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Through four starts with the Saskatoon Berries on the mound, pitcher Jackson Fox is no stranger to the mid-inning mound visit.
It’s a chance to take a breath and hear what his coaches and teammates feel is the best plan of attack moving forward. But his conversations with Berries pitching consultant Dustin Molleken this season haven’t featured any sugar coating.
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“(Molleken) came out there and told me, ‘You have to throw it in on guys. You’re being too much in the middle of the plate,’” Fox said, “which is what I needed to hear.”
Following a playing career which featured a four-game stint with Major League Baseball’s Detroit Tigers and two appearances at the World Baseball Classic with Team Canada, Molleken is now helping shape the Berries’ pitching staff in 2026.
“After I hung them up, I said to myself, ‘I want to be a coach and help out these younger fellows here,’” Molleken explained.
“Everything has been awesome, and I’m happy here to help everybody.”
It’s the second Western Canadian Baseball League coaching stop for the Regina coach, after he held a similar position with the Moose Jaw Miller Express over the past few seasons.
The quality of pitching in the league has only gone up, according to Molleken, who has seen a handful of Berries starters and relievers take over games so far this season.
“I’ve seen some pretty good arms over the years,” Molleken said.
“Here, we have some pretty good arms. (Tanner) Hosick has been awesome for us all year. Even Dallen (Rude) has been awesome. (Colin) Plain has been awesome. Everybody has been pretty good so far.”
Berries head coach Joe Carnahan had conversations with the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame inductee over the off-season, and said his impact with the team’s pitchers has been immediate.
Saskatoon Berries pitching consultant Dustin Molleken (left) speaking with head coach Joe Carnahan at Cairns Field. (Steve Hiscock/Saskatoon Berries)
Through the first 18 games of Saskatoon’s season, the Berries have allowed just 93 runs, the fewest in the WCBL’s East Division and the third-fewest across the entire league.
“He’s been awesome,” Carnahan said. “He’s brought a lot to the team already, just his presence, his knowledge and just the way he is with the guys. (He’s) just absolutely outstanding to have.”
Molleken has been working alongside Saskatoon pitching coach Ryan Olchoway, with Molleken taking most of the mound visits and Olchoway working with the bullpen and providing updates for Carnahan.
Owen Stempel has been one of Saskatoon’s most reliable pitchers in the rotation to begin the 2026 season, allowing just six earned runs in four starts with the team, including their home opener on May 30.
He said Molleken has been a welcome addition to the team, especially for the young pitchers who get to learn from someone who has reached the biggest stages in the sport.
“It’s a great thing for a lot of the kids out here,” Stempel said. “They get the experience and get advice from a professional leaguer.”
During a mound appearance earlier this month, Stempel said Molleken helped him work through a difficult second inning, and the game ended with Saskatoon winning 3-2 over the Regina Red Sox.
“He just came out there and gave me a little breather,” Stempel said. “He just told me to get through it. Next batter I got out and got through the inning.”
Molleken said the ability to overcome adversity is important, and it’s been a big part of both his playing and coaching career.
That includes bouncing around in the minors for 13 seasons before he made his MLB debut at the age of 31, and dealing with a speech impediment which has been part of his life since he was four years old.
Pitching consultant Dustin Molleken (left), assistant coach Chance Wheatley (centre) and head coach Joe Carnahan (right) watching the Saskatoon Berries play from the dugout at Cairns Field. (Steve Hiscock/Saskatoon Berries)
His advice to young pitchers like Fox and Stempel has been centred around repetition, focus and execution.
“Guys got to repeat their delivery over and over,” Molleken said. “If you can’t repeat your delivery every so often, it’s going to be hard for guys.”
According to Fox, those mound visits and chats during warm-ups have been important in getting the best out of his game this summer.
“He’ll tell me if I’m keeping my front hip closed or open,” Fox said.
“When he comes out and talks to you on the mound, it’s always good. He tells you what you’re doing right, maybe you got to work on this.”
Carnahan said Molleken came to the team loaded with plenty of previous coaching experience in the WCBL and with Baseball Sask, which has let the 41-year-old coach hit the ground running through the first month of the Berries’ season.
“From day number one he’s been hands on,” Carnahan said. “(He’s) doing early work with the guys, communicating with them, running through scenarios.”
Coaching runs in Molleken’s veins as well, as his uncle Lorne Molleken recorded 626 victories coaching in the Western Hockey League, with the majority coming with the Saskatoon Blades franchise.
Alongside Carnahan, Olchoway and assistant coach Chance Wheatley, Molleken said the Berries have a cohesive group of coaches, which is pointing the team towards what they hope will be a championship victory in August.
“It’s an unbelievable organization here right?” Molleken said.
“Everybody is awesome. Everybody helps me out here. Joe is unbelievable here. He’s been very helpful to me. It’s a pretty good organization here. It’s a good place.”
The Berries (12-6) begin a three-game road trip on Tuesday night at 6:45 p.m. in Medicine Hat to kick off a two-game series against the Mavericks.
