| Edmonton Riverhawks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| League | West Coast League |
| Location | Edmonton, Alberta |
| Ballpark | RE/MAX Field |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Colours | Navy, Carolina blue, Vegas gold |
| Mascot | River the Hawk |
| Ownership | Baseball Edmonton Inc. |
| Manager | Jake Lanferman |
| General Manager | Steve Hogle |
| Website | riverhawksbaseball |
The Edmonton Riverhawks are a collegiate summer baseball team. The Riverhawks are members of the West Coast League and play their home games at RE/MAX Field.
In May 2020, Baseball Edmonton, a consortium headed by five-time Stanley Cup winner Randy Gregg along with 24 shareholders, secured a ten-year lease agreement with the City of Edmonton for RE/MAX Field. The move beat out a proposal by the Edmonton Prospects of the Western Canadian Baseball League, who had been using the stadium since 2012. [1] Baseball Edmonton agreed to fund upgrades to the ballpark including new artificial turf, scoreboard, and lighting. [2]
On September 15, 2020, Baseball Edmonton announced the founding of the Edmonton Riverhawks, a West Coast League (WCL) expansion franchise to begin play in 2021. [2] Edmonton's entry into the WCL was the first to be located in Alberta. Due to the distance between the Riverhawks and their league brethren the franchise subsidizes travel to teams visiting Edmonton.
The WCL's Canadian teams cancelled their 2021 seasons because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, postponing the Riverhawks' debut to 2022. [3]
The Riverhawks played their first game on May 31, 2022, against the Kamloops NorthPaws. [4]
The Riverhawks finished 4th in the North Division. [5] Outfielder Clayton Loranger (college: Stephen F. Austin State University, hometown: Sherwood Park, Alberta) had the fourth best batting average in the league (.403). Outfielder Ivan Brethowr (college: Arizona State University, hometown: Olathe, Kansas) was second in the league in RBIs with 19. [6] The Riverhawks were second in the league in attendance with 63,221 fans coming through the gates for an average of 2,342 fans per game. [7]
On June 16, Jonny McGill was named one of the players of the week with a league-leading batting average of .483. [8]
The Riverhawks failed to improve on their 25–28 record from the previous season, finishing sixth in the North with an 18–36 record. [9] Jonny McGill (University of British Columbia) finished with a batting average of .335. Halen Knoll (University of Mary) threw 52 strikeouts and finished with five wins on the mound. Riley Barrett (Arizona State University) finished with an ERA of 1.73. [10] Despite the futile season, the Riverhawks finished with the best attendance in the league. 104,378 total fans bought tickets for an average of 3,880 per game. [11]
The Riverhawks finished with an undefeated 2–0 record against non-league teams. [12] 1,420 total fans attended these two games for an average of 710. [13]
On July 9, Tate Dearing, Vicarte Domingo, Bryce McFeely, Jakob Poturnak, and Michael Soper were selected to represent the Riverhawks in the All Star Game. [14]
On July 14, Sam Kane (Seattle University) was named the league's player of the week. Kane finished the week with thirteen base hits, seven runs batted in, and three home runs. [15]
The Riverhawks improved on their 18–36 record from the previous season, posting a 32–22 record and finishing third in the north division, 2.5 games behind the AppleSox, for their first winning season in franchise history. [16] Jakob Poturnak (Sacramento State) finished the regular season with forty-two runs batted in. Vicarte Domingo (University of British Columbia) finished with five wins on the mound while Halen Knoll (Edmonton Collegiate) threw forty-nine strikeouts and finished with an ERA of 2.54. [17] The Riverhawks lead the league in attendance for the second year in a row. 116,871 total fans attended home games for an average of 4,675 per game. [18]
The Riverhawks qualified for the postseason for the first time in franchise history. As a wildcard qualifier, the Riverhawks faced the Bells in the North Divisional Series. The Riverhawks won their first playoff game in franchise history on August 10 with their 3–1 win, but would ultimately lose the series. [19]
| Year | League | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | Postseason | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | WCL | North | 3rd | 32 | 22 | .593 | 2.5 | Lost North Divisional Series 1-2 (Bells) | Jake Lanferman |
| 2023 | WCL | North | 6th | 18 | 36 | .333 | 20.5 | Did not qualify | Jake Lanferman |
| 2022 | WCL | North | 5th | 25 | 28 | .472 | 8 | Did not qualify | Kelly Stinnett |
The Kane County Cougars are a professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois, and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play their home games at Northwestern Medicine Field. From 1991 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest League.
