A battle of the WCBL’s most recent championship teams kicks off tonight.
The two-time defending Western Canadian Baseball League champion Okotoks Dawgs host the Lethbridge Bulls, the 2021 titleholders, in Game 1 of the best-of-three West Division semifinal on Wednesday (Aug. 7) at 7:05 p.m. at Seaman Stadium.
“They’re a good team, they can really hit and it’s going be awesome, the playoffs are going to be fun,” said Dawgs infielder Ricky Sanchez. “It’s doing your job, doing the little things, take care of the baseball, moving the runners, situational hitting.
“It was a really good way to end the season, (seven) wins in a row and it’s some nice momentum going into the playoffs.”
The Bulls have been something of a thorn in the side of the Dawgs this summer, particularly early in the season.
Lethbridge won four of the first six meetings with Okotoks rallying in the latter half of the campaign to take the season series by a 6-4 count. Okotoks swept a home-and-home set earlier this week to conclude the regular season.
Okotoks has considerable championship pedigree in the dugout with the core of its team part of two consecutive titles, a group that includes Sanchez, two-time WCBL Playoff MVP Brendan Luther, Okotokian Connor Crowson, electric outfielder Alejandro Cazorla and veteran hurler Graham Brunner.
Lethbridge boasts a deep roster featuring all-stars Jordan Kabayama, Kalem Haney, the power-hitting Carlan Dick and home run and RBI leader Jordan Kalisky.
At the plate, Okotoks led the WCBL with 398 total RBI and 303 walks, was second in runs scored, 473, and home runs, 58.
The Dawgs also boasted the best fielding percentage in the loop at .974 and had a league-low 53 errors.
On the mound, the Dawgs and Bulls produced the two highest strikeout totals in the league at 510 and 493, respectively, and both finished in the top-three in hits allowed.
The playoff meeting will be the first between Okotoks and Lethbridge since the 2019 postseason, a memorable three-game series in the division final which directly preceded the Dawgs’ championship triumph over Regina.
The other West semifinal features the Sylvan Lake Gulls, who broke Okotoks’ league record for wins in a regular season with 44 this summer, and Brooks Bombers.
In the East, the division-leading Regina Red Sox tackle the Moose Jaw Miller Express and the Medicine Hat Mavericks, the division winners in 2023, battle the Saskatoon Berries.
The WCBL postseason features three rounds of best-of-three series. The division semifinals run Aug. 7-9, division finals go Aug. 11-13 and league championship series from Aug. 15-17.
For more information, go to dawgsbaseball.ca.
WCBL West Division semifinal schedule
Game 1: Wednesday, Aug. 7. Bulls at Dawgs
Game 2: Thursday, Aug. 8. Dawgs at Bulls
Game 3: Friday, Aug. 9. Bulls at Dawgs (if necessary)
