The Regina Red Sox are stepping back in the batter’s box with momentum and expectations as their season gets underway on Thursday.

Coming off a championship run, the club knows its opponents are ceiling them, ready to take their best shot at the defending Western Canadian Baseball League champs. Despite being a target, it doesn’t faze them as head coach Rye Pothakos tells us.

“We’re just going to play our brand of baseball and if we’re living in everybody else’s head, that’s fine.”

Still, the Red Sox are built for it. A strong returning core that helped anchor last season’s success is back in the mix, bringing familiarity, chemistry and a winning standard to the 2026 campaign. Guys like playoff MVP Brady Bye and pitchers Zander Oudie-Senger and Colton Bank.

“To have returning guys, and you know our local guys, you know [Daniel] Crabtree is back as well and had a year off with injury, so we’re looking for some leadership with those guys and [to] just set the tone for the new guys to show them the lead and the atmosphere,” said Pothakos.

Around them, Pothakos has reloaded the roster with a wave of new collegiate talent, including several NCAA players who are expected to make an immediate impact. Pothakos is pleased with his recruiting and excited to see what they will bring this season.

“They’ve all come ready to go, on the offensive side, we got Raine [Kreklewetz], [Mason] Tafoya, Mason Canter,” he said. “We got a good group of guys, Matteo Pierre, he’s a U23 national team catcher for France, he’s got some international competition, so he’s ready to go as well, we got a good group.”

With new faces pushing for roles and veterans setting the tone, competition has been tight from day one. Now, as the season opens, Regina isn’t just swinging for wins — they are setting their sights out of the park in the hopes of bringing home back-to-back WCBL titles.