Palm Springs, Calif. – After three weeks, the 2025 California Winter League regular season has reached its conclusion and the playoffs have already started. Every team in the league makes the playoffs and the games are based on seeding. Six games separate one of these seven teams from a CWL championship. The wild card game leads off and was played yesterday at 12:30 p.m.
GAME ONE: WILD CARD GAME
7. GRIZZLY vs. 6. BOMBERS
The Alberta Grizzly faced off with the British Columbia Bombers in the first game of the 2025 CWL playoffs. It was Takushi Minigawa on the mound for the Bombers against Alberta’s Matthew Maldonado.
The Grizzly came out rolling in the first, as three hits and a hit by pitch put three runs on the board for Maldonado before he even stepped on the mound. The Bombers immediately fought back with a run in the first from a Joshua Hoffman RBI single that scored Elijah Dickerson before they recorded the first out. Two more runs in the second from a fielder’s choice and a wild pitch tied it at three.
Both teams traded zeroes until Dickerson plated Jaden Brown in the fourth to break the tie, giving the Bombers a 4-3 lead.
The lead only lasted one inning as the Grizzly broke the game open in the top of the sixth. Minagawa faced five batters before being replaced by Noah Cole and couldn’t record an out. Anthony Burgos kickstarted the rally and continued a slew of miscues for the Bombers when he struck out but reached after the ball ran far from Mason Collins. Burgos would be Minigawa’s last batter and Cole couldn’t put out the fire. Seven runs scored in the sixth and the Grizzly went into the seventh up 10-3.
The Bombers scored one in each of the final two innings, but could not complete the comeback. Jason Leon closed it out and after two more runs in the seventh, the Grizzly were able to get the win by a final score of 12-6.
Jason Leon was credited with the win and Takushi Minigawa received the loss. The Grizzly will advance in the playoffs to take on the Palm Springs Chill in the quarterfinals on Friday at 10 a.m. The Bombers season is officially over.
GAME TWO: QUARTERFINALS
7. GRIZZLY vs. 3. CHILL
The Alberta Grizzly will look to keep their postseason momentum up as they face the Palm Springs Chill tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. The Grizzly were the last team in the regular season standings, finishing at a 4-12 record, but their offense went red-hot in the top of the sixth against the Bombers.
Alberta has scored nine runs in their last two innings and they will have to continue to stay red-hot against a very good Palm Springs Chill team coming off of two straight off-days.
The Chill are currently the 3-seed, finishing with back-to-back wins to end the regular season, one of them being a big win over the Canada A’s. They have a top-three offense in the league led by Jarrett Burney, the league leader in AVG. They also have Ethan Roberts who is hitting .368 with 14 hits and 20 runs scored, which ties a CWL record. John McGuire is hitting .341 with 15 hits. Jhamante Woods leads the league in doubles.
A great offense holds down a middle-of-the-pack pitching staff led by Jeff Rotz and Ryan Schroeder who have been playing better recently. Johansel Gomez leads the bullpen and is the Chill’s main closer.
The Grizzly’s offense carries the way for them, as they have the worst pitching staff in the league by ERA with a 6.32. Matthew Fabian is hitting .450, while Braydon Dolbashian, Matthew Maldonado, and session two newcomer Andrew Gravdahl follow behind.
It is an offense without much pop, as they are one of two teams without a home run and the only team without a 10-RBI hitter. It will take a lot on both the pitching and hitting side to upset the 3-seeded Chill and advance further in the playoffs.
GAME THREE: QUARTERFINALS
4. POWER vs. 5. BLUE SOX
These two teams played yesterday at the Aux field to determine home-field advantage in this game, and the Palm Springs Power won a low-scoring affair 4-2 to take the 4-seed. Meeting again tomorrow at 12:30 p.m., this time at the main stadium, the Blue Sox are looking to win when it matters most.
Their strengths have mostly come from the pitching staff. They have the second-best ERA in the league with a 3.17, giving up only 41 runs, and have walked only 39 batters, both of which are also good for second in the CWL.
Angel Landazuri and Clayton Warner lead the staff. Warner, while at a 0-3 record, has a 1.64 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 17 innings while only walking five. His best outing was on January 27, where he went the distance and gave up two runs, only one earned but took a 2-1 loss to the Power, who he has already faced twice this season.
Landazuri holds a 1.84 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched, only walking three this season. His last outing was his best, where he dominated a good Chill offense, pitching five scoreless and only giving up one hit while striking out nine.
Aoi Nakaza and Guan Ming Liu round out the rotation, both of which had great outings in their last appearances of the regular season. Nakaza pitched a complete game with ten strikeouts on Tuesday and Liu pitched five innings, only giving up two.
The Power are fairly middle of the road in both hitting and pitching statistics but they have heavy hitters of their own. Assaf Lowengart has held it down in the leadoff spot, batting .350 with 14 hits, 14 runs scored, and 11 walks. John Taylor has been a great session two addition to this lineup, hitting at an 8-18 with a home run and seven RBI. Jacob Maiben, Kazuya Ohira, and Jude Drzemiecki are also hitting above .200 and have been good in the top half of the lineup.
