Carnduff to host WCBL Rural Roots Classic between Saskatoon Berries, Weyburn Beavers

Carnduff will play host to a Western Canadian Baseball League game this spring.

The Saskatchewan town was announced as the location of the league’s second annual Rural Roots Baseball Classic, which will take place on May 29 at Carnduff Ball Park. It will be a contest between the Saskatoon Berries and Weyburn Beavers.

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This is the second edition of the event, which is meant to celebrate the towns and cities that served as the pioneers for baseball.

“In the big cities, we forget about the heritage of both the growth of our provinces and the growth of baseball,” said Kevin Kvame, the league’s president.

“It all started in rural Alberta. I think we need to connect back to that, because I think that’s when baseball was at its purest, and our communities are at their purest – when the communities came together at a ball park and celebrated the community in general.”

John Prette is the Weyburn Beavers’ bench coach for away games and the team’s play-by-play man for home games. He said the entire organization is excited to take part in this year’s game.

“We see the same 11 other stadiums every year. It’s going to be nice to go to a new location,” Prette said.

“Couldn’t be prouder to be going to Carnduff. I knew all along they had the people and facilities to pull it off.”

“When we bring players up or have local players from Saskatchewan, Alberta, or Canada in general, I think we forget it’s a journey for these players,” added Berries president Steve Hildebrand.

“This is just another part of their journey, and I know the town of Carnduff is going to do an unbelievable job, and something these players and staff and all of us will remember.”

Baseball has been woven into Carnduff’s history since it was first incorporated as a town in 1905. In 1909, a group of senior ball players from the community won the Souris Valley League’s championship.

Carnduff’s involvement in the Saskota Baseball League – a senior men’s league based in southeast Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba – has been around for over a century. In 2003, the Carnduff Astros joined the league to bring a team back to the community, and they captured the title at the Jack Harbourne Memorial Tournament in 2019.

The Carnduff Southeast Steelers softball team became the first Saskatchewan-based team to win three consecutive Canadian women’s A softball championships (2023-25).

“Over the past 25 years, we’ve had a real regrowth of baseball in the area. We have outstanding facilities. We have programs all the way through all our age groups, and we have a real passion for the game of baseball, and I think that will show through when people come here,” said Blair Beck, the lead organizer for the event.

“The other thing, of course, is our diamond infrastructure. We think it’s as good as it is in small-town Saskatchewan and we’re excited to show it off.”

Carnduff recreation director Jodie Wall said the volunteer base will also impress the players and fans at the game.

“You can ask anybody that you think might be from Carnduff at the diamonds if you need something, and they will probably be able to help you or point you in the right direction,” Wall said. “The people definitely make the event for us.”

Carnduff also has a connection to the Berries, with star player Carter Beck hailing from the town. While it hasn’t yet been announced whether he’ll be with the team again for the 2026 season, the lefty has suited up for 106 games over the past two seasons, recording a .400 batting average along with 121 runs, 25 doubles, 24 home runs, 96 runs batted in and 36 stolen bases. He was named the WCBL Rookie of the Year, as well as most-outstanding Canadian and all-star game MVP in 2024, and was named a WCBL first-team all-star in both 2024 and 2025.

“This means a lot. I think it is super cool that Carnduff has been granted this opportunity. It will really be the first time the far southeast corner has an opportunity to watch some WCBL action. I think it will open some eyes of kids to what baseball can look like and what you can do with it. So, I am super excited that Carnduff will host this game, and I know that it will be run very well,” Beck said in a news release.

“Carnduff has a beautiful ball complex with four smaller diamonds and one full‑size baseball diamond, and it’s been really cool to see how much the game has grown since I was a kid.”

Tickets for the game will be available through the Weyburn Beavers’ website, and walk-up tickets will be available as well.