Saskatoon Berries Academy grad Yeager makes historic jump to WCBL collegiate roster
Though his first start at Cairns Field was a big moment for Saskatoon Berries pitcher Merek Yeager on Wednesday night, it's not quite the same as being on the mound at Rogers Centre in Toronto – an experience he got to revel in back-to-back years, selected to the Toronto Blue Jays' Canadian Futures Showcase.
'When you actually go out there and then you're on the same mound as Kevin Gausman and José Berríos it's like, 'Woah.'' said Yeager. 'You have to make it count and you just got to be ready to go, but I think the whole atmosphere with that was just so much fun.'
It's not just those within the Blue Jays Academy who are taking note of the Muenster product's potential as he's now blazing a trail for the Berries program as a whole.
Yeager has graduated to the Western Canadian Baseball League's summer collegiate team in Saskatoon after suiting up for the Berries Academy U18 squad last year.
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Now a member of the Berries' main summer collegiate roster, Yeager has become the first Berries Academy grad to make his WCBL debut.
'It lined up so nicely for me personally,' said Yeager. 'I'm in Grade 12 … but I couldn't do anything else, so I went to the Academy. I got better and now I'm lined up having a WCBL season before I even go to college.
'If I know I can succeed in this, I'm hoping I'm pretty well set for college too.'
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Yeager faced three batters in a short call-up last year to the Berries from his academy program, but is now a full-time member of the team's WCBL roster with two starts including his first collegiate win on Wednesday in a 14-6 victory over the Fort McMurray Giants where he struck out six batters over five innings.
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According to Berries head coach and academy director Joe Carnahan, the 18-year-old Yeager has pitched well above his years this month.
'He's still in Grade 12 this year,' said Carnahan. 'For him to come in and throw against college hitters and be as successful as he's been is a real positive, and just a tribute to his work ethic and the way he's developed over the last couple of years.'
Launched in tandem with the summer collegiate club in 2024, the Berries Academy was created to give students in grades 8-12 opportunities to train on the diamond as part of their school day and open up doors at the next level of baseball.
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2:04
Saskatoon Berries star Beck returns from dominant season at Indiana State
Instruction has been led by a handful of instructors including Carnahan and Berries pitching coach Ryan Olchoway, who started the very first home game in the WCBL club's history in May 2024.
Olchoway said Yeager has progressed greatly since he was introduced to the academy program and isn't surprised to see the success he's achieving.
'To be the first guy from the academy to the Berries summer team is a great guy to be,' said Olchoway. 'He works hard every single day, he's a good guy to be around and he likes to compete. That's the kind of guy we're looking for coming into the academy and then playing for our summer ball team.'
Yeager has already committed to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas for the fall, one of several commitments the Berries Academy is already starting to produce.
Story continues below advertisement
Carnahan added that's been a big draw for getting the program off the ground, in showcasing direct pathways to the university level both in Canada and south of the border.
'That's part of the reason why we're doing it,' said Carnahan. 'To have kids start younger, come through the academy and then play for us in the summer. It's really nice to see.'
Looking forward to the day that even more of his Berries Academy teammates join him on the summer roster, Yeager believes it's just the start of the next wave of Berries talent to form a local pipeline – one he hopes will lead to the Berries competing for WCBL titles for years to come.
'It's possible to make that jump,' said Yeager. 'There's a few other guys on the team like (Aidan Marien) and (Aiden Kilshaw). Those guys were in the academy too, those guys are trying to get up there too. To know that those guys are working for a spot, it felt like I almost paved a path for them and it means a lot to me.'
Seeing their seven-game win streak come to an end on Sunday night against the Swift Current 57's, the Berries (7-2) will begin a two-game set at Cairns Field on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against the East Division-leading Medicine Hat Mavericks (9-2).
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