Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

Episode 279: Cascades Claim CCBC Championship

What a weekend it was in Lethbridge for the Canadian College Baseball Conference World Series. While the weather left something to be desired, the action on the field had a little bit of everything, especially in the final between the University of Fraser Valley Cascades and the Okanagan College Coyotes. In the end, the Cascades pulled out the 10-9 extra innings victory. We chat with head coach and former player Riley Jepson as well as CCBC Pitcher of the Year Josh Berenbaum and Albertans Max Prevost and Eli McKeen, who both played pivotal parts in a ninth inning comeback in the final.
8:43 - Riley Jepson
17:40 - Josh Berenbaum
29:21 - Max Prevost
41:02 - Eli McKeen

Episode 278: Halen Knoll, Gavin Fraser & Jimmy Dionne

The US college season is wrapping up and the summer baseball season is about to begin, so we have a lot to get to both in the news and with our guests. This week, we chat with Edmonton Collegiate Hawks hurler Halen Knoll about this weekend's CCBC championships and the season so far. Then we head back south to hear the inspiring story of Spruce Grove's Gavin Fraser, who has been named Second-Team All-Conference and a Gold Glove recipient with Cerro Coso College. And we wrap things up with Dawgs Academy alum Jimmy Dionne, who had a freshman season to remember with Howard College.
7:04 - Halen Knoll
19:37 - Gavin Fraser
39:16 - Jimmy Dionne

Episode 277: Jaden Babiuk, Morgan Halliday & Michael Yusypchuk

It's been a little like drinking out of a fire hydrant lately with the amount of news to talk about each week. We do our best to get through it before we sit down with Valley City State University shortstop Jaden Babiuk (St. Albert) to chat about being named Second-Team All-Conference and heading to the Medicine Hat Mavericks this summer, Prairie Baseball Academy infielder Morgan Halliday (Edmonton) for our weekly CCBC check-in, and Dawgs Academy hurler Michael Yusypchuk (St. Albert) to recap the Best of the West tournament win, his frequent travels with the Baseball Canada Junior National Team, and suiting up with his brother for the Edmonton Riverhawks this summer.
4:30 - Jaden Babiuk
24:24 - Morgan Halliday
40:06 - Michael Yusypchuk

Episode 276: Coaches Corner with Joe Sergent & Chris James

We have a full lineup of news to get to, but the big story of the week has obviously been the performances of Dawgs Academy and Okotoks Dawgs alum Matt Wilkinson. The highlight was a no-hit, six-inning gem for Cleveland's Single-A affiliate, the Lynchburg Hillcats, on April 25 and after five starts, he sports an ERA of 0.35 and 46 strikeouts in just 25+ innings. For a little insight into his arsenal and mindset, we sit down with Dawgs pitching coach Joe Sergent. Then we head to Baseball Alberta where long-time coach Chris James has been busy getting the wheels in motion for the upcoming season on the girls' and women's front. After a year which featured a gold and two bronze medals in national championships, we take a look at the talent across the province and the work being done at the grassroots and more.
7:20 - Joe Sergent
25:25 - Chris James

Episode 275: Aiden Szautner, Jacob Wrubleski & Brady Turner

The University of Calgary Dinos are facing some stiff competition in their quest to repeat as CCBC champions. We sit down with veteran Aiden Szautner to get inside the clubhouse after the first weeks of the season. We also chat with Dawgs Academy alum Jacob Wrubleski about his stellar freshman season at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. And we also hear from Brady Turner of Prep Baseball Report Alberta about the level of talent we have graduating from high school this year and beyond.
5:26 - Aiden Szautner
17:24 - Jacob Wrubleski
33:30 - Brady Turner

Episode 274: Owen Lucas & Piper Wiklund

From the outstanding performance of Matt Wilkinson to a Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Week nod for Logan Grant, there was no shortage of storylines we followed this week. So we go through a lengthy news rundown before getting to two guests from the Canadian College Baseball Conference. We start off with Prairie Baseball Academy infielder and CCBC Player of the Week Owen Lucas to talk about his baseball journey, then we're joined by TRU Wolfpack infielder and 2023 Baseball Alberta Millie Warwick/Betty Carveth Dunn Bursary winner Piper Wiklund.
5:39 - Owen Lucas
22:21 - Piper Wiklund

