Wilson: Five stories to remember from the WCBL playoffs

Okotoks Dawgs closer Ashton Luera struck out nine in 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief against the Lethbridge Bulls in the third-and-deciding game of the first-round playoff series.Photo: Ian Wilson, Western Canadian Baseball League

*This article was originally published on the Western Canadian Baseball League site on August 19. You can read it here.

August 21, 2024

By Ian Wilson

Alberta Dugout Stories

Like a walk-off homer into the dark, cool Alberta night, the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) season has come and gone for another year.

And like that same wall-clearing blast, it brought us to our feet and left us in a state of awe over what just happened.

On the field and in the stands, this was possibly the best postseason in WCBL history. Over three playoff rounds and seven best-of-three series, five matchups went the distance.

Even the two opening round sweeps offered plenty of intrigue.

The fourth-seeded Brooks Bombers faced the Sylvan Lake Gulls - the top regular-season team in the league - and held the Lake Boys to just four runs of offence in each game. The Bombers led the Gulls through seven innings of Game 2, before giving up four runs in the eighth and losing by a 4-1 score.

In the East Division, the Moose Jaw Miller Express held the final playoff berth and swept the top-seeded Regina Red Sox in two games. Both contests were won by just one run.

From there, each series required a winner-take-all Game 3. There were thrilling comebacks, diving catches, bullpen heroics, walk-off home runs and extra innings dramatics across the summer collegiate league.

Here's a look at five storylines that we found captivating during the 2024 WCBL postseason:

1. REPEATING THE THREE-PEAT

Heading into the season, the Okotoks Dawgs had one goal in mind: repeat the three-peat. It was ultimately mission accomplished for the Dawgs, but this playoffs presented the greatest challenge the team had ever experienced.

The veteran batting lineup of the Dawgs narrowly survived their three-game set against the Lethbridge Bulls, requiring 13 innings and a well-placed bunt from second sacker Ricardo Sanchez to advance.

Okotoks dropped the opening game of the next round to their top rival, the Gulls, before sneaking out a Game 2 win at home. Down 2-0 in a deciding Game 3 in Sylvan Lake, Sanchez delivered another knockout blow with a two-strike, two-out double that cleared the bases and turned the game for the Dawgs in the fourth inning. The team cruised to a 10-4 victory from there and punched their ticket to a third straight WCBL championship final.

Against the East Division champion Moose Jaw Miller Express, the rollercoaster ride continued. The Dawgs took the opener by a 7-4 score and were on track to win it all in the late stages of Game 2 at Ross Wells Park in Moose Jaw. But a five-run eighth inning for the home team left the Dawgs stunned and the Millers on top 8-7, sending the series back to Seaman Stadium for one final shot at WCBL glory.

The final game of the playoffs was no less dramatic. With Graham Brunner pitching his last game for Okotoks, the Dawgs built a 3-0 lead through four innings. When Brunner left the mound in the fifth frame, that lead was eliminated thanks to a Nate Mensik homer to centre field. The Dawgs responded with two more runs - one from a wild infield throwing error that saw Aidan Rose trot around the bases after the ball ended up in the home dugout - but Moose Jaw clawed back with a pair of runs in the eighth. Connor Crowson stepped to the dish in the bottom of the ninth in a 5-5 game, took the first two pitches, and launched a Takao Cookson offering over the fence. It was heart-racing stuff that delivered the three-peat and an eighth title to the Okotoks Dawgs. Crowson earned WCBL Playoff MVP honours for his efforts, on a night that won't soon be forgotten by the Seaman Stadium faithful.

2. MOOSE JAW MILLER MAGIC

As much as there was elation for the Dawgs, it was instant heartache in the visitor's dugout, but the Miller Express had no reason to hang their heads. The No. 4 seed in the East Division entered the playoffs with a 26-29 record and did not resemble the team that met the Dawgs in the 2022 WCBL championship, let alone one capable of squaring off against Okotoks yet again in the league final this year.

And yet, there was belief in that dugout. Darryl Pisio, the president of the ball club, hosted a player awards event at his home in early August.

"We announced to the players then, you've got to believe," said Pisio.

"We believe in you, all the fans believe in you, everyone believes in you. You guys are a very talented bunch, you've just got to believe in yourselves and, sure enough, they've been believing since then."

After Moose Jaw lost their final two regular season games, head coach Eric Marriott got his team turned around in a hurry. The Millers sat down the top-seeded Red Sox in two games, winning the first one on the road 4-3 and the second at home by a 7-6 score.

They looked like they were in real trouble when they dropped the opening game of the East Division championship series 14-1 to the Berries in Saskatoon. But that lopsided loss proved to be a speed bump. Moose Jaw got on the bats and punched back with a 17-6 pounding of the Berries at Ross Wells Park. A complete game and 11 strikeouts from Westin Walls allowed the Miller Express to take Game 3 at NexGen Patch at Cairns Field by a 5-3 score, sending Moose Jaw to the final for the second time in three seasons.

The Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy was not to be for the Miller Express but they did not go down without a fight. They pushed the Dawgs to the limit, earning a comeback win in Game 2 and tying things up in the eighth inning of Game 3 before Crowson worked his own magic.

