Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

Episode 162: Alejo Lopez

Alejo Lopez made history last summer as being the first position player from Dawgs Academy in Okotoks to make it to the big leagues. The Mexico City native tore apart minor league pitching after being drafted by the Reds in 2015, earning a spot with the big club for 14 games in 2021, where he hit .261. But the 5'10", 170-pound infielder isn’t content with that. He wants more and is working towards that goal every day. Lopez took some time out of his busy schedule to sit down for a candid conversation with us, to talk about his baseball journey, coming to Alberta and his hopes and dreams.

2022 Podcast Season Announcement

It's the news many of you have been waiting for! The new season of Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast will begin...
Sorry, you'll have to listen to find out when it will start and who the first guest will be!

Episode 161: 2021 Year in Review

That's it. That's all. See ya later, 2021! It was definitely a time. We have now arrived at the season finale of Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. It's a chance for us to reminisce about the last 12 months and look ahead at what the next 12 might have in store. Co-founders Ian Wilson and Joe McFarland chat about their memories of the last year, favourite stories to tell, and give a sneak-peek into what's coming in 2022.

Episode 160: Keith Comstock

Keith Comstock was a fifth round pick of the California Angels back in 1976. He went onto spend 16 years in pro baseball, including six in the majors. Near the end of that journey, he pitched in 20 games for the Pacific Coast League’s Calgary Cannons in 1989 and 1991. Comstock might be best remembered for an infamous ProCards baseball card when he was with the Las Vegas Stars in 1989. ESPN called it the “funniest baseball card ever made." Nowadays, Comstock is a coach, working with the Texas Rangers as their rehab pitching coordinator. Our Ian Wilson was able to track him down and had this candid conversation about his journey in baseball, which included an earlier stop in Central Alberta.

Episode 159: Ethan Elias

Many coaches and mentors in Alberta's baseball community, including Ethan Elias, believe that success breeds success. After being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2011 and spending seven years in professional baseball as a player, he turned his attention to coaching in the Edmonton area. After spending time with the Edmonton Collegiate Baseball Club of the CCBC, Elias has joined AHP Academy as a co-head coach and associate pitching coordinator, and is slated to be the pitching coach for the expansion Edmonton Riverhawks of the West Coast League. We chatted about his entire baseball journey and some of his coaching beliefs in this conversation from late last week.

Episode 158: Mike Frostad

Calling the last few weeks a "whirlwind" might be an understatement for Mike Frostad. It started with unexpected playoff run by his Atlanta Braves that culminated with a World Series victory over the Houston Astros. Then came the aftermath and celebrations before everyone parted ways for the winter. Frostad not only headed back home to Alberta, but he announced he had been courted by the Los Angeles Angels to become their new director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer. We caught up with him after he spoke at the Coaching Teaching Leadership Conference in Calgary last weekend to talk about the World Series, working with Mike Soroka on his injuries, the changing landscape of being a trainer since he was with the Medicine Hat Blue Jays in the 1990's, and what his wife's support has meant to him in his journey.

Episode 157: Celebrating Jimmy Rattlesnake

In an era where fans packed ballparks by the thousands to watch games and tournaments, Jimmy Rattlesnake was a headliner. His reputation was second-to-none, and his accomplishments have been recognized in many ways. There is no higher honour in this country than to be named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and earlier this week, the pride of the Ermineskin Cree Nation took his place in the hall as part of the Class of 2021. We had the honour and opportunity to talk about the induction with Jimmy's daughter, Phyllis, and grandson, Oren. We're also joined by ADS co-founder Ian Wilson, who wrote an in-depth story about Rattlesnake's on-field accomplishments.

Episode 156: Greg Morrison

Greg Morrison has seen baseball in Medicine Hat from almost every angle imaginable. From a young player in the American Legion to winning a Pioneer League Triple Crown with the Baby Jays in 1997 to coaching the Western Canadian Baseball League Mavericks before becoming owner and general manager in 2009, Morrison is using his experiences to help young ball players at the grassroots level around the community. Even during the last two years of the Mavericks not being able to play, he’s been doing everything he can to keep that connection strong heading into 2022 and beyond. We’ve wanted to have Morrison visit us on the podcast for a while now, as his journey is certainly a fascinating one. And the opportunity was right earlier this week to talk about how it all began, his pro playing career and what it means to him now, being able to give back to the baseball community in Medicine Hat.

Episode 155: Dane Tofteland

Dane Tofteland has had quite the adventurous last few years in baseball. After setting records despite several injuries in his time with Indiana State University, he helped the Okotoks Dawgs capture the 2019 WCBL championship. The 2020 summer season was turfed with the pandemic, which allowed him to spend time at his family's farm near Grande Prairie. The Dawgs Academy grad then started the 2021 season with Quebec of the Frontier League before moving to the Welland Jackfish of the Intercounty Baseball League. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound slugger turned a lot of heads, hitting .417 with eight home runs, 36 runs batted in and 19 stolen bases in 30 games. We caught up with him recently to talk about his journey, this last summer, and the dream of turning pro.

Episode 154: Jordan Procyshen

Jordan Procyshen admits the last few years have been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. The Calgary product was a 14th round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2014, and after a few years in their farm system, was sent on a whirlwind including the Los Angeles Dodgers, independent baseball, Baseball Canada and this past season with the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. While he's been chasing his dream of reaching the majors, the Dawgs Academy and Okotoks Dawgs product met his wife and they are also now expecting their first child in a few weeks. We caught up this week to talk about everything on and off the field.

Episode 153: ”Going The Distance” Author Willie Steele

With the baseball season coming to an end here in Alberta, we thought we’d switch things up on this episode to bring on someone we’ve wanted to chat with for a while. Willie Steele is the author of “Going the Distance: The Life and Works of W.P. Kinsella". Released in 2019, it’s the biography of the Alberta-born scribe most famous for the novel “Shoeless Joe.” Kinsella was born and raised in the Edmonton area and also spent time at the University of Calgary among his many travels. Steele has been a big supporter of us, sharing our stories and even writing one of his own for us on his experience at the Field of Dreams game this season.

Episode 152: Carson Hindmarsh

Much like our last few podcast guests, Carson Hindmarsh has had himself a busy summer. Aside from starring with the Okotoks Dawgs Black during the WCBL season, the 17-year-old Saskatoon native found himself playing with Baseball Canada's Junior National Team at the 18U Friendship Series in Florida. His season isn't over either as he's planning on another trip with the national team soon, and big things are on the horizon for the 6'3", 180-pound southpaw as he's committed to the University of Tennessee. We talked about all of that and so much more earlier this week.