Wilson: WCBL - Division Finals Preview
The Western Canadian Baseball League’s East and West Division Finals are set to begin on Sunday. Photo: WCBL
*This article was originally published on the Western Canadian Baseball League website on August 10. You can read it here.
August 11, 2024
By Ian Wilson
Alberta Dugout Stories
It's down to the final four following an epic first round of Western Canadian Baseball League playoffs.
The opening round of the WCBL postseason featured upsets, razor-thin margins of victory and outstanding individual performances.
In the West Division, the top two seeds advanced, although both the Sylvan Lake Gulls and the Okotoks Dawgs had all they could handle from their playoff opponents.
The East saw a pair of upsets, with the fourth-seeded Moose Jaw Miller Express sweeping the Regina Red Sox, who finished first overall in the division. The Saskatoon Berries and Medicine Hat Mavericks went the distance in their best-of-three series, and the No. 3 Berries secured a 6-2 triumph on the road in Game 3 to advance.
With the final four in place, here's a look at what we can expect during the division championships:
WEST DIVISION: (1) SYLVAN LAKE GULLS vs. (2) OKOTOKS DAWGS
The 44-12 Gulls were the favourites in their series against the 20-36 Brooks Bombers, but the Bombers were no gimme.
Sylvan Lake starting pitcher Josh Tucker tossed a complete-game shutout in the first game, giving the Gulls a 4-0 win as they collected nine hits to the Bombers four knocks.
When the action shifted to Elks Field in Brooks for Game 2, the Gulls trailed 1-0 after seven innings. A four-run eighth inning tipped the scales in Sylvan Lake's favour and they got the sweep they wanted with a 4-1 road win.
With the complete game and the minimum games played, the Gulls were able to rest their arms for the second round, but Sylvan Lake will likely need more offence from their hitters to get to the WCBL Championship Final.
The top batters on the Gulls this postseason are Matty Fung (3 hits, 2 runs); Elijha Hammill (3 hits, 2 runs, 1 double, 2 walks); Marques Abulhosn (3 hits, 1 homer, 2 RBIs, 1 run); and Brock Tijerina (3 hits, 1 RBI, 1 double, 1 walk).
On the mound, Tucker was excellent during his 2024 playoff opener. Sylvan Lake also got a win in Game 2 from Finbar O'Brien (2 2/3 innings, 4 strikeouts, zero earned runs) and a save from Tyler Boudreau.
The matchup between the Gulls and the Okotoks Dawgs involves the top two teams in the WCBL and the West Division. This is the third straight season that these two teams will compete for the right to represent the West in the championship. The Dawgs have not lost a game to the Gulls in the playoffs.
To get to this point, the Dawgs (42-14) needed all hands on deck in their series against the Lethbridge Bulls (36-20). Okotoks took Game 1 at Seaman Stadium with a 7-4 victory that featured a three-run home run by Nash Crowell, the hard-hitting designated hitter of the Dawgs.
Lethbridge responded with a 5-4 win in front of their home crowd at Spitz Stadium, setting up an August classic between the two southern Alberta teams.
The winner-take-all Game 3 in Okotoks was a back-and-forth affair that went into extra innings with both teams tied 3-3. Both teams received impressive mound work from their pitching staffs, but the Dawgs were able to break through in the bottom of the 13th inning when infielder Ricardo Sanchez executed a squeeze play that scored pinch runner Leo Griffin from third base on a bunt down the first base side.
Offensively, the Dawgs have been led by shortstop Brendan Luther (6 hits, 4 runs, 1 RBI), Tucker Zdunich (5 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, one home run), Sanchez (4 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 1 RBI) and Connor Crowson (4 hits, 1 run, 1 walk).
Okotoks received excellent pitching in the series from reliever Ashton Luera (1 win, 1 save, 6.1 innings, 11 Ks, zero earned runs); Graham Brunner (1 win, 5 2/3 innings, 9 Ks, 3 earned runs); and Brock Townsend (6 1/3 innings, 3 Ks, 2 earned runs).
During their head-to-head matchup against Sylvan Lake in the regular season, the Dawgs won five of eight games.
The opening game of the second-round series between the Dawgs and Gulls takes place on Sunday, Aug. 11th at Gulls Field in Sylvan Lake. Game 2 is set for 7 pm on Monday, Aug. 12th at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks.
EAST DIVISION: (3) SASKATOON BERRIES vs. (4) MOOSE JAW MILLER EXPRESS
The battle for Saskatchewan features a matchup between the expansion Saskatoon Berries and the Moose Jaw Miller Express, a veteran lineup with core players who competed in the 2022 WCBL Championship series against the Dawgs.
The Miller Express (26-29) dispatched the Regina Red Sox (38-18) - the top team in the East Division - in two straight games, but it was a hard-fought series that saw both games decided by just one run. Moose Jaw clawed their way to a 4-3 win at Currie Field to open the series. Back home at Ross Wells Park, the Millers prevailed by a 7-6 score on the back of a five-RBI performance from Austin Gurney.
Moose Jaw got solid pitching from Adam Christopher (1 win, 6 2/3 innings, 5 strikeouts, 3 earned runs); Takao Cookson (1 save, 2 1/3 innings, 3 Ks, zero earned runs) and Drew Sorrentino (1 save, 2 innings, 1 K, zero earned runs) in their sweep over Regina.
Top Miller Express hitters included Gurney (4 hits, 6 RBIs, 4 runs, 1 homer); Nate Mensik (3 hits, 2 homers, 3 RBIs, 2 runs); and Thomas Soto (4 hits, 3 runs).
The other upset in the East came from the third-seeded Saskatoon Berries (31-25), who are competing in their first playoffs in franchise history.
Saskatoon got off to a great start with a 6-4 win over the Medicine Hat Mavericks at Athletic Park.
The Mavs (33-23) answered with a Game 2 road win of their own at NexGen Patch at Cairns Field, claiming a 3-0 victory thanks to a virtuoso performance by pitcher Josh Landry, who struck out 12 Saskatoon hitters over eight innings before reliever Cesar Rodriguez struck out the side in the ninth inning to pick up the save.
The return trip to Athletic Park resulted in a tight Game 3 that went down to the wire for both clubs. With the score tied in the ninth inning, the Berries erupted for four runs and delivered a 6-2 knockout blow to the playoff hopes of the Mavericks.
Saskatoon received elite hitting from Carter Beck (8 hits, 3 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 doubles, 1 homer), Jalen Freeman (5 hits, 2 stolen bases) and Nolan Sparks (3 hits, 3 runs, 2 homers, 2 RBIs).
On the bump, Mike Singleton (1 win, 6 innings, 3 Ks, 1 earned run); Tyler Davis (1 save, 3 innings, 4 Ks, zero earned runs); Colin Plain (3 innings, 5 Ks, zero earned runs); and Adam Beamin (2 2/3 innings, 5 Ks, zero earned runs) held the fort for the Berries.
In head-to-head matchups during the 2024 regular season, the Berries won five of their eight meetings against the Miller Express.
Game 1 of the East Division championship series takes place at 1 pm on Sunday, Aug. 11th in Saskatoon and the second game shifts to Ross Wells Park in Moose Jaw at 7 pm on Monday, Aug. 12th.
The Western Canadian Baseball League Championship Series between the winner of the East Division and the best team in the West Division is a best-of-three series scheduled for Aug. 15-17.
The league champ is awarded the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy, and during the trophy presentation a postseason Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is also given to the best player in the playoffs.