Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

What a week it was for Alberta's baseball scene, which started on the night our last episode dropped. For those who might have missed it, Calgary's Michael Soroka was involved in a blockbuster deal between the Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox. Our Ian Wilson stops by for some analysis and thoughts on the trade, as well as Alberta's connections to the latest National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ballot, and his personal stor...

We recap what has been a busy couple of weeks on the local baseball scene, including Matt Lloyd being named Baseball Canada's Men's National Team Most Valuable Player, Fort McMurray being named hosts for more national tournaments, a local look at the Arizona Fall League and a multitude of college commitments. Then we get to our guest, and the mere mention of Joe Young brings back a lot of memories for baseball scouts and insiders f...

It was only supposed to be a one-year deal to try playing baseball internationally. Yet, here we are, six years later, and Levi Moon is still traveling the world playing the game he loves. The Red Deer product has had a fascinating journey in the game, starting at home before becoming part of the first Badlands Academy team in Oyen. He went onto play at Niagara Community College, but injuries forced him to stay closer to home, find...

When you think baseball in Central Alberta, one family name is synonymous with the game: Northcott. And while he may too humble to admit it, Harold Northcott is an Alberta baseball legend. The Clive, Alberta native had a storied playing career which took him to Eastern Oregon University, where he helped the Mountaineers set team records for wins in each of his three seasons. That’s where he also earned the nickname “The Giant Kille...

Plenty of big news items coming out of the Western Canadian Baseball League this week, with the biggest being the announcement that Okotoks will host the 2024 All-Star Game. Our Ian Wilson caught up with WCBL president Kevin Kvame and managing director of corporate sponsors and marketing Mark Stiles to talk about the selection process, while Dawgs general manager Tyler Hollick and head coach Lou Pote discuss the ins and outs of put...

It started as a simple question our Joe McFarland posted on Twitter/X shortly after Nathan Flewelling (Innisfail) picked up the Home Run Derby crown at the Canadian Futures Showcase and Simon Baker (Cochrane) at the Canadian Futures Showcase: does Alberta punch above its weight when it comes to baseball in Canada? It elicited a number of replies, DMs and texts, leading him write an opinion piece for our website and to expand on his...

Plenty of catching up to do on this week's episode and all three guests were fantastic. Hear from Dawgs Academy (via Quebec) product and Oregon State commit Leo Cote about his great summer, former Baseball Alberta Midget-AAA Player of the Year and Sylvan Lake Gulls catcher Ben Prediger and Vauxhall Academy/University of Washington alum and head scout/director of player personnel for the BCHL's Nanaimo Clippers Josh Burgmann.

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Welcome to October and the start of the MLB playoff race, which is also an unofficial sign of the local scene starting to slow down. We chat about some of the headlines we're watching, then welcome a trio of athletes to the show. We hear from AHP Academy product Reece Hemmerling as he starts his sophomore season at Barton Community College, Baseball Alberta Women's Team bronze medalist Charmayne Gervais, and new Sacramento State Un...

Alberta took centre stage at the annual Canadian Futures Showcase in Toronto, with Innisfail's Nathan Flewelling taking home the Home Derby crown while Cochrane's Simon Baker was named Showcase MVP. Reporter Zach Worden caught up with them both, then joins us to recap what was a big week of baseball at Rogers Centre. Then we sit down with Sherwood Park product and Prairie Baseball Academy alum Scott Gillespie, who is fresh off winn...

Playoff season is upon us and several Alberta-born and raised athletes have been able to raise trophies over their head. We recap those wins, then we head to Okotoks where Ian Wilson has spent most of the week chatting with those taking part in the Oregon State visit and camp at Dawgs Academy. He brings us a great conversation with Beavers head coach Mitch Canham as well as with players Travis Bazzana, Canon Reeder and Micah McDowe...

While things might be slowing down a bit in Alberta, there is certainly no shortage of storylines we're following. We get you up-to-date on a number of fronts, before a trio of great interviews. We preview the upcoming Canadian Futures Showcase in Toronto with Vauxhall Academy product Brett Getz and St. Albert Minor Baseball Association standout Keenan Parker, then catch-up with Okotoks Dawgs program alum and current Round Rock Exp...

It's been another busy week with news on Michael Soroka, Damiano Palmegiani, Jacob Melton and Gavin Logan to go along with some of the local tournaments and events happening. We recap it all, then sit down with a pair of Canadian Futures Showcase invitees in Cochrane's Simon Baker (Webber Academy) and Halifax's Benito Bonilla (Dawgs Academy). We wrap things up with Episode #75 guest and Lethbridge product Landen Bourassa to talk ab...

It's been a busy few weeks in Alberta's baseball circles. We do our best to recap some of the big achievements and headlines, then get into the Western Canadian Baseball League final series with ADS co-founder Ian Wilson, catch up with West Coast League Pitcher of the Year and Edmonton Riverhawks hurler Halen Knoll, and chat about the upcoming Baseball Canada Men's Nationals with Dan Estey of Canadian Amateur Baseball Central.

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For the seventh time in franchise history, the Okotoks Dawgs are Western Canadian Baseball League champions. In front of a packed Seaman Stadium, they beat the Medicine Hat Mavericks 13-5 in the winner-take-all game three of what turned into a wild series. After the game, we were able to catch up with head coach Lou Pote and Playoff MVP Brendan Luther as well as Dawgs players Logan Grant, Alejandro Cazorla, Eric Machej, Eric Hartma...

The home of the Okotoks Dawgs, Seaman Stadium, is onto the final of the Ballpark Digest "Best of the Ballparks" competition at the Summer Collegiate level. We chat with William Gardner of the Dawgs about what it means to the team, the WCBL and the community. We also visit with Mike Mayuk of the Fort McMurray Minor Baseball Association about hosting two major Baseball Canada events August 17-20, and we get to know Neutral Hills Acad...

We're throwing a bit of a change-up at you this week. Instead of a handful of WCBL-centric guests, we're tapping into the many great storylines in other action around Alberta. Our list of guests this week includes:

2:30 - Fort McMurray's Sydney Barry on helping Alberta win bronze at the Baseball Canada Women's Open Championships in Nova Scotia

14:40 - Parkland Twins head coach Zach Yuzda on winning the Baseball Alberta Elite League...

It's a pitcher's paradise on this week's edition of the podcast. We sit down with four Western Canadian Baseball League All-Stars including Ty Boudreau of the Sylvan Lake Gulls, Devin Benavides of the Lethbridge Bulls, Dylan Esquival of the Medicine Hat Mavericks and Logan Knight of the Fort McMurray. All have had very different journeys to get to Alberta, and all are enjoying their summers in the WCBL.

Story: WCBL All-Star Game Re...

After speaking with several players taking part in the WCBL All-Star Game festivities last week, we wanted to bring you some of the conversations we had with dignitaries and special guests, including John Ircandia of the Okotoks Dawgs, VIP and special guest coach Matt Stairs, Hall of Fame writer Bob Elliott, long-time WCBL supporters and builders Merv Ozirny and Ken Larson, Saskatoon Berries president Steve Hildebrand, and Edmonton...