Latest news with #Roell
Global News
5 days ago
- Sport
- Global News
Record-breaking Saskatoon Berries set to kick off WCBL playoffs as top seed
As they've done all season long, the Saskatoon Berries have been finding ways to win baseball games. Even if that includes a dramatic grand slam in extra innings on Sunday afternoon at Cairns Field, a walk-off moment courtesy of infielder Mason Roell that has set the table for the Western Canadian Baseball League playoffs for Saskatoon. 'We're ready to go,' Berries outfielder Jalen Freeman said following a 7-5 victory in the team's regular-season finale on Monday against the Medicine Hat Mavericks. 'We've trained all season, we've worked all season, we've shown it and we're the team for it.' Roell's walk-off home run on Sunday not only gave the Berries a standout moment from the 2025 WCBL regular season, but it also helped vault the team into the league's single-season record books. After back-to-back losses to the Regina Red Sox, Roell's grand slam brought the Berries to a final mark of 46 wins, passing the previous record for most in WCBL history, held by the Sylvan Lake Gulls. Story continues below advertisement 'I've never broken a record myself,' Freeman said. 'It's a blessing to be a part of it and do it for the last of my college career, so it's pretty cool to do that.' The Berries finished off the regular season with a 46-9 record, with a game in Medicine Hat on July 14 ultimately being cancelled following several rainouts. Comfortably earning the top seed in the league's East Division, Saskatoon's playoff run begins on Wednesday night as the Berries will kick off a best-of-three divisional semi-final series against the Moose Jaw Miller Express. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Despite the Berries winning seven of eight meetings this year against Moose Jaw, head coach Joe Carnahan said it's a toss-up once the post-season arrives, with teams only needing two victories to advance. 'They have a good team,' Carnahan said. 'They're scrappy, they play hard, it's going to be a good series. Like we've seen last year, they're a good club and they leave it all out on the field. 'It will be a fun series.' No decision has been formally announced with regard to a Game 1 starter on the mound for Saskatoon, however, likely candidates to get the ball include starting pitchers Matthew Whitney, Merek Yeager, Diego Quinonez and Michael Sall. 2:00 Saskatoon Berries approaching WCBL wins record with playoffs looming Showcasing remarkable consistency over 55 regular-season games, that commitment to both sides of the ball will be key for the Berries entering their series with Moose Jaw, according to infielder Cooper Wesslund. Story continues below advertisement 'It's about moving runners when you have to, being solid defensively, throwing strikes, sticking to the basics of baseball and not worrying about too much else,' Wesslund said. For the Berries' group of returning players, of which Freeman is one, there is a level of unfinished business against the Miller Express. Saskatoon's East Division final series loss from last summer is still fresh in their minds, as the Berries were unable to eliminate Moose Jaw after taking a 1-0 series lead and would see their inaugural season come to an end with a 5-3 loss in Game 3. 'I mean, if somebody gets me, I want to get back at them,' Freeman said. 'They got us last year. I'm going to have to get my revenge somehow, someway.' While acknowledging a desire in the dressing room to make good from last year's defeat, Carnahan said the focus is on matching up against whatever opponent they'll face in these playoffs. 'I'm sure the guys are excited to play them,' Carnahan said. 'I'm just ready to get going with the playoffs here, it doesn't really matter who we face. We just want to get some wins and keep them advancing.' Saskatoon will look to deal with a two-headed monster in the lineup for Moose Jaw in William Edwards and Austin Gurney, who are able to break games open despite the team's run-of-the-mill 27-29 record. Story continues below advertisement Counting the Miller Express out will be a mistake, according to Wesslund, however, and the Berries will have to carry over their dominance from the regular season for a shot at competing for the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy in a few weeks' time. 'It's going to take a whole team effort,' Wesslund said. 'We're just going to have to keep playing together, just trust each other and trust what we've built here.' Game 1 between the Berries and Miller Express is set for 7 p.m. at Cairns Field on Wednesday, with the series shifting south to Moose Jaw on Thursday with a 7 p.m. opening pitch for Game 2. If necessary, a winner-take-all Game 3 will be held on Friday night in Saskatoon to decide who will advance to the East Division final.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cougar Kittens Confirmed in Michigan for the First Time in a Century
Wildlife biologists from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources verified the presence of a pair of cougar cubs in Ontonagon County on Wednesday. Photos of the kittens taken on March 6 on private land by a resident provided the first potential evidence of cougar reproduction in the Great Lakes State since the cats were extirpated in the early 1900s. Michigan DNR large carnivore specialist Brian Roell led the team that verified the cubs. 'It's pretty exciting, but we're also being cautious about what this actually means,' Roell tells Outdoor Life. 'It's easy to blow this out of proportion, but truthfully, we cannot confirm that this is actual reproduction because we haven't seen an adult with these kittens.' Of course, two mountain lion kittens didn't just fall out of the sky. Roell says it's logical to assume an adult is associated with these young cougars, even if there is no physical evidence. Roell says there have also been six confirmed trail camera pictures of an adult in the area since January. 'We don't know if she bred here,' Roell says. 