Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

Episode #343: WCBL All-Star Game Extravaganza Part #2

As host of the broadcast during the Western Canadian Baseball League's mid-summer classic, it gave Joe McFarland the opportunity to chat with the movers and shakers of the league during the pre-Home Run Derby and pre-All-Star Game shows. As we've done over the last few years, we do the same on this episode as we hear from some of the newsmakers, including the Saskatoon Berries as they're hosting the 2026 All-Star Weekend, league president Kevin Kvame on his "state of the league," Dawgs' managing director John Ircandia, Regina Red Sox governor Al Simpson, new WCBL Legacy Builder Award winner Blair Kubicek, and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame legend Matt Stairs.
 

Episode #342: WCBL All-Star Game Extravaganza Part #1

We take a look back at the 2025 WCBL All-Star Game at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks. Hear from new Home Run Derby champion Matt Rhoades of the Fort McMurray Giants, new All-Star Game MVP Ethan Menard of the Saskatoon Berries, and a handful of other players who took part in the 10-3 East Division win over the West.
1:56 - Matt Rhoades (Fort McMurray Giants)
5:41 - Ethan Menard (Saskatoon Berries)
8:40 - Levi Abbott (Lethbridge Bulls)
15:20 - Ian Heck (Weyburn Beavers)
19:57 - Brody Forno (Okotoks Dawgs)
23:20 - Nick Sauve (Fort McMurray Giants)
27:48 - Heath Hachkowski (Brooks Bombers)

Episode #341: Zane Skansi, Ethan Menard, Brooke Forslund & Stone Foster

We get back into our regular routine with plenty of news and notes off the top of the show. Then we go "In The Dugout" as Ian Wilson chats with WCBL All-Stars Zane Skansi of the Okotoks Dawgs and Ethan Menard of the Saskatoon Berries. We wrap things up with a pair of Baseball Alberta athletes heading to the Canada Summer Games in Brooke Forslund and Stone Foster.
7:31 - Zane Skansi
11:50 - Ethan Menard
17:03 - Brooke Forslund
26:20 - Stone Foster

Episode #340: Micah Dvorak, Blake Johnson, Carter Claerhout, Ryan Dauphinee & Rhys Whiteford

Joe's on vacation in B.C. this week, so we don't have the regular news and notes off the top of the show, but we still have five outstanding guests from Ian and Joe's recent trips around the province. Hear from Micah Dvorak (Medicine Hat Mavericks), Blake Johnson (Regina Red Sox), Carter Claerhout (Lethbridge Bulls) and Ryan Dauphinee (Weyburn Beavers), before we visit with Dawgs Academy rising star Rhys Whiteford (Duncan, BC) as he has a busy summer of baseball ahead.
1:55 - Micah Dvorak
6:41 - Blake Johnson
12:34 - Carter Claerhout
18:21 - Ryan Dauphinee
25:29 - Rhys Whiteford

Episode #339: Carter Roth, Kai Langford, Brett Getz, Ethan Webster & Calum Andersen

It has been a very busy couple of weeks in Alberta’s baseball world. We get through some of the big storylines before sitting down with a handful of guests. Ian went to see the Medicine Hat Mavericks host the Regina Red Sox, while Joe visited Lethbridge as the Bulls welcomed the Weyburn Beavers. Hear from Carter Roth (Stratford, Ontario), Kai Langford (Houston, Texas), Brett Getz (Medicine Hat) and Ethan Webster (White Rock, B.C.), then we visit with Vauxhall Academy rising star Calum Andersen (Calgary) after he was named to Team Alberta for the Canada Summer Games.
9:22 – Carter Roth
15:35 – Kai Langford
20:51 – Brett Getz
26:37 – Ethan Webster
32:37 – Calum Andersen

Episode #338: National Girls in Baseball Week

This is a special edition of the show as we are dedicating it entirely to Baseball Canada’s National Girls in Baseball Week. This is such a great opportunity to put a spotlight on the female game in our country as it continues to grow and we are proud to have always been an ally for elevating those stories as well. We go through some of the big events coming up this summer, highlighted by the inclusion of female baseball in the Canada Summer Games for the first time ever, then visit with five guests who are making an impact on the game.
2:27 - Tracy McEachern - Director, Beaumont Minor Baseball
13:29 - Kimberley Jordan - Centennial Little League & Girls With Game YYC
25:53 - Ara Siemens - Headed to Canada Summer Games with Team Alberta
31:35 - Victoria Bateman - Headed to Canada Summer Games with Team Saskatchewan
39:30 - Lauren Owens - Player-turned-Coach with Baseball Sask

Episode #337: Regina Red Sox Announcement + Simon Baker, Brandon Paez & Easton Kitura

