Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

Episode 185: Sean Dunn

Talk about a homecoming for Sean Dunn. The Fort McMurray product has been chomping at the bit to get back onto the field with his hometown Giants in the Western Canadian Baseball League for a while now, as the pandemic got in the way of their return in 2020 and 2021. The Giants are in a dogfight for a playoff spot in the West Division, hoping to get there for the first time since entering the league in 2016. Dunn remembers those early years, and believes the team has what it takes to turn up the heat in the second half of the season. The 6-3, 185-pound hurler knows a thing or two about winning, as he is fresh off helping Okanagan College capture the Canadian College Baseball Conference title this spring. We talked about all of that earlier this week, as well as what it means to him to give back to his hometown’s baseball community and much more.

Episode 184: Justin King

Justin King might be the king of self-awareness. As a young multi-sport athlete, he admits he realized one day he wasn’t the fastest skater, so he decided to focus on playing baseball. A gifted hitter growing up in Okotoks, King decided to try pitching in his final college season at the University of Louisiana-Monroe in Spring 2021. As his Twitter bio states: “couldn’t hit 95 so now we a pitcher.” While some might have bristled at making that move, he faced it head-on and it has paid off in a big way. In early-June, the 6-1, 215-pound southpaw signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he’s already made his way to the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers alongside fellow Dawgs Academy grad Tristan Peters and Canadian Tyler Black. We caught up with King during a recent off-day to talk about what has turned into quite the chapter in his baseball journey and more.

Episode 183: Dax Wandler

It’s been a long road back to the diamond for Dax Wandler. The Brooks Bombers infielder last appeared in the Western Canadian Baseball League in 2019, hitting .242 with a home run and five RBI for his hometown team. He needed surgery following that season, but hit some roadblocks along the way. The 5-10, 160-pound COVID freshman is finally back on the field and hoping to turn a few heads so he can catch on with a collegiate program in the fall. Wandler checked in with us a couple weeks ago to walk us through his baseball journey, the recuperation from his injury and much more.

Episode 182: Fisticuffs at Foothills

The Battle of Alberta might be one of the most heated rivalries in all of pro sports. The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers have hated each other from the very beginning. That rivalry not only transcends hockey, but sports in general as well. When it comes to baseball, any time Alberta’s two largest cities face each other, it’s bound to have fireworks. Never was that more prevalent than on June 13th, 2006. The Northern League’s Calgary Vipers were hosting the Edmonton Cracker-Cats at Foothills Stadium when one of the most infamous brawls in baseball history broke out. Our Ian Wilson has wanted to tell the story for a few years now, and after a lot of hard work and research, published his newest story to mark the anniversary. Cracker-Cats starter Reggie Rivard joins us on the podcast to talk about how it all went down, what he remembers, and how he ended up with the most-severe suspension.

Episode 181: JUCO World Series Champions

There have been plenty of great storylines about Alberta baseball products doing big things in US college programs this spring. One of those has been watching two Dawgs Academy products help Central Arizona College claim the Junior College World Series. Tyrese Johnson hit .340 with a pair of homers, 23 runs batted in and nine stolen bases, while Matt Wilkinson went 5-2 with two saves and a 1.87 ERA to go along with 85 strikeouts in just 53 innings. We caught up with both of them this week to recap their championship season.

Episode 180: Brendan Luther

No rest for the wicked if the wicked’s name is Brendan Luther. The Ontario product who now calls Western Canada home spent the spring at Okanagan College, where he hit .426 with two homers, 26 runs batted in, 48 runs scored and six stolen bases en route to being named a Canadian Collegiate Baseball Conference First-Team All-Star. He then packed his bags as the Coyotes headed to Lethbridge, where he hit .385 with two doubles and two RBI as Okanagan ran the table to claim the CCBC World Series. Why did he pack his bags? Because the 6-1, 190-pound infielder headed straight up to Okotoks to report to the Dawgs for the start of the Western Canadian Baseball League season. It’s a change of scenery for Luther, who spent the past couple of seasons with the Edmonton Prospects. We talked about the expected chirps from that move, his baseball journey and much more in this recent conversation. (Image credit: Brent Calver/OkotoksTODAY)

Episode 179: Play Ball!

