Episodes
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Episode 229: Matty Fung, Ryan Kucy and Adam Golby
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
As we continue getting to know the people around the Western Canadian Baseball League this summer, we have a trio of players joining us this week. Sylvan Lake Gulls utilityman Matty Fung is among the league leaders in batting average and stolen bases, Brooks Bombers infielder Ryan Kucy is off to a great start in his collegiate career, and Medicine Hat Mavericks starter Adam Golby is looking to build off a great rookie campaign that included an All-Star Game nod as a member of the Swift Current 57s.
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Episode 228: A Few Familiar Faces
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
We take a quick look back at the first week of the Western Canadian Baseball League season and some of the early leaders. Then we sit down with Brooks Bombers head coach Ruddy Estrella, Fort McMurray Giants catcher Jordan Bach, and we conclude Ian Wilson's trek to the Okotoks Dawgs' Media Day with quick updates from Ryan McFarland, Brody Forno and Nash Crowell.
Friday May 26, 2023
Episode 227: Welcome to the WCBL’s Opening Weekend
Friday May 26, 2023
Friday May 26, 2023
The 2023 Western Canadian Baseball League season is underway. Over the next few months, ten teams in Alberta and Saskatchewan will battle it out, with the goal of raising the Harry Hallis Trophy in mid-August. You can read the West Division preview story here and the East Division preview story here. Here on the podcast each week during the summer, we’re going to switch things up and endeavour to bring you a handful of coaches, players and surprise guests to give you some variety with each episode. This week, we sit down with Okotoks Dawgs head coach Lou Pote and pitcher Matt Wilkinson, who has some news about his summer plans, as well as reigning WCBL Pitcher of the Year Josh Tucker of the Sylvan Lake Gulls and rookie Lethbridge Bulls outfielder Demitri Shakotko.
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Episode 226: Dinos Win 2023 CCBC Championship
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Wednesday May 24, 2023
For the first time in the program’s history, the University of Calgary Dinos are Canadian College Baseball Conference champions. After posting wins against Thompson Rivers University and Prairie Baseball Academy in the round-robin, they edged the Victoria Golden Tide 7-6 to get themselves into the CCBC final. Given that it’s a double-elimination format, Victoria bounced back with an 11-10 win over PBA to get themselves into the final for a rematch. And what a finale it was in Lethbridge as the Dinos edged the Golden Tide 8-7. We hear from head coach Cam Williams, as well as players Zach Delaquis, Marcus Coderre and Cale Yuzdepski.
Thursday May 18, 2023
Episode 225: Jacob Honke
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
It all comes down to this. A championship is on the line this weekend in Lethbridge as the Canadian College Baseball Conference season comes to an end. It feels like the regular season just flew by, but the Alberta teams surely made an impact. Prairie Baseball Academy finished on top with a 21-11 record, with the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks and University of Calgary Dinos finishing third and fourth, respectively. But it’s anyone’s game come the final weekend, and one player who can attest to that is Jacob Honke. The EC Hawks infielder is heading into his last collegiate games as he’s set to graduate from the University of Alberta, with an eye on becoming a strength and conditioning coach, something he’s doing already with Taylor Burns at Absolute Human Performance and AHP Academy. Honke, who hails from Red Deer, joined us recently to talk about being a veteran presence heading into championship weekend, the evolution of the Hawks program since he first started, and what it means to have family not only on, but off the field with him.
Thursday May 11, 2023
Episode 224: Marcus Coderre
Thursday May 11, 2023
Thursday May 11, 2023
Blink, and you might just miss it. For any player entering their final year of college eligibility, it feels like it doesn’t take very long to go from raw rookie to standout veteran. Such is the case for Marcus Coderre. The fifth-year University of Calgary Dinos third baseman has become a key piece of the leadership group that has helped turn the program around, to the point where they are now a serious contender heading towards the Canadian College Baseball Conference Championships in a couple of weeks. The 5-foot-11 Coderre is hitting .228 with 11 RBI and 2 stolen bases in 26 games, but more importantly has been instrumental in helping the young Dinos core establish itself quickly, sitting with a 15-13 record as we recorded this episode. The Calgary product joined us recently for a great chat about his baseball journey, his hope to give back through coaching, and what he’s learned under Calgary Wildcats senior director of baseball operations and former MLB hurler Chris Reitsma.
