| Saskatoon Berries | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| League | Western Canadian Baseball League (East) |
| Location | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| Ballpark | Cairns Field |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Colours | |
| Ownership | Saskatoon Entertainment Group |
| Manager | Joe Carnahan |
| President | Steve Hildebrand |
| Website | saskatoonberriesbaseballclub |
The Saskatoon Berries are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, slated to begin play in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) in 2024. The Berries will host games at Cairns Field.
Saskatoon has a long history with the WCBL, but was without a team for a decade after the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets folded in 2014. [1] In March 2023, it was announced that Saskatoon had been awarded a WCBL expansion franchise that would begin play in 2024. [2] The franchise is owned by Saskatoon Entertainment Group, run by father–son business partners Mike and Colin Priestner, which also owns the Saskatchewan Rush of the National Lacrosse League and the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League. [3] The group signed a 10-year lease at Cairns Field and stated its intent to upgrade the facilities there. [3] The owners also planned to increase fan engagement over the Yellow Jackets era, and began with fan voting to name the new team. [4] In July 2023, fans voted on the name, and Berries won over the other finalists, which included the Bridge Pigeons, Cobra Chickens, and River Pirates. [5] Club president Steve Hildebrand called the name "uniquely Saskatoon." [6] Before the end of the month, the team also unveiled its logo and team colours. [7] The team plans to unveil the rest of its branding before the end of 2023. [5]
In July, 2023, the Berries hired Joe Carnahan as its coach. [8] Carnahan was a four-time WCBL coach of the year as manager for the Swift Current 57's, the team he helped lead to the WCBL championship three times. He also won three titles as a player for the 57's. [9]
The Saskatoon Yellow Jackets were a baseball team that played in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The team was a member of the Western Major Baseball League, a collegiate summer baseball league operating in the prairie provinces of Canada. The team joined the league in 2002, but struggled financially throughout its existence and folded in 2014.
Saskatoon is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as the cultural and economic hub of central Saskatchewan since its founding in 1882 as a Temperance colony.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
William Dickenson Hunter, was a Canadian sports promoter and ice hockey player, coach, manager, and investor. Also known as "Wild Bill", Hunter co-founded the Western Hockey League (WHL), helped to launch the World Hockey Association (WHA), and worked to bring professional hockey to Edmonton and to his hometown of Saskatoon.
The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league based in Saskatchewan and Alberta that descends from leagues dating to 1931.
The Okotoks Dawgs are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada. They play in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL). The Dawgs are seven-time WCBL champions.
The Saskatoon Blades are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1964, the Blades were a charter team of the then-Western Canada Hockey League, and are the only club that has played every season in the league in its original location. Today, the team plays in the East Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, and hosts games at the SaskTel Centre. Despite five appearances in the championship series, the Blades have never won a league title.
SaskTel Centre is an arena located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The facility opened in February 1988 and is currently the home venue of the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, the Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, and the Saskatchewan Rush of the National Lacrosse League, with the arena being referred to as Co-op Field at SaskTel Centre during Rush games.
The Saskatchewan Hawks were a professional basketball club based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan that competed in the International Basketball Association beginning in the 2000–01 season, and the Continental Basketball Association in 2001–02.
Cairns Field is a stadium in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is primarily used for baseball and will be the home of the Saskatoon Berries of the Western Canadian Baseball League starting in 2024.
Sports in Saskatchewan consist of a wide variety of team and individual games, and include summer, winter, indoor, and outdoor games. Saskatchewan's cold winter climate has ensured the popularity of sports including its official sport, curling, as well as ice hockey, ice skating, and cross-country skiing. The province also has warm summers and popular summer sports include baseball, football, soccer, basketball, track and field, rodeo, horse-racing, and golf.
The Saskatoon Stallions were a minor league baseball team that played in the Prairie League. The team was based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and played its games at Cairns Field. The team folded along with the league after the 1997 season. The team frequently changed names; it was earlier known as the Saskatoon Riot and the Saskatoon Smokin' Guns.
The Saskatchewan Silver Sox are an independent professional baseball team based in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. They play in the developmental Arizona Winter League, a short-season instructional winter league affiliated with the North American League and compete in the International Division, as well as the Calexico Outlaws, San Diego Surf Dawgs, San Luis Atleticos and Team Canada. They began playing their home games in 2009 at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma. They are owned by Diamond Sports & Entertainment.
The Saskatoon Slam were a Canadian professional basketball franchise based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, that played in the National Basketball League in 1993 and 1994.
Ice hockey is among the most popular sports in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, and the province has been notable for producing a large number of hockey figures in both men's and women's hockey. Saskatchewan does not currently have a professional hockey team of its own, but it is home to a large number of junior and senior hockey teams. The sport is governed in the province by Hockey Saskatchewan.
The Western Women's Canadian Football League (WWCFL) is a full-contact women's Canadian football league which began play in the spring of 2011. The league plays an annual season in the spring and summer, and with seven teams it is the largest women's football league in Canada. The teams play 12-woman tackle football games using the Football Canada rules, similar to those of the Canadian Football League. The league has teams in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
The Saskatoon Valkyries are a women's football team in the Western Women's Canadian Football League's (WWCFL) Prairie Conference. The team is based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. They are the most successful WWCFL team, winning eight of the leagues eleven championships since play began in 2011, including the first four. Their primary rivals are the Regina Riot, the only other WWCFL team to win the championship.
The Nutana Curling Club is a curling club located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Established in 1929 and first opening its doors in 1930, the club was originally located in the city's historic Nutana neighbourhood. The club relocated to the south-central Nutana Suburban Centre neighbourhood in 1966. Once one of six curling clubs in Saskatoon, Nutana is one of three clubs still operating along with the Sutherland Curling Club and the CN Curling Club.
The Saskatchewan Rush is a Canadian professional box lacrosse team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Formerly the Edmonton Rush, they are members of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and play their home games on Co-op Field at SaskTel Centre. The Rush have won the NLL championship twice since their move to Saskatchewan, in 2016 and in 2018.
The Saskatchewan Rattlers are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, that competes in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). They play their home games at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.
