After one of the best regular seasons in team history, the Moose Jaw Miller Express will be looking to take the next step and finally claim a Western Canadian Baseball League title when they take the field this coming season.
Now they know when it will all begin after the WCBL released their season- and home-opener schedule for the 2024 campaign.
The Miller Express will be in action on opening weekend when they travel to Weyburn to face the Beavers on Friday, May 24. They won’t have to wait to get on the field in front of the Ross Wells Park faithful, as their home opener will be 24 hours later against Medicine Hat, part of a two-game weekend set with the Mavericks.
Moose Jaw will enjoy their longest homestand of the season shortly after, as they’ll play five games from May 31 through June 5 in the friendly confines of Ross Wells-- a run that will include one of the hottest early-season tickets of the campaign.
That would be the inaugural visit of the Saskatoon Berries to Moose Jaw, with the expansion team having become a bit of a viral sensation thanks to a strong social media presence in advance of their first WCBL season.
Saskatoon makes their first trip to Moose Jaw on June 4-5 before the Express head north for their first visit on June 6.
The Berries will join the Express, Mavericks, Regina Red Sox and Swift Current 57’s in the East Division, while the defending champion Okotoks Dawgs, Sylvan Lake Gulls, Fort McMurray Giants, Lethbridge Bulls and returning Edmonton Prospects comprise the West Division.
The schedule-maker was kind enough to spread out the Miller Express’ road games, with five three-game trips the longest Moose Jaw will spend away from home.
Lethbridge and Saskatoon have the longest road trips of the season, with the Bulls spending the first nine games of the campaign on the road and the Berries tripping for nine games from Jul 9 through Jul 19.
All told, teams will play a 56-game season, with 28 home games.
The regular season wraps up on Aug. 5, followed by the Conference semifinals from Aug. 7-9, Conference finals Aug 11-13 and Championship final from Aug. 15-17. All series will be best-of-three.
The Miller Express are coming off a campaign that saw them post a 38-18 record to run away with the East Division regular-season title, finishing eight games ahead of the Medicine Hat Mavericks.
Moose Jaw swept Swift Current in the first round of the playoffs but fell in three games to the Mavericks in the East Final. Okotoks then defeated Medicine Hat in three games to claim the WCBL title.
Check out the full schedule below, and be sure to follow www.westerncanadianbaseballleague.ca for regular updates.