Thursday May 04, 2023
Episode 223: Carter Claerhout
Thursday May 04, 2023
Thursday May 04, 2023
While we didn’t actually get a chance to meet at the Prairie Baseball Academy annual banquet earlier this year, it was hard not to notice Carter Claerhout. The 6-foot, 235-pound Red Deer product isn’t just a physical presence, but seems to almost always be smiling. And if he knew at the time just how good he’d be this spring, that smile would probably be even bigger. After flirting with .600 for the better part of the first half, the first baseman has settled in at .483 with three homers and 19 RBI in 20 games to lead the entire Canadian College Baseball Conference in each category. It’s a fantastic follow-up to his 2022 season, where he hit .356 with seven dingers and 45 RBI in 32 games. But PBA fell short of winning the league last year, and that’s ultimately what is fueling the Southern Arkansas University commit, who joined us for a great chat a couple of weeks ago. A special thanks as well to Cindy Adachi for sharing her photos of Carter for our podcast use.
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Episode 222: ”Lucy Tries Baseball”
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
We’ve had authors on the show before, but none quite like Lisa Bowes. The well-known broadcaster spent many years at TSN as well as CTV Calgary. A few years ago, she used her journalistic chops to start writing children’s books. The series, entitled “Lucy Tries” and illustrated by James Hearne, follows Lucy on her sports adventures. The first five books saw Lucy try luge, short track, soccer, hockey and basketball. The sixth book, “Lucy Tries Baseball,” hit store shelves earlier this month, and isn’t meant just to shine a light on the sports, but to inspire kids to get active as well. To mark the book’s release, I had a great chat with Lisa via Zoom recently to talk about what inspired her to write the book, how she approaches the writing process, and the importance of inclusion in sport.
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Episode 221: Alberta Girls Baseball League
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Buzz is starting to grow around the newest addition to the Baseball Alberta fleet of offerings. 2023 will be the pilot season for the new Alberta Girls Baseball League. It will feature three associations: the Beaumont Minor Baseball Association, Edson Prospects Baseball and the Rocky and District Baseball Association. All three took part in the Spruce Grove Girl’s Baseball Tournament in 2022, and were all keen to grow it into a league. Not only do they hope to grow the game and grow as a league with more teams in the future, but also help keep girls in the game longer to become more of a pipeline for future provincial and national teams. We sat down for a great chat with Baseball Alberta Girls/Womens Director Barb Northcott recently, to talk about the league, the potential, and the hope to also change the conversation about girls and baseball.
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Episode 220: Kyle Bloor
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
One could argue that Kyle Bloor has seen everything baseball can show you in a really short amount of time. Growing up mainly as a catcher, he got to represent Alberta and Canada on a number of occasions, spending time with various teams between Lethbridge and Calgary. At 16, he randomly ended up having to go through Tommy John surgery, and wasn’t even sure he’d be able to play college baseball until he was recruited by Colby Community College. The former Lethbridge Bulls hurler's numbers weren’t eye-popping, but he kept on working, and ended up getting an offer to head to the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs, where he’s been lights-out this year, going 2-0 with six saves and a 3.38 ERA in 13 appearances. Bloor joined us for a candid conversation a couple of weeks ago to talk about his journey, and what he hopes young kids can take away from his wild ride.
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Episode 219: Jonathan Hodgson
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
If you’ve been to a baseball game in Western Canada over the last 15 or 20 years, especially in Okotoks, you’ve probably seen Jonathan Hodgson around. Growing up in Calgary, he remembers going to Calgary Cannons games, then being gutted when they left in 2002. He immediately attached himself to the new Western Major Baseball League team, the Calgary Dawgs, and in his wheelchair, followed them to Okotoks a few years later, where he transitioned from fan to broadcaster, writer and media relations guru for a few years. Hodgson’s journey in baseball has also included working with the Canadian Baseball Network, the Toronto Blue Jays and Victoria Harbourcats. However, home is still at Seaman Stadium with the Dawgs. We sat down recently for a candid conversation about his love of the game, the amazing connections he’s made along the way, and the special sense of belonging he’s received being in the baseball community.
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
Episode 218: Saskatoon Returns to the WCBL
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
It’s been nearly ten years since the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets folded, citing horrible attendance and financial losses. Since then, tires have been kicked and efforts have been made to bring Saskatchewan’s largest city back into the Western Canadian Baseball League, but to no avail. At least - not until Wednesday when the league was finally able to announce that the Saskatoon Entertainment Group, which owns and operates the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades and National Lacrosse League’s Saskatchewan Rush, had the perfect plan and proposal, and will be joining the WCBL for the 2024 season. We sit down from SEG's Steve Hildebrand and Tyler Wawryk about the announcement, as well as WCBL president Kevin Kvame, who hints at some more future expansion around the league.
About: Alberta Dugout Stories
We believe in the beauty of baseball, and the purity of the game.
We believe in the history of baseball, and the preservation of it.
We believe in the future of baseball, and that Alberta is contributing to it.
We believe that as special and perfect as baseball is, it is a game and at the heart of that is having fun.
We believe in storytelling and that our role is telling compelling and worthy stories.
Welcome to our dugout. We hope you like the view.