Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

Episode 226: Dinos Win 2023 CCBC Championship

For the first time in the program’s history, the University of Calgary Dinos are Canadian College Baseball Conference champions. After posting wins against Thompson Rivers University and Prairie Baseball Academy in the round-robin, they edged the Victoria Golden Tide 7-6 to get themselves into the CCBC final. Given that it’s a double-elimination format, Victoria bounced back with an 11-10 win over PBA to get themselves into the final for a rematch. And what a finale it was in Lethbridge as the Dinos edged the Golden Tide 8-7. We hear from head coach Cam Williams, as well as players Zach Delaquis, Marcus Coderre and Cale Yuzdepski.

Episode 225: Jacob Honke

It all comes down to this. A championship is on the line this weekend in Lethbridge as the Canadian College Baseball Conference season comes to an end. It feels like the regular season just flew by, but the Alberta teams surely made an impact. Prairie Baseball Academy finished on top with a 21-11 record, with the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks and University of Calgary Dinos finishing third and fourth, respectively. But it’s anyone’s game come the final weekend, and one player who can attest to that is Jacob Honke. The EC Hawks infielder is heading into his last collegiate games as he’s set to graduate from the University of Alberta, with an eye on becoming a strength and conditioning coach, something he’s doing already with Taylor Burns at Absolute Human Performance and AHP Academy. Honke, who hails from Red Deer, joined us recently to talk about being a veteran presence heading into championship weekend, the evolution of the Hawks program since he first started, and what it means to have family not only on, but off the field with him.

Episode 224: Marcus Coderre

Blink, and you might just miss it. For any player entering their final year of college eligibility, it feels like it doesn’t take very long to go from raw rookie to standout veteran. Such is the case for Marcus Coderre. The fifth-year University of Calgary Dinos third baseman has become a key piece of the leadership group that has helped turn the program around, to the point where they are now a serious contender heading towards the Canadian College Baseball Conference Championships in a couple of weeks. The 5-foot-11 Coderre is hitting .228 with 11 RBI and 2 stolen bases in 26 games, but more importantly has been instrumental in helping the young Dinos core establish itself quickly, sitting with a 15-13 record as we recorded this episode. The Calgary product joined us recently for a great chat about his baseball journey, his hope to give back through coaching, and what he’s learned under Calgary Wildcats senior director of baseball operations and former MLB hurler Chris Reitsma.

Episode 223: Carter Claerhout

While we didn’t actually get a chance to meet at the Prairie Baseball Academy annual banquet earlier this year, it was hard not to notice Carter Claerhout. The 6-foot, 235-pound Red Deer product isn’t just a physical presence, but seems to almost always be smiling. And if he knew at the time just how good he’d be this spring, that smile would probably be even bigger. After flirting with .600 for the better part of the first half, the first baseman has settled in at .483 with three homers and 19 RBI in 20 games to lead the entire Canadian College Baseball Conference in each category. It’s a fantastic follow-up to his 2022 season, where he hit .356 with seven dingers and 45 RBI in 32 games. But PBA fell short of winning the league last year, and that’s ultimately what is fueling the Southern Arkansas University commit, who joined us for a great chat a couple of weeks ago. A special thanks as well to Cindy Adachi for sharing her photos of Carter for our podcast use.

Episode 222: ”Lucy Tries Baseball”

We’ve had authors on the show before, but none quite like Lisa Bowes. The well-known broadcaster spent many years at TSN as well as CTV Calgary. A few years ago, she used her journalistic chops to start writing children’s books. The series, entitled “Lucy Tries” and illustrated by James Hearne, follows Lucy on her sports adventures. The first five books saw Lucy try luge, short track, soccer, hockey and basketball. The sixth book, “Lucy Tries Baseball,” hit store shelves earlier this month, and isn’t meant just to shine a light on the sports, but to inspire kids to get active as well. To mark the book’s release, I had a great chat with Lisa via Zoom recently to talk about what inspired her to write the book, how she approaches the writing process, and the importance of inclusion in sport.

Episode 221: Alberta Girls Baseball League

Buzz is starting to grow around the newest addition to the Baseball Alberta fleet of offerings. 2023 will be the pilot season for the new Alberta Girls Baseball League. It will feature three associations: the Beaumont Minor Baseball Association, Edson Prospects Baseball and the Rocky and District Baseball Association. All three took part in the Spruce Grove Girl’s Baseball Tournament in 2022, and were all keen to grow it into a league. Not only do they hope to grow the game and grow as a league with more teams in the future, but also help keep girls in the game longer to become more of a pipeline for future provincial and national teams. We sat down for a great chat with Baseball Alberta Girls/Womens Director Barb Northcott recently, to talk about the league, the potential, and the hope to also change the conversation about girls and baseball.

