Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

The Western Canadian Baseball League season is almost here! 12 teams will be vying for the right to hoist the Harry Hallis Trophy this summer and we wanted to get some local talent from each team onto the show. This is part two of our two-part series heading into Opening Weekend. We finish things up in the West Division with all Alberta products joining us: 2:44 - Energy City Cactus Rats - Jack Jewell 8:42 - Fort McMurray Giants - Riley Burns 13:49 - Brooks Bombers - Aidan Maxwell 19:09 - Lethbridge Bulls - Carter Claerhout 25:47 - Sylvan Lake Gulls - Gavin Galenza 32:29 - Okotoks Dawgs - Ryan McFarland

The Western Canadian Baseball League season is almost here! 12 teams will be vying for the right to hoist the Harry Hallis Trophy this summer and we wanted to get some local talent from each team onto the show. So this is part one of a two-part series heading into Opening Weekend. We start in the East Division with all Saskatchewan products joining us: 3:00 - Swift Current 57's - Adam Korte (Swift Current) 8:34 - Weyburn Beavers - Keaton Husband (Weyburn) 16:52 - Medicine Hat Mavericks - Tyler Vanneste (Warman) 22:02 - Regina Red Sox - Zander Oudie-Senger (Regina) 28:55 - Saskatoon Berries - Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current) 36:14 - Moose Jaw Miller Express - Jackson Martin (Grand Coulee)

For the first time since 2022, the Okanagan College Coyotes are Canadian College Baseball Conference champions. After finishing second in the circuit during the regular season, they ran the table to the final where they met up with the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack, where they won a thriller 10-9 on a cloudy Sunday morning in Lethbridge. Our Ian Wilson was there to chat with players, coaches and officials after an exciting final weekend of the season. You can also read our full story about the weekend and the Coyotes' season here. 2:14 - Head coach Geoff White 6:23 - Drayson Vodarek 8:59 - Adrian Orioli 14:14 - Easton Brons 17:35 - Cory Lawson 22:00 - Simon Crossfield (TRU) 26:58 - Kevin Kvame (CCBC President)

He really needs no introduction. The native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Ray Brown was drafted in the 60th round of the 1969 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. He spent four years in their organization before being released, and in 1975, came to Alberta to play for the Edmonton Tigers of the Alberta Major Baseball League. He met his future wife, who is from Lac La Biche, and ended up staying in the province. He's coached at virtually every level ever since, including a few stints in the Western Canadian Baseball League with the Edmonton Prospects and Fort McMurray Giants. Most recently, he was with the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks and WCL's Edmonton Riverhawks as an assistant under Jake Lanferman. He's back with the Giants this summer, so we thought it'd be a good opportunity to catch up with him and hear more about his baseball journey, coaching philosophies and much more.

It was another big week for baseball in Alberta. We give you updates on Michael Soroka, Matt Lloyd, Cohen Achen, the college ranks and much more. Then we sit down with a trio of great guests: Dawgs Academy hurler Preston Tocheniuk after he helped the team claim their second-straight Best of the West title, Southern Maine Community College outfielder Adam Rowland (Calgary Bucks) and Edmonton Collegiate Hawks pitcher Chris Menard (St. Albert). 7:44 - Preston Tocheniuk 20:52 - Adam Rowland 37:32 - Chris Menard

Plenty of news coming from MLB, MILB, CCBC, US college ranks, WCBL and Baseball Alberta this week, so we recap it all. Then we catch up with Valley City State University utilityman Jaden Babiuk (St. Albert) as he approaches the school's all-time hits record. We also sit down with Mid-America Nazarene closer Reece Helland (Moose Jaw) after he captured the school's all-time saves record. And we wrap things up with University of Fraser Valley starter Kam Sparrowhawk (Regina) as we hit the midway point of the Canadian College Baseball League season. 8:09 - Jaden Babiuk 21:31 - Reece Helland 37:42 - Kam Sparrowhawk

We take a look back at a busy week in the baseball world around Alberta including a big promotion for Calgary's Cohen Achen. Then we sit down with University of Calgary Dinos infielder Brett Potter (Cranbrook) to discuss their season so far. We also hear from AHP Academy alum Brendan Clelland (Sherwood Park) as he is putting the wraps on a great first season at Northeastern Junior College. And we wrap things up with Dawgs Academy grad Ayden Makarus, who looks back at what has been a whirlwind few years including a national championship at LSU-Eunice, one season at Bossier Parish Community College, then quitting baseball to work before an unexpected conversation led him to come back to baseball, where he's now starring at Bellevue University. 5:49 - Brett Potter 21:48 - Brendan Clelland 38:07 - Ayden Makarus

