight summer in the division final.

Both clubs are relative newcomers to the WCBL. The Berries are in their third season of play and are making their first trip to the championship final. The Gulls began play in 2021 and made their first finals appearance last year, losing in three games to the Red Sox. Sylvan Lake set a league record for wins in 2024 with 44 victories, only to see a new milestone reached by Saskatoon last year when the Berries went 46-9 in the regular season.

On paper, it's an even matchup. Saskatoon and Sylvan Lake posted identical 38-18 records during the regular season and finished in second place in their divisions. The Gulls had a run differential of plus-191, while the Berries scored 187 runs more than they allowed.

The two teams split their regular season series, with both winning a game each, meaning home field advantage was determined by runs for and against in their head-to-head matchup. Sylvan Lake had the edge there and will host the first game on Saturday, Aug. 15th at Gulls Field at 7:05 p.m. The second matchup shifts to NexGen Patch at Cairns Field in Saskatoon at 7:05 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16th. If necessary, a third and deciding game will occur in Sylvan Lake on Monday, Aug. 17th, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m.

Here's a closer look at the two teams that are chasing history:

SYLVAN LAKE GULLS

With consecutive postseason sweeps over Okotoks and back-to-back trips to the WCBL Championship Series, the Gulls have stepped out of the shadow of the Dawgs - a team that won a three-peat of titles from 2022 through 2024 - to claim "best in the West" status.

After being one strike away from getting their names engraved on the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy in 2025, the Gulls have ample motivation to complete the mission this year.

One major shift for the organization was the move of Jason Chatwood from head coach to general manager after last season. That allowed Chatwood, the skipper of the club since its inception, to focus on recruitment while long-time assistant coach Matt Hape took on a bigger role as head coach.

While the team was locked into second place in the West Division for the bulk of the season, they rounded into postseason form in early August. Sylvan Lake defeated the Bulls in that series opener by a 9-2 score at Gulls Field, dropped the second game at Spitz Stadium 10-3, and held on for a 3-2 triumph over Lethbridge in the third game.

The Gulls began the West Division Final at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks and limited the high-octane offence of the Dawgs to just a pair of runs during a 7-2 win. Sylvan Lake jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the early stages of the second game at Gulls Field before the Dawgs chipped away and tied things up in the seventh inning. A wall-scraping solo blast by first baseman Coleman Parry gave the Gulls a 9-8 lead that closer Brayden Stewart would not relinquish.

In their journey to the final, the Gulls are 4-1 with 31 runs for and 24 runs against.

At the plate, Sylvan Lake has received contributions up and down the lineup during the postseason. Australian outfielder Charlie Collins leads the club with eight hits and has three runs batted in (RBI), two runs, a double, a triple and a stolen base. Third baseman Johnboy Rittenhouse is the RBI leader on the team, with nine. The Scottsville, Virginia product is also batting .350 with a 1.114 OPS, six runs, three doubles and a homer. In addition to his two home runs in the series against the Dawgs, Coleman Parry has seven RBI and a double. Other offensive leaders include Oakville, Ontario outfielder Elijha Hammill (seven hits, four RBI, four runs, three doubles, six walks); shortstop Jaden Flores (five runs, five hits, two RBI, one home run, two doubles); outfielder Dominic Giusti (five hits, five runs, .600 on-base percentage); designated hitter Cleary Simpson (four hits, three runs, one RBI, three walks) and second baseman Maddox Shaver (four hits, two runs, two doubles).

The hill toppers with the Gulls have also done a good job of limiting the run production of the opposition. Noah Bourgeois was masterful in his start against the Dawgs, logging six innings, six strikeouts and a 1.17 earned run average to get the series-opening win in Okotoks. He also made an impressive pickoff throw to first base to get speedster Cal Gates off the base paths. Other winning postseason outings came from Reece Hemmerling (five innings, eight strikeouts, 1.40 ERA) and Matthew Mackenzie (5.2 innings, three strikeouts, 2.47 ERA), who both claimed victories over Lethbridge.

