They are the sultans of swat and peak pitchers in the Western Canadian Baseball League.

 

During a summer of strong performances in the WCBL, these batters and moundsmen stand out among their peers and can be found at the top of the leaderboards at the end of the 56-game regular season.

 

As far as teams go, the Saskatoon Berries stand alone. The East Division squad set a record for victories in a single regular season by going 46-9 this year. Saskatoon lost back-to-back games only once during the summer and their offence led the circuit in runs scored, hits, home runs, runs batted in (RBI), total bases and stolen bases.

 

Strong fielding helped catapult the Okotoks Dawgs to the top of the West Division. The Dawgs reached the 40-win mark for a fourth straight season and the fifth time since 2019. Add in three-straight WCBL championships and the team has been a model of consistency over the years.

 

Let’s take a closer look at which individuals led the way in 2025.

 

HILL-TOP HEROES

 

Levi Abbott had an exceptional campaign with the Lethbridge Bulls. The 6-foot-5 starting pitcher recorded the lowest earned run average in the league with a 1.38 ERA over 52 innings pitched. Abbott also registered the lowest batting average against (.172) and the top walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) rate of 0.81. The righthander pitched two complete games, allowed only one home run, he did not hit any batters and he uncorked just one wild pitch throughout the regular season. In addition, his strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) rate was 11.942. Over eight starts, Abbott went 7-1 and finished tied for the most wins on the circuit.

 

Joining Abbott at the top of the wins column are his Australian teammate Maxim Mrakovcic and Matt Whitney of the Saskatoon Berries. Mrakovcic went 7-1 over nine starts and 49.1 innings for the Bulls with 44 Ks and a 4.38 ERA. In his 10 starts and 53-plus innings for the Berries, Whitney had a perfect 7-0 record, 48 strikeouts and a 3.68 ERA. The lefty from Plantation, Florida finished second in the WCBL in strikeouts in 2024 as a member of the Fort McMurray Giants.

 

Westin Walls led the league in strikeouts (89) and innings pitched (72.1) while making 15 appearances, including 13 starts. In his second season with the Moose Jaw Miller Express, the towering Texan went 4-5 with a 6.22 ERA. Walls was just two strikeouts short of tying the single-season record for Ks.

 

Blake Johnson, a 6-foot-4 hurler from California, had a 1.81 ERA and 55 strikeouts in eight starts and 44.2 innings with the Regina Red Sox.

 

Two starting pitchers with the Medicine Hat Mavericks had strong seasons. Luis Diaz went 2-1 with a 3.67 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 61.1 innings, and Xander Roberts posted a 6-1 record with 40 Ks and a 3.60 ERA over 50 innings.

 

The Fort McMurray Giants also had a dynamic duo on the mound. Southpaw Ashe Ammerlaan racked up 70 strikeouts in 36 frames while posting a 4.25 ERA in 12 games, half of which were starts. KJ Jones went 2-0 with a 3.11 ERA and a save for the Giants in his 43.1 innings. Like Ammerlaan, Jones worked as both a starter and a reliever.

 

The starting rotation of the Okotoks Dawgs featured solid innings out of Brady Baltus and Gavin Wuschke. Baltus went 4-1 with a .372 ERA and 23 Ks in eight starts and 38-plus innings while Wuschke was 2-0 with a 3.53 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 35.2 innings and nine appearances.

 

Tristan Harley of the Energy City Cactus Rats pitched in a dozen games and made 10 starts. The Florida product went 3-3 with a 3.42 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched.

 

Two-way star Ian Heck was noticeable all over the diamond for the Weyburn Beavers during his second season in the WCBL. Over 10 starts and 59-plus innings, the California righthander was 2-4 with 58 strikeouts and a 3.79 ERA. At the dish, he posted a .291 batting average with seven home runs and 45 RBI.

 

STRIKEOUT RECORD

 

The WCBL has a new career leader in strikeouts.

 

The previous high of 282 punch outs was recorded by Graham Brunner, a long-time lefthander with the Dawgs, over 270 regular season and playoff innings. Brunner began pitching for Okotoks as a high school player in 2017 and wrapped up his WCBL career in 2024.

 

Josh Tucker, who is also a lefty, is now up to 296 strikeouts heading into the 2025 postseason. The Spokane, Washington native has logged 209.2 innings for the Sylvan Lake Gulls since 2022. During that first summer with the Gulls, Tucker set the record for Ks in a single regular season by striking out 91 batters. He was named the WCBL’s Most Outstanding Pitcher that year. During this season, the 6-foot-3 southpaw is 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA, one save and 55 strikeouts in 34.1 innings. Tucker has appeared in 10 games, including nine starts.

 

Brunner remains the WCBL wins leader with 30 career victories.

 

BULLPEN ACES

 

Donovan Gamez led all closers with eight saves in 2025. The San Antonio, Texas product was a menace to opposing hitters, turning in a 1.68 ERA and 24 Ks in 15 games and 16 innings of high-leverage work for the Lethbridge Bulls.