Episode 220: Kyle Bloor

One could argue that Kyle Bloor has seen everything baseball can show you in a really short amount of time. Growing up mainly as a catcher, he got to represent Alberta and Canada on a number of occasions, spending time with various teams between Lethbridge and Calgary. At 16, he randomly ended up having to go through Tommy John surgery, and wasn’t even sure he’d be able to play college baseball until he was recruited by Colby Community College. The former Lethbridge Bulls hurler's numbers weren’t eye-popping, but he kept on working, and ended up getting an offer to head to the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs, where he’s been lights-out this year, going 2-0 with six saves and a 3.38 ERA in 13 appearances. Bloor joined us for a candid conversation a couple of weeks ago to talk about his journey, and what he hopes young kids can take away from his wild ride.

Episode 219: Jonathan Hodgson

If you’ve been to a baseball game in Western Canada over the last 15 or 20 years, especially in Okotoks, you’ve probably seen Jonathan Hodgson around. Growing up in Calgary, he remembers going to Calgary Cannons games, then being gutted when they left in 2002. He immediately attached himself to the new Western Major Baseball League team, the Calgary Dawgs, and in his wheelchair, followed them to Okotoks a few years later, where he transitioned from fan to broadcaster, writer and media relations guru for a few years. Hodgson’s journey in baseball has also included working with the Canadian Baseball Network, the Toronto Blue Jays and Victoria Harbourcats. However, home is still at Seaman Stadium with the Dawgs. We sat down recently for a candid conversation about his love of the game, the amazing connections he’s made along the way, and the special sense of belonging he’s received being in the baseball community.

Episode 218: Saskatoon Returns to the WCBL

It’s been nearly ten years since the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets folded, citing horrible attendance and financial losses. Since then, tires have been kicked and efforts have been made to bring Saskatchewan’s largest city back into the Western Canadian Baseball League, but to no avail. At least - not until Wednesday when the league was finally able to announce that the Saskatoon Entertainment Group, which owns and operates the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades and National Lacrosse League’s Saskatchewan Rush, had the perfect plan and proposal, and will be joining the WCBL for the 2024 season. We sit down from SEG's Steve Hildebrand and Tyler Wawryk about the announcement, as well as WCBL president Kevin Kvame, who hints at some more future expansion around the league.

Episode 217: CCBC Preview Spectacular

The snow has started to thaw and we’re finally starting to see some local diamonds clearing up for the sweet sounds of the game we love. Among the first teams to hit field will be those in the Canadian College Baseball Conference, including the Prairie Baseball Academy Dawgs, University of Calgary Dinos and Edmonton Collegiate Hawks. Opening weekend is this weekend, and to get you set for the season, we’ve published the league’s preview stories on our website, and we have a jam-packed episode this week as we welcome coaches Todd Hubka, Cam Williams and Jake Lanferman back to talk about the season and the expectations they have for their respective teams.

Episode 216: Ricky Sanchez

He might not be the biggest player on the field, but pound-for-pound, Ricky Sanchez might have the biggest impact on any baseball team he’s ever been on. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound infielder quickly became a sparkplug with Dawgs Academy after moving to Alberta from Mexico City in high school, following his brother Eddie as well as former Dawg and current Cincinnati Reds infielder Alejo Lopez. His performance earned him a spot with the Barton College Cougars, where in 2022, he hit a blistering .442 with nine homers, 90 RBI and 27 stolen bases in 59 games. Sanchez followed that up by hitting .342 with two homers, 39 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 52 games for the WCBL’s Dawgs, helping them win a championship while he was named the league’s MVP. We caught up with Sanchez just before the college season got rolling to talk about what he plans to do for an encore in 2023, committing to Lamar University to continue his post-secondary career, and the importance of family. You can also read our latest story on Sanchez here.

Episode 215: Vauxhall Academy of Baseball Banquet

Banquet season continues around our province as communities gather to celebrate the successes of their respective programs. This past weekend, our Ian Wilson traveled south to take in the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball's annual fundraising event. During the course of the evening, he sat down with Reno Lizzi Memorial Award winner Cardel Dick, Wall of Excellence inductee and long-time board president Todd Ojala, and guest speaker and former Toronto Blue Jays hurler Ricky Romero. To get a full account of the evening, you can read Ian's story here.