'Given the three-month gestation period, there would have been enough time for an animal to walk here, although females don't typically range as much as males.' Cougars are not complete strangers to Michigan. The big cats once roamed the state freely. However, after decades of intense unregulated hunting and trapping, by the early 1900s, the animals had disappeared. The last known legally taken Michigan cougar was harvested near Newberry in 1906. Today, sightings of the big cats are infrequent, although they have increased in recent years. The DNR has verified 132 reports of adult cougars in the state since 2008, Roell says. So far, however, the DNR has only confirmed the presence of male cougars in the was accomplished with DNA samples collected by staff in the wild, and from the carcasses of two poached toms. Those males proved to be genetically related to cats in South Dakota. A citizen who wishes to remain anonymous spotted the two cubs along the side of a road on March 6. At the time, he thought they were bobcat kittens. 'It was the day after a really big blizzard,' Roell says. 'They were so young that they weren't able to get over the snow banks on the side of the road. Western biologists from areas with larger mountain lion populations consulted with Roell to confirm the identity and age of the cougar cubs, which they say is between 7 and 9 weeks old. 'That means they were born right around Christmas,' Roell says. Roell also received pictures of tracks where an adult traveled across a frozen pod on the private property adjacent to where the cubs were sighted. However, there were no kitten tracks with the set of adult tracks. The two cubs have not been seen since March 6, nor has the adult seen on trail cameras in the area. 'Those young cougars are very vulnerable right now,' Roell says. 'We don't know where they are or if they're even alive. Mother Nature can be very cruel.' Cougar cubs typically remain with their mothers for 18 to 24 months as they learn crucial survival skills and rely on them for protection. Only about one in six cougar cubs survive to adulthood. 'I hope they are together,' Roell says. 'If they are, that would confirm that Michigan has had reproduction, making us the first of the Great Lakes States. It doesn't mean it hasn't happened before. It just means it hasn't been documented.' Read Next: A Dead Cougar Was Found in Arkansas for the First Time in a Decade. Experts Aren't Sure What Killed It Roell says the golden ticket in this situation would be an image of the kittens traveling with an adult. 'There are private property owners over there that have a bunch of trail cameras,' Roell says. 'I have been in contact with all of them, and they are anxious to share pictures of all three of them together. So, we're hopeful.' You can log sightings and physical evidence, such as tracks, scat, or carcasses, on the DNR website via the agency's Eyes in the Field reporting system. Roell notes that cougars are listed as an endangered species in Michigan, which means it is illegal to disturb a den or harass them in any way.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
State says ‘verified' cougar cubs photographed in Michigan
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — For the first time in more than 100 years, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says it has verified the existence of cougar cubs in the state. State biologists determined photos taken by an Ontonagon County resident on private land show the cougar cubs. The DNR said the cubs are believed to be between 7 to 9 weeks old. The DNR says these big cats were 'hunted out of existence in Michigan in the early 1900s.' 'It's pretty exciting, considering this could be the first known cougar reproduction in modern times in the western Great Lakes states,' said Brian Roell, referring to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Roell is a large carnivore specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 'It really shows that we have a unique place in Michigan where someone has a chance to see a wolf, a moose and a cougar in the wild. It's something that should be celebrated, that we have the habitat to support an elusive animal like this.' Dec. 2020: Tracking Cougars in the U.P.: Michigan DNR shares confirmed sightings Since the cubs were spotted and photographed without their mother, the DNR assumes the mother is alive in the area since cougar cubs are 'highly dependent on their mothers, often staying with them for the first two years of life.' If you think you have seen a cougar, you can log the sighting in the DNR's Eyes in the Field reporting system. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
13-03-2025
- General
- CBS News
Cougar cubs spotted in Michigan wild for first time in 100 years
For the first time in more than a century, cougar cubs have been spotted living in the Michigan wild. On Wednesday, state biologists confirmed two cougar cubs were on private land in Ontonagon County in the western Upper Peninsula. The cubs were verified by photographs taken by a resident on March 6, who photographed the cubs with their mother. It's the first time cougar cubs have been verified since cougars were hunted out of existence in Michigan in the early 1990s, according to Michigan DNR large carnivore specialist Brian Roell. The cubs are believed to be 7 to 9 weeks old. "It's pretty exciting, considering this could be the first known cougar reproduction in modern times in the western Great Lakes states," said Roell, referring to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. "It really shows that we have a unique place in Michigan where someone has a chance to see a wolf, a moose and a cougar in the wild. It's something that should be celebrated, that we have the habitat to support an elusive animal like this." The DNR says the cubs have not been seen since March 6. Roell says cougars are an endangered mammal in Michigan; it's illegal to hunt or harass the big cats. "Those young cougars are very vulnerable right now," said Roell, who led the team that verified the cubs. "We don't know where they are or if they're even alive. Mother Nature can be very cruel." Although cougars are native to Michigan, most cougars spotted in Michigan are transient and travel from Western states, according to Roell. To date, the DNR has verified 132 adult cougar reports, with DNA testing confirming only male cougars. You can report cougar sightings by using the DNR's Eyes in the Field reporting system.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Farmers hit by a federal funding freeze scramble to respond ahead of spring thaw