It was another week for baseball on the prairies, highlighted by a major announcement by the Regina Red Sox. We take a listen to what was said during last Friday's news conference and offer a few thoughts. Then we catch up with a trio of guests: Simon Baker (Cochrane/Webber Academy) of the Sylvan Lake Gulls, Brandon Paez (Montreal/Dawgs Academy) of the Okotoks Dawgs, and Easton Kitura (Spruce Grove/Vauxhall Academy) of the Energy City Cactus Rats and Baseball Canada Junior National Team.
5:00 - Regina Red Sox announcement and analysis
18:32 - Simon Baker
22:28 - Brandon Paez
30:33 - Easton Kitura

Episode #336: Celebrating the WCBL's Rural Roots Classic

It was a fantastic weekend to celebrate the past, showcase the present and inspire the future of baseball in Oyen. The WCBL's first Rural Roots Baseball Classic took to the field at Doug Lehman Field between the Lethbridge Bulls and Sylvan Lake Gulls. It was held to mark the 30th anniversary of the Oyen Pronghorns claiming their first Saskatchewan Major Baseball League title, the first for an Alberta-based team in what is now the WCBL. It was an emotional day as well with mayor and long-time baseball architect and booster Doug Jones being honoured with the re-naming of the park where the game was held. Hear from Jones, some former Pronghorns, Badlands Academy alum Max Benton and Joe finishes up the show giving his thoughts on the future of the Rural Roots Classic.
8:27 - Doug Jones
13:24 - Todd Hubka
23:22 - Graham Schetzle
26:48 - Aqil Samuel
31:13 - Max Benton 
33:15 - Joe's Thoughts

Episode #335: Evan Morrison, Hunter Jones, Lou Anderson & Evan Wilde

Time to get back into our Thursday routine after a crazy few weeks with the CCBC World Series and our WCBL Season Preview Extravaganza(s). We get you all caught up on some of the big news from the past week before introducing you to a quartet of guests, including a pair for a new segment we're calling "In The Dugout." Hear from Medicine Hat Mavericks slugger Evan Morrison, Sylvan Lake Gulls hurler Hunter Jones, Okotoks Dawgs catcher Lou Anderson and Airdrie's Evan Wilde, who has put the finishing touches on an outstanding collegiate career at Niagara University in a way he wasn't expecting.
8:02 - Evan Morrison
16:28 - Hunter Jones
26:20 - Lou Anderson
33:16 - Evan Wilde

Episode #334: WCBL West Division Season Preview Extravaganza

The Western Canadian Baseball League season is almost here! 12 teams will be vying for the right to hoist the Harry Hallis Trophy this summer and we wanted to get some local talent from each team onto the show. This is part two of our two-part series heading into Opening Weekend. We finish things up in the West Division with all Alberta products joining us:
2:44 - Energy City Cactus Rats - Jack Jewell
8:42 - Fort McMurray Giants - Riley Burns
13:49 - Brooks Bombers - Aidan Maxwell
19:09 - Lethbridge Bulls - Carter Claerhout
25:47 - Sylvan Lake Gulls - Gavin Galenza
32:29 - Okotoks Dawgs - Ryan McFarland

Episode #333: WCBL East Division Season Preview Extravaganza

The Western Canadian Baseball League season is almost here! 12 teams will be vying for the right to hoist the Harry Hallis Trophy this summer and we wanted to get some local talent from each team onto the show. So this is part one of a two-part series heading into Opening Weekend. We start in the East Division with all Saskatchewan products joining us:
3:00 - Swift Current 57's - Adam Korte (Swift Current)
8:34 - Weyburn Beavers - Keaton Husband (Weyburn)
15:52 - Medicine Hat Mavericks - Tyler Vanneste (Warman)
22:02 - Regina Red Sox - Zander Oudie-Senger (Regina)
28:55 - Saskatoon Berries - Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current)
36:14 - Moose Jaw Miller Express - Jackson Martin (Grand Coulee)

Episode #332: Coyotes Claim CCBC Championship

For the first time since 2022, the Okanagan College Coyotes are Canadian College Baseball Conference champions. After finishing second in the circuit during the regular season, they ran the table to the final where they met up with the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack, where they won a thriller 10-9 on a cloudy Sunday morning in Lethbridge. Our Ian Wilson was there to chat with players, coaches and officials after an exciting final weekend of the season. You can also read our full story about the weekend and the Coyotes' season here.
2:14 - Head coach Geoff White
6:23 - Drayson Vodarek
8:59 - Adrian Orioli
14:14 - Easton Brons
17:35 - Cory Lawson
22:00 - Simon Crossfield (TRU)
26:58 - Kevin Kvame (CCBC President)