*This article originally appeared on Saskatchewan Dugout Stories on February 21. You can read it here.

February 22, 2024

By Joe McFarland

Saskatchewan Dugout Stories

Nolan Sparks was just 12 years old when his hometown team, the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets, folded following the 2014 Western Major Baseball League season.

A regular attendee of games with his father and older brother, Sparks remembers heading to Cairns Field to cheer on a team that struggled mightily in the stands and on the scoreboard.

Despite not having that level of summer collegiate baseball in his backyard as a teenager, he kept pursuing his own baseball journey, never thinking he would have the opportunity to play for a hometown summer college team.

That all changed in March 2023 when Saskatoon was unveiled as an expansion team in what the WMBL is now known as, the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL).

“When I heard Saskatoon was getting a team again, I was pumped up,” the outfielder told Saskatchewan Dugout Stories. “I knew I was going to give it my absolute best to try and play for my hometown team.”

Coming off a freshman season at Yavapai College where he hit .298 with a home run, 22 runs batted in (RBI) and 11 stolen bases in 43 games for the Roughriders, Sparks got the phone call he was hoping for.

In the process, he put himself into the history books as the first official player signing of the expansion Saskatoon Berries.

BUILDING HIS OWN LEGACY

There’s a certain buzz that follows the Sparks family name in Saskatoon, which gave the Berries’ first signing extra significance.

During his high school years, he won a Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League title with the 18U Triple-A Saskatoon Cubs, who went on to win the 2019 Western Canada Baseball Championships over Alberta.

Sparks also represented Saskatchewan at the Baseball Canada Cup that summer alongside future WCBL players like Ethan Murdoch, Tyler Vanneste and Kyle Froehlich.

His older brother, Connor, was also a decorated baseball player in the province, having been drafted out of high school by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018 before going to college with Sacramento State University.

“I’ve always dreamed of playing at the college level as soon as I saw the success my brother was having in baseball,” Nolan said.

“Since then, I’ve been motivated to push myself and be one of the many Saskatoon kids on this year’s squad.”

As it turns out, the person in charge of making that happen already had a connection to the Sparks family.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

During the 2019 WCBL season, Joe Carnahan was the head coach of the Swift Current 57s, a squad that made it to the Eastern Division championship, eventually falling to the Regina Red Sox.

One of the players on the 57s roster that season was Connor Sparks.

After taking the reigns of the Berries in July 2023, Carnahan was determined to find local talent to pepper throughout his lineup and happened across a familiar last name that immediately drew his attention.

“Nolan checks all of the boxes for us,” he said. “He had a good season at Yavapai, loves to compete and is a high character guy who will have an impact on the field and fits perfectly into the culture we are going to have here in Saskatoon.”

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Sparks, who also won a BC Premier Baseball League title with the Langley Blaze in 2021, says it’s funny how small the baseball world can be, as it seems everyone has crossed paths at one point or another.

So, of course, he asked his older brother for some thoughts on his future coach.

“Connor said Joe’s a great coach with a tonne of history in this league and a guy that the players want to win for,” Sparks said. “I’m super-excited for my first season with him as my coach.”

INSPIRING A NEW GENERATION

Sparks isn’t the only player with ties to Saskatchewan getting a call from Carnahan.

The team has announced pitcher Ryan Olchoway (Saskatoon), as well as outfielders Payton McHarg (Saskatoon) and Carter Beck (Carnduff), will also join the team this summer, alongside several American players.

The dugout boss isn’t done yet, either.

“It’s very important for us to have local content at Cairns Field this summer,” Carnahan said. “Saskatoon and the surrounding area has always produced good ballplayers who go on to be successful in college.”

Not only will it build an instant connection between the new team and its fanbase, especially as the players look out into the stands to see friends and family.

It will also serve as a full-circle moment for the now-21-year-old Sparks, as he hopes to inspire future generations of ballplayers to dream big.

“I can’t wait to see all the young kids in the community coming to games and having a great time,” the University of Northern Kentucky commit said. “Any kid that asks for my autograph will put a big smile on my face and hopefully one on theirs as well.”

Sparks will have his Sharpie ready when the Berries host Regina for their home-opener on May 28.