For the second-straight week, we start the show off with a record-breaker. Dawgs Academy and Okotoks Dawgs slugger Nash Crowell is now the home run king at Reinhardt University after hitting his 56th career smash last week. We talk to him about the record and look ahead to the rest of the spring. Then we get to know Calgary native and Prairie Baseball Academy infielder Nate Garth, and wrap things up with Saskatoon native and Dawgs Academy alum Adam Beamin, who is becoming a big weapon on the mound for Central Arizona College. 6:12 - Nash Crowell 15:19 - Nate Garth 30:29 - Adam Beamin

What a week it was for Dawgs Academy grad and Okotoks Dawgs standout Logan Grant (Chestermere) as he hit home run #45 of his career at Bellevue University to take over the #1 spot in team history. We catch up with him to talk about the record-setting feat. We also catch up with new Sylvan Lake Gulls 19U Prep assistant coach Ben Prediger as he makes his transition into coaching after a solid playing career. And we wrap things up by getting to know Cochrane's Solomon Searle, who is playing at the College of the Redwoods in California, with an eye on playing at Clarke University in the fall. 5:40 - Logan Grant 18:12 - Ben Prediger 32:05 - Solomon Searle

We put the wraps on a really busy week of baseball action at virtually every level, then sit down for a chat with Edmonton Collegiate Hawks hurler Matthew Ridsdale after he racked up the program's first-ever no-hitter this past weekend against TRU as well as his journey in the game. Then we catch up with former Okotoks Dawgs hurler Alex Jensen, who has forged a career in baseball broadcasting, with his latest stop coming as a voice of the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox. 6:58 – Matthew Ridsdale  24:43 – Alex Jensen

It's here! It's finally here! MLB Opening Day is today (Thursday) so we take the opportunity to talk to some of our insiders about the Alberta products down south who are looking to be difference-makers in 2025. Our Ian Wilson stops by for an all-encompassing chat including who might be next in line, then Jeff Peach at Webber Academy takes a look at Calgary's Michael Soroka after an offseason spent training in his facility. We also hear from Taylor Burns at Absolute Human Performance after St. Albert's Erik Sabrowski did the same in their new digs. And we wrap things up with Lou Pote of the Okotoks Dawgs and Dawgs Academy, who brings a unique perspective as he had a few Opening Day memories, including one with all the goosebumps in his hometown of Chicago. 5:17 - Ian Wilson 28:36 - Jeff Peach 46:43 - Taylor Burns 59:08 - Lou Pote

It's Opening Weekend for the Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) season and it also marks the circuit's 25th anniversary. Just like last year, we have you covered with a look-ahead to what the spring will bring for the three Alberta teams. You can also read our season preview here. We'll hear from The Battery Media's Logan Wedgewood again as he dissects the upcoming year and what he sees as some of the top storylines going in. Then we hear from a player on each of the Alberta teams: Jake Roggensack (Wainwright) of the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks, Cody Graf (Lloydminster) of Prairie Baseball Academy and Ethan Webster (White Rock, B.C.) of the University of Calgary Dinos. 4:31 - Logan Wedgewood 30:49 - Jake Roggensack 48:01 - Cody Graf 58:22 - Ethan Webster

We have a trio of US college freshmen who are looking to make big first impressions. Ryan Kwasnissia of AHP Academy and Stony Plain is at Pratt Community College, Webber Academy and Calgary native Kai Rempel is with Cloud County Community College, and Dawgs Academy grad Leo Griffin is lighting it up with Hutchinson Community College. We discuss their respective journeys in the game and what they hope to accomplish this season. 4:10 - Ryan Kwasnycia 18:21 - Kai Rempel 35:29 - Leo Griffin

Our guest this week really doesn't need an introduction. Jamie Campbell has been the host of Blue Jays Central on Sportsnet for years now. He's also a former Alberta broadcaster, having worked in Edmonton during the 1990's. We first chatted with him back on Episode #85 of the show, which was during the pandemic and he was making phone calls to long-time baseball fans who were yearning for a chance to watch their favourite team again. Since then, he's made a trek back here to catch a few WCBL games, is coming to Weyburn for their 2025 Sports Dinner with John Axford on March 15th and, as it turns out, he's turned into a life-long fan.

It's been a long time coming, but Foothills Stadium is finally being torn down. The home of the Calgary Cardinals, Expos, Cannons, Outlaws, Vipers, Bucks, Dinos and Dawgs (who later moved to Okotoks) has been the planned site for the city's new fieldhouse project for years. With a blast of warm February weather, three excavators started tearing down the stands, dugouts and guts of the former Burns Stadium. Joe McFarland and Ian Wilson discuss their thoughts on the past and future of the site as well as baseball in Calgary. Ian also shares an interview he did with former Cannons owner Russ Parker, who happened to be snapping photos of the tear-down when Ian made his first visit to the site.

