NorthPaws season just around the corner

Image Credit - Alex Beckett/Fallsway Marketing & Media

The Kamloops NorthPaws are gearing up for another West Coast League season with renewed optimism after showing significant improvement in 2025. The club finished fifth in the North Division with a 25-29 record, narrowly missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year, but the 25 wins represented the second-best single-season total in franchise history.

Providing continuity heading into 2026, Riley Jepson returns as head coach for a second consecutive season. A Kamloops Minor Baseball product, Jepson will be joined by local Nolan Austin, a four-year NorthPaws veteran transitioning into an assistant coaching role. It marks the first time in franchise history the same head coach has returned for a second season.

The 2026 season opens May 29 at Norbrock Stadium with a three-game home series against the Corvallis Knights, beginning a 54-game regular season that includes 27 home dates. The WCL All-Star Game is set for July 15, with the regular season concluding August 5 in Nanaimo. Playoffs begin August 7 if Kamloops qualifies for their first postseason since 2022.