Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

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 putting together the mid-summer classic for a third-straight season.

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 thoughts on this episode of the podcast. We're also joined by long-time Canadian baseball coach and influencer John Milton, who provides some context to what he saw in Ontario and what he thinks needs to happen for Alberta to enter the conversation as a powerhouse in Canada.

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.
2:55 - Leo Cote
22:38 - Ben Prediger
47:43 - Josh Burgmann

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 University commit Stevyn Andrachick, who has had an interesting baseball journey from Montana to Vauxhall Academy.
3:11 - Reece Hemmerling
17:52 - Charmayne Gervais
33:06 - Stevyn Andrachick

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 winning the Intercounty Baseball League title with the Welland Jackfish.
Click here to read more about Flewelling.
Click here to read more about Baker.
Make sure to check out our first chat with Gillespie on Episode #81 of Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.

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 McDowell. Then he gets a surprise visit with Dawgs Academy and OSU alum Gavin Logan.
4:27 - Mitch Canham
27:47 - Travis Bazzana
39:36 - Canon Reeder
45:29 - Micah McDowell
56:20 - Gavin Logan

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 Express catcher Jordan Procyshen to talk about his crazy year including two appearances with Baseball Canada and life as a dad.

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 about life after college baseball, wrapping up his third season with the Winnipeg Goldeyes, and representing Canada at the Pan-Am Games.
5:58 - Simon Baker
15:39 - Benito Bonilla
25:47 - Landen Bourassa

We recap a crazy week for Alberta’s baseball scene with everything from big tournament wins to big-league call-ups. Then we sit down for chats with Baseball Alberta Women’s Open Team player and 16U assistant coach Cydnie Moore, Sherwood Park Minor Baseball GM and Western Canada Prospects Series head coach Josh Bishop, and St. Joseph Academy product and Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase invite Nathan Flewelling.

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.
Click here to see our WCBL Championship Photo Gallery.

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 Hartman, Graham Brunner and Seth Thompson.
For our full written story, click here.

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 Academy product and ambidextrous pitcher Nathan Van Lagen.