Farmers across the U.S. are struggling to make critical decisions ahead of the spring thaw, as billions of dollars in promised federal payments remain frozen by the Trump administration. Ang Roell, a farmer and beekeeper in Massachusetts, had planned to begin installing deer-proof fencing, mulch and an irrigation system for a recently planted orchard — an initiative supported by more than $30,000 in federal grants that are now on hold. Without that money, Roell worries that when the chestnut trees and elderberry bushes begin to sprout leaves in just a few weeks, there will be nothing to stop deer from chewing up the baby leaves. And Roell said the farm will struggle to keep the plants regularly watered and weeded without the infrastructure it had been counting on. 'We risk losing the plants because we can't keep up with the watering schedule,' Roell said. 'The delay of time might not seem like a big deal for someone who is not a farmer. But it actually is.' On his first day of office, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that paused the disbursement of all funds linked to former President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which included $19.5 billion in agriculture-related conservation programs. The Trump administration also froze funds related to a separate $3.1 billion investment in 'climate-smart' farm projects made under Biden. The frozen funding was set to support projects including rotational grazing systems to improve soil health, waterways to reduce erosion, the installation of solar panels, and conversion from diesel to electric irrigation systems. Thousands of farmers have made plans and investments based on the promised funding, leaving some in financial peril, according to several groups that support farmers. The timing adds to that challenge: Spring marks a key moment in the seasonal cycle of many farms, with seeds planted and animals born, and it can be difficult — if not impossible — to pause or reverse course. On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it would be releasing the 'first tranche' of funding paused under the administration's review of the Inflation Reduction Act, totaling $20 million. 'It's a pittance,' said Mike Lavender, policy director for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, a farm and food advocacy group. 'There is some semblance that this is moving, but it's clearly not fast enough. The timing matters.' Small farms may be especially vulnerable, as they tend to have tighter profit margins and more limited access to credit than larger operations. They also make up a large proportion of the farms participating in some of the federal grant programs that have been frozen, according to a recent USDA report. 'With this uncertainty, they are pulling out of farmers markets, canceling contracts already because they do not think they will have the capacity to meet them,' said Vanessa Garcia Polanco, government relations director for the National Young Farmers Coalition, an advocacy group for farmers and ranchers. 'When all that funding is frozen, it sends a signal to them that their business plan is not safe.' In a press release, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Thursday that 'it is clear that some of this funding went to programs that had nothing to do with agriculture — that is why we are still reviewing.' She criticized what she described as the previous administration's 'disastrous policies of over-regulation, extreme environmental programs, and crippling inflation.' The USDA did not say when additional money would be released. Brian Geier, a farmer in Indiana, had been counting on a $10,000 grant from the USDA to expand the grazing area for his sheep, which he would then rotate with his farm's hayfields to conserve the soil quality over time. Based on the expectation of receiving the grant, he agreed to purchase lambs this spring from a local sheep breeder. Nine weeks from now, the lambs are expected to be born. But Geier still doesn't know if or when he will receive the funds he was promised to build the fencing and water lines that he needs, so he scrambled to secure a loan from a friend to make sure the lambs will have a place to graze. 'Farmers have to shift when timelines change,' Geier said. 'We have to adapt given the biological situations going on with animals and the seasons.' Having received no updates from the USDA on his grant as of Friday afternoon, he is now rethinking his plan to purchase more sheep this summer for his farm, which he and his partner founded two years ago. 'We'll just have to scale that back and slow it down.' Those receiving grants explicitly related to climate change are especially concerned, as the Trump administration has made targeting such programs a political priority. Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, a nonprofit supporting farmers, manages about 200 climate-related projects funded by the USDA in 15 states, including the upgrades to Roell's orchard in Massachusetts. The group is now owed close to $2 million in reimbursement from the USDA, according to Executive Director Hannah Smith-Brubaker, who fears she will have to lay off staff if the freeze continues for much longer. 'There are not going to be people to help those farmers and process those payments,' she said. Roell sought out USDA funds to support a new orchard after Hurricane Helene destroyed beehives they were keeping in western North Carolina — just one of many extreme weather events that disrupted their beekeeping and honey production business. 'The point of this orchard was to make us more resilient,' Roell said. 'We are able to have a diversified farm that has other products to offer and can offset losses when catastrophes like this happen. But instead, now, we have the federal government as a catastrophe.' This article was originally published on
