It’s a ‘berry’ great day for Saskatoon’s newest baseball team

Saskatoon berries are pretty popular and so, apparently, is that name.

After two weeks of fan voting, the city’s Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) entry revealed Thursday that its name will be the Saskatoon Berries.

“A lot of people voted. For a while, it was neck and neck in the voting but in the last four days the Berries took over,” said team president Steve Hildebrand.

The fan who submitted the winning name will receive a season ticket for life. According to Hildebrand, the club also is working on getting the winner to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Berries’ inaugural home opener.

The Berries are to take the diamond in the 2024 WCBL season; it’s the first time the city has been represented in the league since the Yellow Jackets folded in 2014.

Hildebrand said the club chose to do a fan vote to determine its name to include the community and engage with fans.

“We want this team to be about community involvement and we felt this was a great way to get people involved and be a part of this ball club,” he said.

The Berries hope to release their team colours and a logo by the end of July, but their jerseys won’t be revealed until next spring.