The 2026 Canadian Collegiate Baseball Conference league championships are being hosted in Lethbrridge, Alberta this weekend and the Dinos enter the championship as the firth seed based on their 18 - 19 regular season record.
CCBC has changed their playoff structure in 2026 with the top six teams in the nine team division making the playoffs.
Championship seeding.
1st PBA Dawgs
2nd OC Coyotes
3rd UFV Cascades
4th Edmonton Collegiate
5th U of C Dinos
6th VIU Mariners
Missing playoffs: TRU, Victoria Collegiate and the newcomers to the league UBC.
Thursday had the six teams playing in their first game of the championships with the Dinos taking on the 2nd ranked Coyotes 23 - 14 regular season record. Dinos last saw the Coyotes in the first series of the regular season as they travelled to Kelowna going 1 - 3 on the opening weekend.
Going into the game championship game Thursday the Dinos came in as significant underdogs. Dinos started their fifth year starter
Ethan Webster on the mound and the Whiterock, BC native pitched what could be argued his best game as a Dinos starter, as he pitched a complete game, and picking up the win by a score of 2 - 1.
Webster faced 35 Coyotes, surrendering only 8 hits, giving up 1 earned run, issuing 0 walks and registering 11 strike outs. His only run came on an eighth inning solo home run to Nick Sauve. Webster threw 121 pitches recording 91 strikes. His command around the plate was electric as he kept the Coyotes off balance and frustrated throughout the game.
Offensively the Dinos were led by designated hitter
Mason Bristow who was three for four at the plate with an RBI, two singles and a double. Right fielder
Jacob Carlson had a strong day going 3 for 5 at the plate.
Dinos scored all of their runs in the top of the fourth inning as they broke open a tight pitching duel.
Third baseman
Brendan Tong started the Dinos off with a single, followed by centre fielder
Kyle Hill being hit by a pitch. Bristow follows with a single scoring Tong from second and the Dinos are first on the board. Shortstop
Max Skinner with a single plates Hill and the Dinos have a 2 - 0 lead. The two runs are all Webster needs as he finishes the complete game for the win.
Dinos have ten hits as a team as they leave eleven on base during the game.
In the two other games on Thursday top seed PBA Dawgs takedown the 6th seed VIU Mariners by a score of 7 - 3 and the fourth seeded Edmonton Collegiate Hawks upset UFV Cascades 13 - 4.
In game two of the championship the Dinos will start
Riley Burns on the mound as they face the Hawks at 4:30pm at Lloyd Nolan field.
Go Dinos!
