The West Coast League (WCL), a premier collegiate summer baseball league with several Pacific Northwest franchises including the Cowlitz Black Bears in Longview, has announced the addition of a fifth Canadian team as part of its ongoing northern expansion. The move pushes the league’s geographic reach further north and east than ever before, strengthening its presence in Western Canada.

According to a statement from the West Coast League, the newest club will join existing Canadian franchises including the Victoria HarbourCats, Nanaimo NightOwls, Kamloops NorthPaws, and Edmonton Riverhawks. Together, these teams now represent a significant portion of the league’s growing footprint north of the border.

The new expansion reflects the WCL’s steady growth trajectory over the past several seasons. Since the league’s founding in 2005, it has expanded across Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, bringing high-level summer baseball to mid-sized communities while offering collegiate players competitive opportunities for development. Recent expansions into Alberta and now further eastward mirror both strong community interest and stable operational models among established franchises.

For Cowlitz County baseball fans, the continued growth of the league reinforces its durability and the strength of regional collegiate baseball. The Cowlitz Black Bears, based in Longview, remain a central fixture of this ecosystem — regularly competing with the WCL’s Canadian clubs and serving as a local touchpoint for the league’s increasingly international schedule.

League officials said scheduling details and roster announcements for the new franchise will follow later this winter, with the inaugural season expected to begin in the summer of 2026.