The 2022 Western Canadian Baseball League season is upon us! We've been showcasing the Alberta teams with previews on our website, and the architect who has been writing them, ADS co-founder Ian Wilson, joins us to talk about what has him excited about a full slate of games and teams for the upcoming season. We also check in with WCBL president Kevin Kvame, and chat about some of the other big storylines heading into the summer.

Episode 178: Cassie Matlock

Cassie Matlock has been willing to do anything and go anywhere to play softball. Growing up in Edmonton, there weren’t a ton of options for her, so she went wherever she could to get noticed. Eventually, Matlock landed on her feet at Lindsey Wilson College, where her team made it to the NAIA World Series and she was named to the All-Tournament Team, amongst a host of other honours. She then moved onto the University of West Alabama, where she continued to dominate. The 5-foot-9 outfielder just put the wraps on her senior season, and is on her way back to Alberta. We caught up with Matlock earlier this week to talk about her award-winning season, the trials and tribulations of being a student-athlete, and her hopes of helping grow the game in her home province.

Episode 177: Noah Geekie

Athletic excellence is in the genes of the Geekie family. Three brothers – Morgan, Noah and Conor – grew up playing hockey in the winter and baseball in the summer. While Morgan and Conor stuck with hockey when it was time to follow one path, Noah decided to chase the baseball dream. He moved to Okotoks to attend Dawgs Academy, is about to play in his third summer with the Western Canadian Baseball League Dawgs, and after a successful two years at Barton Community College, just wrapped up his second season with the NCAA Division II Emporia State University Hornets. He’s a two-way threat, going 6-2 with a save and a 5.04 ERA in 14 outings, starting the year as a reliever before excelling as a starter. He also hit .315 with a homer, 13 runs batted in and six stolen bases in 33 games. The 6-3, 195-pound junior took some time this week to chat about his journey, growing up in that athletic household and coming back to his home away from home this summer with Okotoks.

Episode 176: Matt Coutney

There’s a new home run king at Old Dominion University and he’s from our province. Wetaskiwin’s Matt Coutney went yard twice against Florida Atlantic on April 24th, hitting his 21st home run to break the school record. Everyone knew Coutney had some pop in his bat, after a standout two years with Colby Community College, where he hit .426 with 26 home runs and 116 runs batted in. He was solid through his first two seasons with ODU, but has really hit another level this spring. As we recorded this episode, he was hitting .361 with 22 homers and 48 RBI, as the Monarchs take aim at an NCAA championship. Coutney took some time out of his busy schedule last week to chat with us about his baseball journey, the record, and how one small tweak has made a world of difference.

Episode 175: Tom Poole

Like Erik Sabrowski, Aidan Huggins, Evan Wilde and several other Albertans over the last few years, Tom Poole is making a name for himself this spring with the Cloud County Thunderbirds of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. The Calgary product was originally recruited as a pitcher, but has instead put together a mammoth season at the plate, hitting .369 with 18 home runs, 59 RBIs and 17 stolen bases heading into the final weekend of the regular season, where his Thunderbirds will take on Barton in four games. Not only is Poole leading the conference in homers, he’s just two off the school record of 20. The 6'1", 205-pound freshman took some time out of his busy schedule recently to chat with us about his amazing campaign, growing up in Calgary, and how he considers himself a bit of a late-bloomer.

Episode 174: Matt Wilkinson

There is plenty to get excited about in watching Alberta-born and trained athletes excel at major US programs. Matt Coutney is hitting everything he sees at Old Dominion University, Cesar Valero has been on fire with Sacramento State and Tom Poole has dominated at the plate for Cloud County College, among many others. One player who has been a force on the mound is Matt Wilkinson. Originally from Ladner, BC, the Dawgs Academy and Okotoks Dawgs product is a key piece of the bullpen for Central Arizona College. Through his first 13 games, Wilkinson has a 3-1 record with two saves, a tiny 1.52 ERA and has struck out 58 batters in just 29+ innings of work. But strikeouts are nothing new to "Tugboat", who fanned 16 in just five innings to open up the 2015 Little League World Series. We talked about that and much more in the latest #ADSPodcast.