The Edmonton Riverhawks are a
collegiate summer baseball
Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
team. The Riverhawks are members of the
West Coast League and play their home games at
RE/MAX Field.
History
In May 2020, Baseball Edmonton, a consortium headed by five-time Stanley Cup winner
Randy Gregg along with 24 shareholders, secured a ten-year lease agreement with the City of Edmonton for
RE/MAX Field. The move beat out a proposal by the
Edmonton Prospects of the
Western Canadian Baseball League
The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league based in Saskatchewan and Alberta that descends from leagues dating to 1931.
History
The league can trace its roots back to 1931, via its predecessors. The South ...
, who had been using the stadium since 2012. Baseball Edmonton agreed to fund upgrades to the ballpark including new artificial turf, scoreboard, and lighting.
On September 15, 2020, Baseball Edmonton announced the founding of the Edmonton Riverhawks, a
West Coast League (WCL) expansion franchise to begin play in 2021. Edmonton's entry into the WCL was the first to be located in Alberta. Due to the distance between the Riverhawks and their league brethren the franchise subsidizes travel to teams visiting Edmonton.
The WCL's Canadian teams cancelled their 2021 seasons because of the
COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Most cases over the course of the pandemic have been in Ontario, Que ...
, postponing the Riverhawks' debut to 2022.
The Riverhawks played their first game on May 31, 2022, against the
Kamloops NorthPaws.
2022
The Riverhawks finished 5th in the North Division. Outfielder Clayton Loranger (college:
Stephen F. Austin State University
}
Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) is a public university in Nacogdoches, Texas. It was founded as a teachers' college in 1923 and subsequennly renamed after one of Texas's founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part ...
, hometown:
Sherwood Park, Alberta
Sherwood Park is a large hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Strathcona County that is recognized as an urban service area. It is located adjacent to the City of Edmonton's eastern boundary, generally south of Highway 16 (Yellowhead Trail), ...
) had the fourth best batting average in the league (.403). Outfielder Ivan Brethowr (college:
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
, hometown:
Olathe, Kansas
Olathe ( ) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the List_of_cities_in_Kansas#Highest_population_listing, fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and the state of Kansas, with a 2020 Unit ...
) was second in the league in RBIs with 19. The Riverhawks were second in the league in attendance with 63,221 fans coming through the gates for an average of 2,342 fans per game.
Season-by-season record
References
{{West Coast League
Amateur baseball teams in Canada
2020 establishments in Alberta
Baseball teams established in 2020
Baseball teams in Edmonton