For the first time since the pre-season coaches poll began in 2022, Okanagan College isn’t entering the season at the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) favourite.
Thanks to capturing their first league title since 2019, the University of Fraser Valley Cascades are the new favourites, according to the poll.
Despite coming into 2024 as the No. 5 ranked team on the spring circuit, the Cascades managed to put it all together, capping off the season with an exciting 10-9 victory over OC.
READ MORE: Celebrating the CCBC’s Best of 2024
Can they continue their winning ways despite losing some key veterans to graduation? Can OC regain the form that won them two-straight titles in 2021-2022. Or will another team take the crown?
It is expected to be another competitive season of baseball as each team has made strides in recruiting, hoping to find the right mix of players to gel together for the World Series weekend.
Interestingly, very little seemed to separate the teams in 2024, with only five wins separating the No. 2 UFV from the No. 7 University of Calgary Dinos, who were coming off their first championship season in 2023.
Will the pack get even tighter in 2025? Can every team beat any other team on any given weekend?
Only time will tell. For now, let’s take a look at the three Alberta teams and how they stack up heading into the coming season.
EDMONTON COLLEGIATE HAWKS
Entering the season at No. 3 according to CCBC coaches, this is the highest the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks have been placed since entering the league.
Head coach Jake Lanferman has quietly put together a solid team each year, culminating with their best record of 15-15 in 2024.
While .500 doesn’t sound like a great mark, it was good enough for fourth in the regular season, and they were able to put up a 3-2 record during the championship weekend, falling 5-3 to OC in the semi-final.
One of the biggest challenges facing the Hawks in 2025 will be the graduation of two star pitchers: Halen Knoll and Riley Barrett. They had been mainstays in the rotation, so the workload will have to fall to other veterans like Nick Backstrom, Reece Devlin and Matthew Ridsdale.
On the offensive side of things, the Hawks will see the return of all-star Kyo Sakaguchi and speedster Brayden Morris, who swiped a league-best 25 bases in 28 games, adding another six during the playoffs. They will also be hoping to get a full season out of Jake Roggensack and Colby Tessier.
With a roster that features just nine freshmen, including early standouts to Lanferman like Emerson Selby and Jace Daku, there is plenty of experience under the Hawks’ belt heading into 2025. It will be an opportunity for them to continue their flight to the top of the CCBC standings.
PRAIRIE BASEBALL ACADEMY DAWGS
It’s been a long time since the Prairie Baseball Academy Dawgs ran off a stretch of seven-straight CCBC championships.
PBA Hall of Fame head coach Todd Hubka hopes this year’s edition of the Dawgs can harken back to that 2011-2017 dynasty, by continuing to hit the ball hard and get timely pitching.
They finished the 2024 season with a 14-15 record, good enough for fifth in the conference before going 1-2 in the championship weekend, losing to Edmonton and beating the Victoria Golden Tide before falling to the Hawks again in the quarterfinals.
The Dawgs will be led offensively by league MVP Owen Lucas, who hit .417 with 10 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 27 games. Several other veterans will return including Morgan Halliday, Noah McNeil, Justin Scott, Juan Puerta and Declan O’Kane, while Hubka says a pair of infielders, Tetsu Nishida and Will Turner, are worth keeping an eye on.
On the pitching side, some early-season injuries seemed to hamper the Dawgs in 2024. They will be hoping for healthy campaigns from several vets including Jake Maniago, Joseph Bews, Brayden DeWitt, Cody Graf and Dawson Morrill.
A unique team in that they typically only see players for two years, PBA was viewed as a young team in 2024. Observers expect them to take a big step forward with that year under their belts and a bitter taste left in their mouths about how last season came to an end.
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY DINOS
Ask anyone around the University of Calgary Dinos team about the 2024 season, and they will all say they were disappointed in how they weren’t able to defend their 2023 championship the way they wanted.
Head coach Cam Williams and his crew finished the season with a 13-17 record, then 2-2 in the championship weekend after losing to UFV, then beating Vancouver Island University and Thompson Rivers University before losing their second double-elimination game to Edmonton.
Like the other two Alberta teams, the Dinos didn’t lose many veterans to graduation, so they will be looking to lean on their vets to guide them back to a title shot.
The batting order will feature a trio of all-stars in Aiden Szautner, Brendan Tong and Eric Wirun, with a few other veterans like Nathan Varjassy and Ben Hul and Jacob Carlson looking to build off solid seasons.
The pitching staff will be led by utilityman Jaydon Wielders and workhorses Ethan Webster, Brady Fehlauer and Riley Burns, while Alex Lanigan will be back again to lead the bullpen.
The Dinos are also excited about the crop of freshmen – which Williams says includes outfielder Kyle Hill and pitcher Ben Foreman – set to take the field, albeit in a new location thanks to the demolition of Foothills Stadium.
The Canadian College Baseball Conference season begins March 21 with all opening weekend series to start in BC. All three Alberta teams are set to host their home-openers on the weekend of April 4-6. The league championship weekend is set for May 16-19 in Lethbridge.
Confirmation of dates for the 2025 ccbc world series please and when will the game schedule be posted and where?