It was full steam ahead for the Moose Jaw Miller Express.

The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) team underwent some major coaching changes entering the 2026 season.

Head coach Eric Marriott, who guided the club to two WCBL championship appearances, took a position as third base coach with the Ottawa Titans, a move that paid off when the team won its first Frontier League title in franchise history.

Stepping up as the new skipper at Ross Wells Park in Moose Jaw was long-time Millers assistant coach Michael Gonzalez.

“Becoming the head coach of the Millers has been a dream of mine since I became a part of the organization in 2022. Being able to maintain what Marriott and I built means a lot to me,” said Gonzalez when he was named the head coach in December of 2025.

“Taking the next step in my coaching career, with this community behind me, is very comforting. I know they expect great baseball, and with the roster coming along nicely, I feel we will be in for an exciting summer.”

His words proved prophetic.

Gonzalez steered the Miller Express to a 41-15 regular season record that was boosted by a 14-game winning streak. The streak and the wins total were both franchise records and Moose Jaw finished atop the East Division standings.

Players in Moose Jaw also experienced success along the way.

Shortstop Thomas Soto set WCBL single-season records for stolen bases (49) and runs (75).

Westin Walls established a new league high for single-season strikeouts, with 92, and the right-handed pitcher also led the circuit with 82.1 innings pitched. He was rewarded with the Most Outstanding Pitcher award for his stellar season.

Other Miller Express pitchers turned in memorable summers, as well. Lefty Jacob Glazener was tops in the WCBL in wins with an 8-2 record, while Nathan Pisio led the league in saves after closing out seven games.

For those achievements and more, Gonzalez has earned the title of 2026 WCBL Coach of the Year.

“It's such an honour to be Coach of the Year in this league because of the calibre of coaches around the league, and I just want to thank the organization for giving me a chance to be the skip,” said Gonzalez.

“I keep coming back and it's something that I want to share with my team and my organization because I couldn't have done it without them, especially (assistant coaches) Geoff Freeborn and Michael Hunt.  They really make my life easier when it comes to the everyday tasks that we have to do before the game. I just have to make a lineup and the guys went out there and gave it their all. It was amazing.”

More than 20 WCBL coaches and members of the media submitted ballots for the league’s major awards and 10 skippers received votes for Coach of the Year, with six of them getting first-place nods. Gonzalez came out ahead of Joe Carnahan, the 2025 Coach of the Year with the Saskatoon Berries, for the honour.

“I don't think I did much differently from when I was with Eric, but we had a good group of seniors and a good group of incoming guys that wanted to be there and they really made my life easy,” noted Gonzalez, who also works as an assistant coach at Felician University in New Jersey.

“We had a 14 game-winning streak which was impressive we went 11-1 versus the Western Division, so we really took pride in going into the West and showing them that the East is a very good division.”

Ace pitcher Westin Walls applauded his coach for a job well done this year.

“I was really happy that we were able to get the win record for Coach Gonzo. It was hard saying goodbye to Coach Marriott for everybody in Moose Jaw, for the players, coaches and fans,” said Walls.

“To put together the run that Coach Gonzo did with that kind of pressure, and in his first year as head coach, was really special.”

Gonzalez has signed on to coach again in Moose Jaw next season and he has a simple message for Miller Express fans: “Let’s pack the park and let’s play Miller baseball.”

It will once again be full steam ahead for the Miller Express.