The Sask Entertainment Group (S-E-G) is tripling down on sports franchises in Saskatoon!
The S-E-G, already owners of the National Lacrosse League’s Saskatchewan Rush and the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades, are adding the summer pastime to their stable with this morning’s announcement of an expansion franchise in the Western Canadian Baseball League (W-C-B-L). The Saskatoon entry has been approved to start in 2024 by a unanimous vote of the W-C-B-L’s Board of Governors. Between now and then, the S-E-G will select a nickname for the team and decide on team colours, a logo and a coaching staff. The new Saskatoon team will play home games at the 22-hundred-seat Cairns Field on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds, which is where the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets played from 2002 through 2014 in the Western Major Baseball League, the predecessor of the W-C-B-L, which labels itself as Canada’s premier collegiate baseball league. That means the league’s schedule runs from late May through early August. In 2023, the W-C-B-L will have 11 teams – Regina, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Weyburn and Medicine Hat in the East Division along with Edmonton, Okotoks, Brooks, Fort McMurray, Lethbridge and Sylvan Lake in the West Division. Following are pictures from the news conference and the news release from the S-E-G…..
SASKATOON FRANCHISE JOINING WESTERN CANADIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan – The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) and Sask
Entertainment Group (SEG) are thrilled to announce the return of a Saskatoon franchise to
Canada’s premier collegiate summer baseball league.
“We believe it’s been too long since Saskatoon has had a WCBL team. We feel it’s super
important for the baseball community and the City of Saskatoon to have somewhere to go
on a beautiful summer evening,” said SEG Senior Vice President, Steve Hildebrand.
The expansion baseball club will spend this year preparing for its first season in the WCBL,
which will take place in the summer of 2024. On deck for SEG is the selection of a name for
the ball club, a decision on team colours and a logo, as well as the implementation of a
coaching staff.
The WCBL’s Board of Governors voted unanimously in favour of approving the new team.
“We look forward to taking the league to higher levels of fan excitement and engagement
with the involvement of Saskatoon in the coming years. We have always felt the loss of a
franchise in Saskatoon and enthusiastically welcome the City of Saskatoon, its fans, and
partners back to our WCBL family,” said WCBL President Kevin Kvame.
The Saskatoon Yellow Jackets operated in the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL) –
the predecessor of the WCBL – from 2002 through 2014. That team’s alumni include Marco
Gonzales, a starting pitcher with the Seattle Mariners, and Andrew Albers, a former Major
League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who recently represented Canada at the World Baseball
Classic (WBC).
Saskatoon’s new baseball club will play out of Cairns Field at the Gordie Howe Sports
Complex. The facility has an approximate capacity for 2,200 fans.
“I believe that this is a key market for the WCBL and am glad we could bring it back. This
has been a missing piece of the Saskatoon baseball community ever since the Yellow
Jackets left. I think it will be a great summertime event for businesses and community
alike,” noted Hildebrand.
A website for the team is expected to be up and running shortly, as will various social
media accounts.
ABOUT THE WESTERN CANADIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (WCBL)
The WCBL is Canada’s premier collegiate summer baseball league. It boasts a long-standing
tradition of creating a showcase for top Canadian prospects, while at the same time offering
American college players the opportunity to hone their skills in front of enthusiastic fans in
towns and cities throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The wood-bat league consists of 12 teams. The East Division includes the Regina Red Sox,
Moose Jaw Miller Express, Swift Current 57’s, Weyburn Beavers and Medicine Hat
Mavericks. The West Division consists of the Okotoks Dawgs, Sylvan Lake Gulls, Fort
McMurray Giants, Brooks Bombers, Lethbridge Bulls and Edmonton Prospects.
Each club plays 56 regular season games from May through August. All playoff matchups
are best-of-three series and the league champion is awarded the Harry Hallis Memorial
Trophy.
Opening Day for the 2023 WCBL season takes place on May 25th when the Regina Red Sox
visit the Weyburn Beavers at Tom Laing Park in Weyburn. Opening weekend continues
from May 26-28th with a full slate of WCBL action. Other schedule highlights include
Father’s Day clashes on June 18th and Canada Day baseball and fireworks on July 1st at
WCBL ballparks.
The WCBL All-Star Game & Home Run Derby takes place on July 15th at Seaman
Stadium in Okotoks. The 2022 All-Star Game attracted 6,000 fans to Seaman Stadium.
More than 265,000 fans attended nearly 300 WCBL regular season games in 2022, a new
high for the league. Attendance records were smashed in several different WCBL markets
last year.
ABOUT SASK ENTERTAINMENT GROUP (SEG)
Sask Entertainment Group (SEG), owned by Mike and Colin Priestner, is a subsidiary of Go
Auto Corporation, founded by Mike Priestner.
SEG have been the proud owners of the Saskatoon Blades Hockey Club of the Western
Hockey League (WHL) since August 2013. In May of 2021, SEG acquired the Saskatchewan
Rush Lacrosse Club, a team that plays in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). September of
2022 saw the Blades and Rush open a new retail outlet in Saskatoon: The FEZ (Fan
Experience Zone). The ticket office is also located in this building on Faithfull Avenue. All
Saskatoon Baseball Club tickets and merchandise will be sold here.
Both the Blades and Rush play out of the SaskTel Centre. The SEG corporate offices are also
located at the arena.
SEG’s management consists of President of Baseball Operations Steve Hildebrand, Team
Business Operations Director Tyler Wawryk, and Baseball Operations Director Mark
Campbell.
