Last year the Hawks finished 15-15 and were fourth place in the standings. They battled hard during the CCBC Championships making it to the semi finals after winning 6-4 over PBA, and 8-1 over the University of Calgary, but lost their last game to OC 5-3.  “This was the most competitive fall we have had during my coaching career and I’m excited to see our talent hit the field in the spring.” said head coach Jake Lanferman. 

    Some new faces have joined the Riverhawks coaching staff in Levi Moon, Jamie Wilson, and Mark Ossanna. 

    Levi Moon will be an assistant senior varsity coach for the program. “The CCBC Alumni had a great college career capped with international experiences that will help him lead our team this spring,” says coach Lanferman. “After his college career Moon went on to play 5 seasons internationally starting in 2019 with the Kiel Seahawks (German Bundesliga) following that up by playing down under with Weston Creek Indians (ACT Div 1) in 2019-20, the Schwechat Blue Bats (Austrian Bundesliga) in 2021 & the Stockholm Monarchs (Swedish Elitserien) in both 2022 & ’23 while becoming a 3X-Allstar over that period (‘19, ’22 & ‘23).”

    Jamie Wilson will be the pitching coach this year for the Riverhawks. During the 2024 Summer, Jamie was the Pitching Coach for the Edmonton Riverhawks of the West Coast League. Having a wealth of international experience with the highlight of his playing career; pitching on the world stage at the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in Taiwan (2012) and Sydney (2016).

    Lastly Mark Ossanna will be the main junior varsity assistant coach. He played for Phoenix College (NJCAA) and Minot State University (NCAA) during his 5-year college career. During his time at Phoenix College, the Bears made back-to-back World Series appearances. At Minot State, he was named First Team All Conference in 2022 and was selected to the NSIC All-Academic Team in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Ossanna also played two seasons for the Edmonton Riverhawks (WCL) including their inaugural season in 2022. In 2023, he led the Riverhawks in home runs. 

    Some familiar faces have also made a return to the Riverhawks and they look to make a big impact for their highly touted upcoming season. 

    Jacob Mireault (Edmonton, AB) looks to build off his season last year. “Jacob is a returner that will provide leadership for our program, on the field and in the clubhouse,” said coach Lanferman. “The veteran outfielder is looking for another strong spring and to continue to lead us with his fast-twitch competitive game.”

    Reece Devlin (Edmonton, AB) put up a 2.60 ERA in 27.2 innings last year and struck out 23 batters in that span. “By gaining experience with the Edmonton Riverhawks (WCL) over the summer, we expect him to continue to lead by example and compete for us on the mound in whatever role he encompasses,” said coach Lanferman. “Reece is a spark-plug for our guys and will be looked at in a leadership light.” 

    The two-time consecutive CCBC Stolen Base Leader, Brayden Morris (St. Albert, Alberta), is looking for another big year on the base paths and at the plate. “Morris will be a staple in our line-up growing from his experiences with the Saskatoon Berries (WCBL) and Edmonton Riverhawks (WCL) over the last summer,” says coach Lanferman. “The extreme utility part of his game will allow us to have different defensive looks all spring long.”

    Some new faces that look to contribute on both sides of the ball including RHP Lucas Webber-Kitching (Calgary, AB). “Lucas transferred to Edmonton Collegiate from the University of British Columbia where he will be looked upon to lead us on the mound and be a constant in our starting rotation,” says coach Lanferman. “The firm right handed pitcher dominated for us this fall as he’s a key component to help us attempt to compete with our record-breaking Team E.R.A. (2.73) from last season.”

    Another newcomer to Edmonton is 3B/1B Caedyn Colford (Drayton Valley, AB). The local product transferred to Edmonton Collegiate this past off-season from Walla Walla Community College. “Colford is a big right-handed power hitter that will be looked at to lead the way in the heart of the line-up,” says coach Lanferman

    Another name to look out for is Emerson Shelby (Surrey, BC). “Emerson comes into our program as a true-freshman looking to make an impact in our line-up. Selby is coming off of a huge fall that saw him win World Series MVP and show consistency with his power and contact tools at the plate,” said coach Lanferman.

    “This spring will be a new look for our program after graduating multiple seniors that were impact guys for many years. That being said, it gives new opportunities to returners, transfers, and freshmen. As our program continues to grow, so does the competitiveness, talent, and expectations. We’re going to play hard-nosed baseball as we always do, and compete to the best of our abilities with one goal in mind. This was the most competitive fall we have had during my coaching career and I’m excited to see our talent hit the field in the spring,” said coach Lanferman.