Episode 273: Rejean Bourget, Kyle Yip & Eric Hartman

The warm weather is back which is making it feel like baseball season now. We get through a ton of pro and college news headlines, then chat with Edmonton Collegiate Hawks veteran Rejean Bourget (Bonnyville/St. Francis Xavier), UBC Thunderbirds freshman Kyle Yip (Calgary/Vauxhall Academy) and Baseball Canada Junior National Team invitee Eric Hartman (St. Albert/Dawgs Academy) about their seasons so far.
4:49 - Rejean Bourget
20:48 - Kyle Yip
36:15 - Eric Hartman

Episode 272: Ryan Dousett, Cole Huebner & Tim Piasentin

Baseball season is in full swing with MLB and the minor leagues getting underway. We get caught up on the CCBC as well and chat with Calgary's Ryan Dousett, who is with Okanagan College, then sit down with AHP Academy alum and Indian Hills Community College standout Cole Huebner and Dawgs Academy prospect Tim Piasentin, who is one of many players with Alberta ties named to the Baseball Canada Junior National Team's Extended Spring Training Roster.
3:54 - Ryan Dousett
18:03 - Cole Huebner
33:20 - Tim Piasentin

Episode 271: The CCBC Season Preview Extravaganza

Not only is it Opening Weekend in Major League Baseball, but the Canadian College Baseball Conference kicks off this weekend as well with all games happening in BC. The University of Calgary Dinos are the defending champions, but both the Prairie Baseball Academy Dawgs and Edmonton Collegiate Hawks are hot on their tails. We get the inside scoop on all things CCBC with Logan Wedgewood and Sean Robbins of The Battery. Then we're joined by Ethan Webster of the Dinos, Zaden Wake of the Dawgs and Reece Devlin of the Hawks to get a look inside each of their dugouts.
5:33 - The Battery hosts
35:16 - Ethan Webster
49:39 - Zaden Wake
1:05:55 - Reece Devlin

Episode 270: New Minnesota Twin Kyle Bloor

We last chatted with Kyle Bloor on Episode 220 of the show as he was in the midst of a great season at Tennessee Wesleyan University, where he ended up going 3-0 with 7 saves in 21 appearances including one start, posting an ERA of 5.04 and 40 strikeouts in 30+ innings of work. Bloor had dreams of going pro, heading to Falmouth of the Cape Cod League hoping to capture the attention of MLB scouts. While he didn't get signed right away, he kept working away at things, and eventually got in front of scouts again over the last few weeks, signing with the Minnesota Twins. See the new story from Canadian Baseball Network's Bob Elliott here.

Episode 269: Max Hartman, Jaxon Zanolli & Carter Beck

While the snow is flying outside here in Alberta, several Western Canadian baseball products are soaring at US college programs. We go through a few of the highlights before we're joined by St. Albert Minor Baseball and Dawgs Academy alum Max Hartman (Washington State University), Olds native and St. Joseph's Academy product Jaxon Zanolli (UMary) and we chat with the latest Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Week and Carnduff, Saskatchewan's own Carter Beck (UMary).
4:12 - Max Hartman
17:07 - Jaxon Zanolli
30:38 - Carter Beck

Episode 268: Ben Hoshizaki & Cardel Dick

In an unexpected twist, both guests this week aren't just chasing their baseball dreams, but they are also pursuing educational ventures in engineering. Dawgs Academy grad Ben Hoshizaki is into his sophomore season at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, where he is leading all Canadians in US college programs in stolen bases. We chat with him about the art of the stolen base and much more. Then we catch up with Vauxhall Academy product Cardel Dick, who is a freshman at the University of Omaha Nebraska. We discuss his inside-the-park grand slam, handling a Division I pitching rotation and his family roots.
4:15 - Ben Hoshizaki
26:53 - Cardel Dick