From First Base to First-Time Coach

2025-04-18

Former Riverhawk Mark Ossanna returns to Edmonton to join a stacked Riverhawks coaching staff for the 2025 season.

As the weather warms up and we approach another summer of fun in the sun, fans can look forward to seeing a familiar face back to the Riverhawks dugout!

Mark Ossanna, who held down first base for the Riverhawks in 2022 and 2023, is back in town–this time as a coach. He’ll be teaming up with returning coach Tanner Kirwer to handle hitting duties for the Hawks.

Originally from Chandler, Arizona, Mark finished his college playing career as a Minot State University Beaver before making the decision to head back up North, returning to the team and community that helped fuel his love for the game.

“Coming from a big baseball heavy state in Arizona, I feel like it was just the right thing to do to come back up to Edmonton and give back to the game where I played,” said Ossanna. “Being able to wear Riverhawks across my chest was something that I never took for granted, I always wore it with pride.”

The electric atmosphere at RE/MAX Field and the warm welcome he received during his first stint in Edmonton really stuck with the rookie coach and played a huge role in drawing him back for more.

“The people are just super nice. The stereotypical, like, ‘Canadian people are nice’ is unbelievably true [...]The turnout that we get at games nowadays, and how the community goes all out for us, I made sure I never took that for granted. I always noticed that and recognized that, and always used that as kind of energy to go play the game, because that was something I was super passionate about.”

For Head Coach Jake Lanferman, having a former leader in the locker room join him on the coaching staff is just as exciting.

“I think it speaks volumes on how much we appreciated his time when he was here. I thought he had a really strong year in year two as a leader,” said Lanferman. “Getting to watch him develop from a player to a coach has been really cool [...] It's been really great to watch him transition in that regard. And I think it speaks about Edmonton and how great the city is. And having him come from a very beautiful state in Arizona is pretty cool,” mused Lanferman.

Alongside Lanferman and Ossanna will be a crew of familiar faces to round out the coaching staff.

Getting a full time promotion from the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks is Levi Moon, who’s eye for the game is something that Lanferman is looking forward to tapping into on a regular basis.

“He sees the game in a different way that I haven't seen in a while. My ability to see his knowledge of the game has made me a better coach, and I hope it's twofold with him as well.”

Bullpen whisperer Jamie Wilson is also back for 2024.

“I can't really give enough praise to Jamie on how well he manages the bullpen, and all the different personalities we get with all these guys all over the place. So having him come in to do that job again will be really good.”

Rounding out the staff will be coaching mainstay Nathan Coffin, handling the administrative side of the game to ensure the players’ experience is a smooth one.

Looking ahead, there’s plenty to learn from last year's successes that included the team's first ever playoff appearance – it’s all about turning last year’s milestones into this year’s standards.

And when it comes to home field advantage, Lanferman knows there’s nothing quite like RE/MAX Field.

“It still gives me goosebumps. Sometimes, when we have six, seven, eight thousand people in the stands, it's a big crowd. It's a bigger crowd than a majority, I would say, 95% of the players on our team will ever see on a night to night basis at home. So I think it's exciting.”

One thing’s for sure, the energy of a Hawks game won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

“We see top talented players from all over North America competing for us, and at the same time, the antics that we kind of got going on down here are extremely fun to watch from even a coaching perspective. For the fans, I think everything we do, even getting on the field, getting player autographs and making it as family orientated as we can is something that just sets us apart, and we’ve been proud to be a part of that with the community as well for the last four years.”

It’s something that the newest coach couldn't wait to be a part of again.

“When the fans were passionate about the game and everything, and seeing the stands filled out, everyone super into the games, that is something that I thought was really special,” said Ossanna.

Jake, Mark and the rest of the Riverhawks coaching staff are looking forward to being back in front of the fans with a new-look squad when the season begins on June 3rd.

Keep an eye out for updates on who’s suiting up for the 2025 Riverhawks and what kind of fun we’ve got planned at RE/MAX Field!