Riverhawks Welcome Kelowna for Final 2026 Home Series

2026-07-23

Riverhawks final regular season home stand has many subplots

Larry Read

EDMONTON, AB—The Edmonton Riverhawks are entering their final homestand of the 2026 West Coast League regular season with a number of story lines. The Riverhawks are entertaining the Kelowna Falcons at RE/MAX Field in a three-game set beginning tonight (Fri July 24) at 7:05 PM MDT.

Both teams enter the series involved in a dogfight for the final playoff spots in the WCL North Division. Edmonton is 22-10 while Kelowna has a record of 25-17. They, along with Bellingham and Nanaimo are also in the mix.

“It depends how the last 13 games go, “says Riverhawks head coach Jake Lanferman states. “ If Wenatchee continues to win, they will take the second half (after winning the WCL North first half pennant). Then it goes to the next best team. Kelowna is ahead of us in the standings-six times. They are a game and a half ahead of us in the standings. We have a really good shot. If we take care of business, we could get the back half clinched. You never know about the overall. If Nanaimo starts to lose some games and we go on a run, there would be a second opportunity to get in. We just have to do our part.”

The Riverhawks will head to Kelowna in the second portion of their final nine game road swing to end the WCL regular season. They will be in “the Little Apple” for games at Elks Stadium Friday July 31st to Sunday August 2nd. 

Both teams are 5 and 5 in their last 10 starts. The Hawks have an all-time record of 14-13 against Kelowna. Edmonton is 8-8 in the second half while Kelowna is 9-6.

Another subplot to this weekend series at home, is the Riverhawks on the verge of setting another West Coast League and team record for attendance. The record the Hawks set last year was 131,966. With three games to go: 120,249 people attended a game in 2026. This-despite having two games rained out.

The Falcons have a couple of notable people on their coaching staff. Former Toronto Blue Jay catcher and Rogers Sportsnet analyst Gregg Zaun is their head coach. Zaun played 1,200 major league games with nine teams including the Jays and the Florida Marlins. He won World Series title in 1990. Kelowna’s pitching coach is former Jay reliever Josh Towers. Towers spent eight seasons in the majors (2003-2007).

This weekend will be the final one for a number of Riverhawk players as they return to their respective U.S. University teams. One of them is #48 Max Stagg. The Adelaide, Australia resident will leave the squad four games into next week’s road swing to attend University of California-Santa Barbara.

“This has been another great year,” Stagg said of his second summer in Edmonton. “The fan base is awesome as ever. To come back with coach Jake and the rest of the staff along with the players from last year. It’s been a lot of fun. Last year’s group was really tight knit. It contributed a lot to our success. This year , our success has been from guys coming in and out and filling their role along with meeting the expectations of what Edmonton Riverhawks baseball is and the standard we set day in and day out.”

Stagg believes his performance with the Riverhawks this summer will only help him at UC-Santa Barbara. “I had a rough adjustment last season moving into D1. To come back here and refine aspects of my game that my coaches at UC-Santa Barbara told me to work on. To come into an environment like this and not be afraid to fail is huge. I feel I have made big strides in my development. To come out here and compete in front of these fans is awesome.”

Looking at this weekends matchup: Kelowna has three players of note among the WCL pitching leaders. # 34 Aiden Ennis (Scarborough, ON/Stephen F. Austin U) has the best-earned run average in the league at 0.44. #33 Seth Sumner (La Verne, CA/ Mt San Antonio College) is tied for WCL wins with five. #24 Eddie Dolansky (Erie, PA/Niagara University) is fifth among saves leaders with five.

Promotions for the final home weekend:

Margaritaville Beach Party!

The beach is taking over the ballpark! Think floral shirts, flower leis, margaritas, and limited edition Margaritaville beach hats! It's 5 o' clock somewhere and this time, it's at RE/MAX Field! Pro tip: Stick around after the game for a live reggae music concert.

(Please be advised that Riverhawks Margaritaville Beach Hat, are only available through Alley Kat Party Pen tickets, please see website for details).

LAST Firework Friday!

Saturday, July 25th @ 7 PM: Wizards, Wands & Magic

Have you ever seen a magic show at a baseball game? Well, now you can! Practice your best spells and wear your finest cloaks cause we're getting involved in all things magic. As as extra treat, we have a post-game magic show and a circus act on the field!

Sunday, July 26th @ 1 PM: Fan Appreciation + Bouncy Castle Day!

It's our last home game of the regular season...but don't be too sad, cause we're making this game all about you! The fans have supported the Riverhawks all summer long, and it's our time to thank YOU! Fans can take over the field post-game, when we turn it into a bouncy castle park! See our website for more details!

Barking Bleachers!

(No big deal but we have some Guinness World Record winners to help celebrate)