Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

Episode 35: M-M-M-M-Mike Soroka

He has been all the rage around Major League Baseball this season. Calgary's Mike Soroka has been achieving great things with the Atlanta Braves, setting records and turning a lot of heads. Ian Wilson and Joe McFarland chat about the phenom's season thus far and are also joined by former coach Brent Cooper. The guys end the show talking about the Western Canadian Baseball League season and what's exciting them most heading into the summer.

Episode 34: Okotoks Dawgs & Edmonton Prospects

It probably comes as no surprise that there is no shortage of words from two teams involved in one of the Western Canadian Baseball League's biggest rivalries. The head coaches of the Okotoks Dawgs and Edmonton Prospects were pretty thorough in their answers as we previewed the upcoming summer, leading to a longer-than-usual episode to wrap up our look ahead to the season.

Episode 33: Looking Ahead to the 2019 MLB Draft

2019 could be another good year for Alberta baseball talent being selected in the Major League Baseball draft. Dawgs Academy product Cesar Valero has been projected as one of the top draft-eligible Canadians for quite a while now, but there is also some excitement surrounding teammate Ayden Makarus and Vauxhall Academy pitcher Adam Macko. We sit down with Jeff Duda from Dawgs Academy and Les McTavish from Vauxhall Academy to talk about the draft and what it means to them and their schools to have some of their students getting so much attention.

Episode 32: Lethbridge Bulls & Brooks Bombers

The Western Canadian Baseball League season is just a couple of weeks away now. We continue our previews of Alberta's six organizations with two in the sunny south. The Lethbridge Bulls are looking to rebound after a rough 2018 campaign, while the Brooks Bombers are hoping to make the jump into the playoffs after their first three seasons in league. We chat with Bulls head coach Jesse Sawyer and Bombers Vice-President and Director of Baseball Operations Jason Wandler about the upcoming summer.

Episode 31: Kyran Weemaels & Davis Pratt

As the US college baseball season winds down, we wanted to throw another spotlight on some of the great stories happening courtesy of Alberta's baseball talent. This week, we chatted with Belgium-born Kyran Weemaels about coming to Alberta and where he actually grew a love for the game (hint: think of a "Queen City"). We also sat down with Edmonton's Davis Pratt as he is one of many from this province who is playing for Cloud County, following a long list of players who have gone there.

Episode 30: Medicine Hat Mavericks & Fort McMurray Giants

We are getting closer and closer to the start of the Western Canadian Baseball League season. Over the next few weeks, we'll be bringing you two episodes a week. On Mondays, we will preview the WCBL season with chats with two different teams. This week, we sit down with Greg Morrison of the defending champion Medicine Hat Mavericks and discuss a big move north for new Fort McMurray Giants manager Ray Brown.

Episode 29: Ty Wagar & Myles Creran

The Canadian College Baseball Conference playoffs are this weekend and the three Alberta teams are hoping to bring home the title. It will likely be an emotional weekend for a couple of players. Edmonton Collegiate's Ty Wagar is into his final weekend in college baseball as he heads towards graduation, while the University of Calgary's Myles Creran shares his inspirational story of playing the sport he loves while battling Multiple Sclerosis. We update you on this story we brought you last fall.

Episode 28: Dylan Borman & Jacob Bouzide

What a week it's been for Alberta's baseball products. From Calgary's Mike Soroka starting strong for the Atlanta Braves to a viral walk-off home run from Okotoks' Matt Lloyd, there was no shortage of heroics. One providing those heroics was Camrose native and Prairie Baseball Academy product Dylan Borman, who hit a walk-off grand slam for the University of Arkansas at Monticello. We chatted with him, as well as Dawgs Academy grad Jacob Bouzide, as he is one of the many players from our province who is now playing for Colby Community College.

Episode 27: Andrew Case Retires & Matt Quartel

Andrew Case first garnered attention for a no-hitter at the inaugural T12 tournament, signing with the Toronto Blue Jays. We hear about that story and more from one of his former coaches, Todd Hubka at Prairie Baseball Academy. We also chat with another Albertan making waves in the US college baseball ranks. Prospects Academy grad Matt Quartel is now patrolling the outfield for the Milwaukee Panthers.

Episode 26: The Closers

When you're a reliever, you never know when you're going to get the call to come in from the bullpen. A few Alberta baseball products are making names for themselves south of the border, picking up saves for their respective college teams. Two of those players on the leaderboard are Tanner Jesson-Dalton (Lethbridge) at Sacramento State University and Liam Sabiston (Calgary) at Eastern New Mexico University. We caught up with both earlier this week to talk about their successes. For more on Jesson-Dalton, who we profiled last year, click here.

Episode 25: Amanda Fewer & J.T. Patterson

Baseball is a patient game. Not just for the players but also for photographers looking to snap that perfect image. Amanda Fewer's collection has captured the attention of many, including the Toronto Blue Jays and Okotoks Dawgs. We chat with her about getting into the game and what keeps her motivated. We also sit down with Dawgs Academy product J.T. Patterson to talk about his upbringing and this past weekend's 3-HR, 8-RBI game for Bellevue University.

Episode 24: The Out of Towners

The US college baseball season is well underway and we've been keeping tabs on some of the young Alberta-born talent who are making waves. But there are some players who came from out of this province to train here and are now plying their trade south of the border. A couple of great chats with Dawgs Academy alum Ryan Humeniuk (Manitoba) and Vauxhall Academy alum Josh Burgmann (BC) about their respective paths in baseball.