The pitching staff, missing their best piece in Ryan Baum, turned to Cooper Bagby to help the rotation. Bagby has a 2.57 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched. The main bullpen piece has been newcomer Adrian Sanchez. In his short stint so far with the CWL, he has not given up a run in seven innings pitched while striking out five.
The Blue Sox after getting swept in the season series against the Power look to win their first when it matters most, the winner advancing to the semi-finals.
GAME FOUR: SEMIFINALS
HIGHEST REMAINING SEED vs. 2. A’S
The highest remaining seed still in the playoffs after the two quarterfinal games will take on the 2-seed Canada A’s on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 10:00 a.m.
The Canada A’s finished the regular season at 13-3 and were dominant in the regular season. The main catalyst: the offense. They lead the league in OBP (.409), SLG (.393), OPS (.802), RBI (89), runs scored (110), and doubles (29).
Leading the way is Sam Ruta who is third in AVG with .405 and a league-leading 18 RBI. That alongside his eight doubles, 12 walks, and ten runs scored. Ruta is just one of six guys in this A’s lineup who is hitting over .300. Grayson Moeller has 13 hits and eight RBI. Stan King has five doubles and 11 hits along with seven runs scored.
Matthew Ward is 10-36 and has nine runs scored and six walks. They are also threatening on the basepaths. Matthew Warren, Dane Simon, and Juan Frances are a combined 25-27 on stolen base attempts. Frances has 15 hits and nine RBI, Simon has 14 runs scored, 12 RBI, and a home run and Warren has 12 runs scored, 12 walks, and a home run of his own.
The pitching is led by Ethan Smith and Alejandro Izquierdo. Smith has a 2.80 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched. He gave up five in his last outing against the Chill but had only given up one run all season before that. He usually only pitches in 2-3 innings per outing, but it will usually be very efficient. Izquierdo leads the bullpen, as his 0.46 ERA leads the league. He has only given up one run all season in 15 innings pitched, with only eight walks and eight hits given up.
Austin Turley and Chet Robinson are also go-to options for manager Paul Noce’s squad, as well as Donny Goodes and Paul Turelli.
The offense is what carried this team to the 2-seed, and with two days of rest, they will look to advance to the championship game.
GAME FIVE:
LOWEST REMAINING SEED vs. 1. CHINA
The lowest remaining seed still in the playoffs after the two quarterfinal games will face off against the top-seeded Team China in the second semifinal game on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
Team China has been absolutely dominant on both the offensive and pitching side of the ball. They have used a small ball, low-power strategy to beat their opponent. They take advantage of errors, make smart baserunning decisions, and have great contact hitting to all fields.
Hu Tian Yuan was the usual leadoff hitter, hitting a .293 with 18 runs scored and 12 hits while leading the league by a wide margin with 18 walks. Xing Wen Bin is hitting .320 mostly in the two spot of the lineup, with his 16 hits and 11 RBI leading the team.
China has been splitting time between two catchers, Li Ning and Wang Shuai, who are each batting .300 at a 9-30. New addition Wu Qirui has been good in 18 ABs with seven hits and seven runs scored, along with six walks. Pei Liang brings the 2023 World Baseball Classic experience to the lineup, and Chen Jiaji has 14 hits of his own with 8 RBI.
The pitching is the catalyst of their success. They lead the league in almost every statistical category including ERA (1.84), WHIP (1.12), strikeouts (152), earned runs (33), walks allowed
(27), hits allowed (91), and average against (.218).
Eight of the ten pitchers that China has used this season have an ERA under two. Zhou Jie has given up one run in 11.1 innings pitched. Wang Xiang has walked two and struck out 19 in his
15.1 innings of work. Wu Haizheng has 20 strikeouts to two walks.
Zhou Wei, Guangxuan Su,n and Xudi Suo have combined for 12 earned runs and 50 strikeouts while walking just 13 in 48.5 innings pitched, and they are in the bottom half of Chinese pitchers this season.
Finally, Alan Carter has been put in the closer role for China. In ten innings, he has struck out 20 batters and only walked one. By far the fastest velocity pitcher in the league, he is constantly throwing 93-95 on his fastball. China’s pitching has been a dominant force in the CWL, and the lowest remaining seed will be facing a massive challenge in order to make their way to the championship game.
GAME SIX:
2025 CWL CHAMPIONSHIP
The championship will be on Feb. 16 at 12 p.m. Whoever wins this last game will be crowned the 2025 California Winter League Champions.
Fridays at Palm Springs Stadium is Canada Day where general admission for all Canadian residents is only $5!
Fans can also tune in on the California Winter League YouTube to watch every 2025 stadium game live.
The California Winter League is the longest running professional showcase league of its kind. Since its inaugural season in 2010, the CWL has seen over 850 of its players sign professional contracts. Each year, it is the premier destination for free agent baseball players who are looking to be scouted and signed.
Stay up-to-date with the California Winter League at californiawinterleague.com or by following the CWL on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Palm Springs Stadium is located at 1901 E Baristo Road in Palm Springs.
For more information, visit californiawinterleague.com or call (760) 778-4487.