 

Moose Jaw’s Nathan Pisio worked wonders out of his hometown Miller Express bullpen. The high schooler appeared in 18 games and went 3-2 with six saves and a 3.28 ERA. He also recorded 27 strikeouts in 24.2 innings.

 

The Berries got saves from seven different pitchers, but Tanner Hosick led the club with five saves. The Nebraska product also went 2-2 with 21 Ks in 20 innings and recorded a 2.70 ERA. Other effective relievers for Saskatoon include Zac Laird (4-0 record, one save, 38 Ks, 2.14 ERA, 21 innings) and Klevert Martina (2.55 ERA, two saves, 27 Ks in 31.2 innings).

 

The late innings in Okotoks have been made easier by Alex Oliver and his distinctive moustache. The Oklahoma native was 2-1 with five saves, a 4.30 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 23 innings that were spread out over 21 appearances. The Dawgs also leaned on bullpen workhorse Chase Tucker. The Newfoundlander logged over 31 innings as a reliever and went 3-1 with 30 Ks and a 2.29 ERA. The righthander pitched in 25 games and picked up one save.

 

The go-to Gull for saves has been Mickey McClaskey, a 6-foot-3 righthander attending Gonzaga University. In 16 games and 23.1 innings out of the bullpen, McClaskey has four saves, a 3.08 ERA, a 2-2 record and 37 strikeouts.

 

Red Deer native Heath Hachkowski was excellent as a reliever for the Brooks Bombers. In 12 games and 19.1 innings, the righty went 3-1 with three saves, a 1.86 ERA and 32 strikeouts.

 

BOOMING BATS

 

It was a record-breaking summer for hitters in the WCBL.

 

Miller Express infielder Thomas Soto set a new high for runs in a regular season by crossing the plate 70 times. The WCBL veteran had a great season for Moose Jaw, posting a .343 batting average while stealing 23 bases, walking 43 times and producing 36 RBI in 53 games. Soto broke the previous record of 69 runs that was set by Zach Campbell in 2022. Campbell also played for the Millers.

 

Soto’s teammate, Australian outfielder William Edwards, tied the single-season record for RBI with 66 in 55 games. He joins infielder Kaleb Warden, who reached that standard with the Lethbridge Bulls in 2019. Edwards also smacked 22 doubles, one short of the record in that statistical category. It was a fantastic summer for the University of Sioux Falls student, who finished the regular season with a .364 batting average, 60 runs, nine homers and 11 stolen bases. In addition to leading the WCBL in RBI and doubles, Edwards also registered more hits than anyone else. His 86 hits topped the 85 that Carter Roth of the Medicine Hat Mavericks collected, and the 82 that Moose Jaw’s Austin Gurney contributed.

 

The batting champ belt went to Bernie Socarras of the Lethbridge Bulls. He hit .405 with 47 runs and 19 stolen bases in 41 games. That was good enough to outlast the league’s only other .400 hitter. Connor Crowson, the 2024 WCBL Playoff MVP, turned in a .401 batting average in his 47 games with the Dawgs. The Okotoks native had 50 runs and 45 RBI in pacing the offence of the Dawgs. Crowson also led the WCBL in on-base percentage by getting aboard at a .503 clip.

 

It was a tight race for the home run crown, with six players pumping out double-digit numbers in long balls and another six sluggers smacking out nine homers. In the end, Wilmer Henriquez prevailed with 13 round trippers for the Swift Current 57’s. The infielder also had 30 runs and 32 RBI in 42 games. Henriquez outlasted a trio of Berries, Ethan Menard and Cory Wouters had a dozen dingers each, while Ethan Murdoch had 10 homers. Zane Skansi of the Dawgs and Jack Kalisky of the Bulls also finished with 10 home runs.

 

Menard had a whale of a season for Saskatoon. The 2025 WCBL All-Star Game MVP led the league in slugging percentage (.728), on-base percentage plus slugging (1.175) and isolated power (.335). In his 35 games with the Berries, the Louisiana product had a .392 batting average, 48 runs, 39 RBI and 10 stolen bases.

 

While Menard was hitting for power, CJ Snowden was showing off his speed. The outfielder from Chandler, Arizona led all WCBL base stealers with 40 bag thefts. In 44 games with the Brooks Bombers, Snowden hit .316 with 31 RBI, 31 runs and five homers.

 

Ben Waliczek, an infielder with the Miller Express, finished second in the league in stolen bases, with 32, but the Kansas native drew more bases on balls than any other batter, finishing with 45 walks in 56 games.

 

Aaron Vulcano led the WCBL in triples by hitting four this summer. The outfielder/infielder with the Mavericks finished with a .307 batting average, 46 runs, 41 RBI and eight homers in 52 games. Seven players had three triples during the regular season.

 

Meanwhile, Tanner DeGrazia may have collected more bruises than any other batter in the league. The Miller Express outfielder was hit by pitches a total of 22 times to lead that statistical category. When he wasn’t trotting to first base and nursing his injuries, DeGrazia was an effective hitter for Moose Jaw. In 52 games, he had a .332 batting average, 45 runs, 37 RBI, six homers and five steals. Noah Brooks of the Weyburn Beavers was plunked 19 times.