The Kelowna Falcons are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Kelowna, British Columbia. The Falcons are members of the West Coast League and play their home games at Elks Stadium.
The Bellingham Bells are a collegiate summer baseball team in the West Coast League. The team is composed of college baseball players from teams around the U.S.
The Springfield Lucky Horseshoes are a collegiate summer league baseball team of the Prospect League. They play at Robin Roberts Stadium at Lanphier Park and are based in the city of Springfield, Illinois. The team was established in November 2007 as the Springfield Sliders and were an expansion franchise for the 2008 season. The Lucky Horseshoes and other collegiate summer leagues and teams exist to give top college players professional-like experience without affecting NCAA eligibility.
The Wenatchee AppleSox is a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the West Coast League's North Division. The team is based in Wenatchee, Washington and was established in 2000 by owner Jim Corcoran. It has played its home games at Paul Thomas Sr. Field on the campus of Wenatchee Valley College. Asst. GM Ken Osborne became a stockholder in 2008. Corcoran and Osborne sold the team to retired Microsoft executive Jose Oglesby in 2018, with Osborne being appointed COO/GM. Osborne stepped down on Feb. 3, 2021, and assistant general manager Allie Schank was promoted to general manager.
The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCBL), but in 2008 it was renamed as the West Coast League. The league is designed to develop college talent, and only current college-eligible players are allowed to participate. The West Coast League has produced dozens of professional players, including a number of major leaguers. League teams are operated similarly to professional minor-league teams. The WCL's season typically runs from early June through the middle of August.
The Bend Elks are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Bend, Oregon. The Elks are founding members of the West Coast League and play their home games at Vince Genna Stadium.
The Cowlitz Black Bears is an amateur baseball team located in Longview, Washington. They play in the West Coast League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The league comprises teams from Canada, Oregon, and Washington. Cowlitz calls David Story Field on the campus of Lower Columbia College home.
The Walla Walla Sweets is an amateur baseball team located in Walla Walla, Washington. They play in the West Coast League, a collegiate summer baseball league. Walla Walla calls Borleske Stadium home which has a capacity of 2,378 spectators.
The Corvallis Knights, founded as the Aloha Knights, are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Corvallis, Oregon. Founded in 1990 in Beaverton by Dan and his brother Joe Segel, the Knights moved to Corvallis from Gresham in 2007. They play in the West Coast League, a college summer wood-bat league where college players and prospects prepare for the pros. The league comprises teams from British Columbia, Oregon and Washington. Corvallis plays its home games at Goss Stadium, also the home of the Oregon State Beavers.
The Victoria HarbourCats are a summer-collegiate baseball team located in Victoria, British Columbia. The HarbourCats play in the West Coast League (WCL), a collegiate summer baseball league. The team's home games are played at Victoria's Royal Athletic Park.
The Kenosha Kingfish are a baseball team that plays in the collegiate summer Northwoods League. Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Kingfish play their home games at Simmons Field.
The Worcester Bravehearts are a summer collegiate baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts, US, that plays in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) of New England starting in 2014. The team's home games are played at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field in Worcester.
The Portland Pickles are a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the South Division of the West Coast League, a premier collegiate summer baseball league based in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. The Pickles play their home games at Walker Stadium in Portland's Lents Park.
The Gresham GreyWolves are a collegiate woodbat baseball team located in Gresham, Oregon. The GreyWolves play at Oslund Field on the campus of Mount Hood Community College and were a member of the West Coast League (WCL), a collegiate summer baseball league, in their first two seasons in 2016 and 2017. However, the GreyWolves became an independent team in 2018 when the club was purchased by Rose City Baseball, LLC and replaced in the WCL by the Portland Pickles. The GreyWolves now play in the short-season Wild Wild West League.
The Port Angeles Lefties are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Port Angeles, Washington. The Lefties are members of the West Coast League and play their home games at Civic Field.
Michael Anthony Toglia is an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Toglia played three years of college baseball at UCLA. He was selected by the Rockies in the first round of the 2019 MLB draft. He played in their minor league system for three years before making his MLB debut in 2022.
The Kamloops NorthPaws are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Kamloops, British Columbia. The NorthPaws are members of the West Coast League and since 2022 have played their home games at NorBrock Stadium.
The Ridgefield Raptors are a collegiate summer baseball team. The Raptors are members of the West Coast League and play their home games at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex.
The Nanaimo NightOwls are a Canadian collegiate summer baseball team located in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The Night Owls are members of the West Coast League and began play in 2022; they play their home games at Serauxmen Stadium.