First baseman Austin Gurney led the WCBL postseason in runs batted in (RBIs) with 12, and outfielder Nate Mensik was second with 11 RBIs. Mensik also punched out four homers, more than any other hitter in the playoffs. Nathan Houston's .548 batting average through eight games placed him second in the WCBL in that statistical category. Walls, meanwhile, led the playoffs in innings pitched (21) and recorded two wins, a save, and 18 Ks during his time on the mound.

3. KICK OUT THE JAMS

It was a coming out party for the Saskatoon Berries all summer long.

Even before the team took the field, the Berries were a social media sensation and a marketing marvel.

Despite stumbling out of the gate with a five-game losing streak, the Jam Fam - as fans of the Berries have come to be known - was embraced by the community instantly.

The club drew over 50,000 fans to NexGen Patch at Cairns Field in their inaugural season and welcomed an average crowd of 1,931 fans to regular-season home games. Those figures made them the second biggest draw in the WCBL, behind only the Okotoks Dawgs. The Berries also sold out of ball caps in early July and had to replenish their supplies to keep up with demand.

In short, the Berries are a huge hit.

The only thing really left to be seen was how well they could compete between the lines.

Head coach Joe Carnahan and pitching coach Andrew Albers were able to get more out of the team as the season went along, finishing the campaign in third place in the East with a 31-25 record.

In a first-round upset of the Medicine Hat Mavericks, Saskatoon scrapped out a Game 3 win thanks to a four-run ninth inning at Athletic Park that had fans of the Berries believing. They believed even more when star outfielder Carter Beck hit for the cycle and led Saskatoon to a 14-1 romp over Moose Jaw in the first game of the East Division championship.

Alas, the Miller Express were not ready to hand over the keys to an expansion franchise just yet and they prevailed over the next two games. Nonetheless, with their first postseason win and their first playoff series triumph, the Berries proved that they are a legitimate force on and off the field.

The Berries are a sensation in Saskatoon and the future looks bright for the Jam Fam.

4. LUERA vs. LETHBRIDGE

The margins of victory were incredibly tight throughout the WCBL playoffs and the quality of baseball was excellent.

Perhaps the best showcase of what it took to win came in Game 3 of the first-round series between the Lethbridge Bulls and the Okotoks Dawgs.

During that winner-take-all matchup, Lethbridge starting pitcher Jimmy Boulanger surrendered two earned runs over four innings and reliever Luke Dowdy allowed another run in the seventh frame. Brock Townsend gave up two earned scores in his 6 1/3 innings on the bump for Okotoks and Gavin Wuschke permitted one run in the eighth. After nine innings, it was all tied up at 3-3 at Seaman Stadium.

When the game shifted to extra innings, a bullpen battle ensued. Two-way star player Jack Kalisky was fantastic for the Bulls, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out three batters in four scoreless innings. Kalisky was matched by Ashton Luera, the hard-throwing righty on the Dawgs who racked up 9 Ks over 5 1/3 innings. Luera allowed two hits, a walk and, most importantly, no runs.

After George Naramore took over for Kalisky, the Dawgs got to him in the bottom of the 13th inning. With pinch runner Leo Griffin on third base, Ricardo Sanchez came to the plate. After taking the first pitch, the second baseman punched a bunt down the first base line that scored Griffin and sent the Dawgs to the next round of the playoffs with a nail-biting 4-3 victory.

Luera got the win and showed the rest of the WCBL what he could do. That shouldn't have come as a surprise. The Albuquerque, New Mexico product was a beast all summer. In the regular season, Luera appeared in 25 games and registered 47 strikeouts, six saves and a 1.47 earned run average (ERA) in his 24 1/3 innings. He did even more of the heavy lifting for the Okotoks bullpen in the postseason, going 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA, three saves and 18 Ks in 10 innings pitched.

"It's just being confident on the mound, being confident in myself is big, of course, but also in the guys behind me," said Luera during the playoffs.

"I'm confident in the fastball and the fact that I can strike them out and get ahead, all that, but I'm also confident that if I do slip up and I'm not able to do that the guys behind me will be able to take care of me. I got their back and they've got mine."

Teammate Logan Grant also sang the praises of his high-energy closer.

"He's awesome, he's electric. He wants to be the best every day. He's a little psycho, but that's what you need in a closer. You want guys to go dominate for you and he's done that all year," said Grant.

"He comes out there and there's a calmness over the rest of the field, we know he's going to do his thing."

5. TAKE ME OUT WITH THE CROWD

When it came to attendance, it was a record-breaking season for the Western Canadian Baseball League.

The collegiate circuit set a new high for regular-season attendance and followed that up with phenomenal playoff crowds.

The 6,341 spectators who showed up at Seaman Stadium to watch the walk-off heroics of Connor Crowson in Game 3 of the championship final set a single-game high and pushed the franchise postseason record to a total attendance of 24,665 people.

League-wide, the playoff attendance climbed to 42,123, for an average crowd of 2,217 spectators. That total surpassed the 40,370 fans who came out for the WCBL playoffs last summer.

It's good to know that there were plenty of eyeballs on the league when it was offering up the best playoff action to fans in recent memory.