With the 2022 WCBL season set to start on May 27th, the Weyburn Beavers announced they have hired a new head coach.

Dusty Kerns, who played with the team in 2013, will be stepping into the role after Corey Harrell advised the team his commitments at the college where he currently coaches could make it difficult for him to be able to coach the Beavers.

Kerns is currently an assistant coach at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington. He has also coached with the Wheat City Whiskey Jacks of the Expedition League, and with Wenatchee Valley College. Before becoming a coach, he played at Bellevue College, winning a Golden Glove in 2013. He also played at Yakima Valley College.

The hiring of Kerns came about after former head coach Phil Curtis, who is assisting the Beavers with recruiting for the upcoming season, reached out to him to talk about recruiting a player from the program at Columbia Basin.

“He (Phil) said ‘Hey, looks like there might be an opening for a head coach in Weyburn’, and Dusty was completely all over that – really excited for the opportunity and the same at our end too,” said Beavers president Garnet Hansen.

Posting about the job on social media, Kerns said he was excited to come back to Weyburn, calling the summer he spent here as a player the best summer he has ever had.

The Beavers open up the 2022 season on May 27th, as they host the Swift Current 57s at Tom Laing Park.