Closer Brayden Stewart has been lights out for the Gulls in picking up one win and one save in his 5.2 innings of work. He has eight strikeouts and has not given up an earned run in his two outings. Sylvan Lake has also received strong bullpen outings from Seth Mahler (five innings, six strikeouts, 2.80 ERA), Kyle Froehlich (five innings, six strikeouts, 5.60 ERA), and Trent Chavez (two innings, four strikeouts, no hits, no walks, no runs).

SASKATOON BERRIES

Over in the East Division, the Berries have been quick to establish a winning culture under head coach Joe Carnahan, who won championship titles and individual accolades as a player and a coach with the Swift Current 57's before he arrived in Saskatoon.

The front office has also done a bang-up job of painting Saskatoon purple and drawing thousands of baseball fans to NexGen Patch at Cairns Field, where the team played host to the 2026 WCBL All-Star Weekend in July.

Following consecutive losses in the East Division Final in previous postseasons, the Berries were able to lock down their first WCBL Championship Series appearance this year.

To get there, the Berries were able to exorcise a couple of demons along the way. They started their postseason by dispatching the defending WCBL champion Regina Red Sox in a tight three game series. Saskatoon started that best-of-three tilt with a 7-3 win on home field before the Red Sox struck for a 5-3 victory at Currie Field. A 5-3 win for the Berries in the third game - highlighted by a spectacular sixth-inning diving catch by outfielder Ethan Murdoch with two outs and the bases loaded for Regina - sealed the game and the series.

Their path got harder from there, as they faced the first-place Moose Jaw Miller Express in the East Division Final. The Millers roster included Thomas Soto - who set regular season WCBL records for stolen bases and runs in 2026 - and towering pitcher Westin Walls, who established a single-season record for strikeouts this summer. In squaring off against a consistent and hard-working Moose Jaw team, the Berries were able to produce a pair of 7-4 victories to sweep the Miller Express and advance to their best-of-three matchup against the Gulls.

The Berries are 4-1 in the 2026 WCBL Postseason, with 29 runs scored and 19 runs against.

Shortstop Brock Laird has led the club with nine hits in 20 at bats, while scoring three runs, producing four RBI and walking twice. Designated hitter Nick Stinson (.583 batting average, 1.667 OPS, one homer) and catcher Aiden Kilshaw (six hits, four runs, one long ball) have manufactured the most RBI on the Berries, with both registering six so far. Ethan Murdoch has a pair of home runs - one in each series - to go with five RBI. The Berries other hot hitters include outfielder Nathan Houston (eight hits, three runs, three RBI, one stolen base); Nash Nichols (six hits, three doubles, three RBI, three runs, one stolen base); and third baseman Mason Roell (four runs, three walks, one home run).

On the bump, starting pitcher Diego Quinonez has a postseason win, five strikeouts and a 2.10 ERA in his 6.2 innings, while Zachary Landerville racked up 10 Ks and recorded a 1.17 ERA in his six-inning start against Regina.

Wesley Shackleford has done it all for Saskatoon, picking up a win and two saves, and piling up 11 strikeouts over seven innings of scoreless baseball. Colin Plain also has a save and three strikeouts in his two innings, and has not allowed a run during his two appearances. Other notable performances have been turned in by lefty Brooks Jones (four innings, one win, four strikeouts, no runs allowed); Augie Grohman (four innings, four strikeouts, 1.75 ERA); Adam Korte (3.2 innings, one win, three strikeouts, 1.91 ERA); and Dallen Rude (2.2 innings, four strikeouts, 2.63 ERA).

These two evenly matched teams will begin writing the final chapter of the 2026 WCBL Postseason when the best-of-three final gets underway on Saturday, Aug. 15th at Gulls Field in Sylvan Lake. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.