We commemorate Black History Month by paying tribute to two Western Canadian teams known for their skill, style and swagger. The Indian Head Rockets and Amber Valley Baseball Team entertained thousands of fans every time they hit the field. We'll hear from Home Runs and Dirt Roads author, and Indian Head Museum's Robyn Jensen about the Rockets' legacy, as well as author Chris L. Butler about his love of Negro Leagues history and fascination with Amber Valley. 6:21 - Robyn Jensen 38:41 - Chris L. Butler

We make our way through a lengthy list of news items then welcome a trio of great guests to the show. We start things off with Dawgs Academy hurler and Central Arizona College commit Austin Collins. Then we head east to Going Yard Academy where pitcher Willis Simair has committed to Garden City Community College. And we wrap up the show with long-time coach Mike Steed, who is now the pitching coach with the Atlanta Braves' new Double-A affiliate in Columbus. He was through Fort McMurray in January for a coaching clinic and we thought it would be great getting to know his baseball journey. 4:37 - Austin Collins 18:49 - Willis Simair 35:14 - Mike Steed

We're proud to bring you a very special edition of the show this week as we celebrate the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2025. Toronto Blue Jays great Jose Bautista headlines this year's class along with former big leaguer Erik Bedard, Junior National Team head coach Greg Hamilton and former Women's National Team great Amanda Asay. The Hall's Veteran's Committee also selected Saskatchewan native and All-American Girls Professional League star Arleene Noga and former Montreal city councillor Gerry Snyder. The ceremony is set for June 7. Hear from Bautista and Hamilton as well as family members of Asay, Noga and Snyder in a conference call held on Feb. 12. 1:16 - Jose Bautista 8:04 - Greg Hamilton 12:18 - Amanda Asay's parents Loris and George 21:09 - Arleene Noga's daughter Carol Lee (Noga) Scott 24:23 - Gerry Snyder's daughter Arlene Kenrick and son Gary Snyder

It's been a busy week for baseball in Alberta, so plenty of storylines to pass your way in the news. Then we have a trio of great conversations to get you into the weekend. We have a pair of high school players who will soon be going to college in Dawgs Academy product Kingston Besuijen (College of San Mateo) and Red Deer Minor Baseball/St. Joseph Academy product Tanner Morrow (University of Pikeville). Then we wrap things up with Craik, Saskatchewan native and Vauxhall Academy alum Tanner Spencer, who is now the head coach at the University of Mary. 4:12 - Kingston Besuijen 14:13 - Tanner Morrow 29:19 - Tanner Spencer

This is a special edition of the show that we are dropping on this Tuesday as, over the weekend, Prairie Baseball Academy held its annual banquet and celebration of baseball. It was also a night to honour a Southern Alberta baseball legend. Todd Hubka has been with the program going on 28 years now and is now entering the 15th season as head coach. He helped guide them to seven-straight CCBC championships and has a career .580 winning percentage. For all that, he was this year's lone induction to the PBA Hall of Fame.  1:28 - Les McTavish 13:10 - Ryan MacDonald 25:50 - Todd Hubka

He is a Canadian baseball legend and the first base coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. We are, of course, talking about Stubby Clapp. A true “Mr. Hustle” for Canada for years, he made it to the MLB with a 23-game stint in 2001 with the Cards. The 11-year pro's final two years came here in Alberta with the Edmonton Cracker-Cats in 2005-2006 (including the infamous brawl against the Calgary Vipers) before he went into coaching. He's been on the Canadian Olympic Team, two World Baseball Classics, and was a key piece of that amazing 2015 Gold Medal performance at the Pan Am Games. For all his accomplishments, Clapp was inducted to the Baseball Canada Wall of Excellence on January 11. The Windsor, Ontario native spent some time with us recently to discuss his journey, his memories of Edmonton and what it meant to be recognized by Baseball Canada.

Welcome to the start of the 2025 podcast season! As always, we start off with some of the big news items from the past few weeks, then we head to the minor leagues for a trio of guests. Dawgs Academy and Okotoks Dawgs alum Matt Lloyd checks in after a great first season with the Double-A Springfield Cardinals, Vauxhall Academy product Adam Macko looks back at a year that started with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats and ended with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, and St. Francis Xavier Academy grad Matt Coutney reflects on a 2024 split between the High-A Tri-City Dust Devils and the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas. 4:21 - Matt Lloyd 19:23 - Adam Macko 43:12 - Matt Coutney

We are excited to announce the first official episode of the 2025 baseball season will be hitting the airwaves on January 23! 2024 was an outstanding year and we can't wait to make this year even better with more stories, more roadtrips, more collaborations and more great guests on the show.  Make sure to subscribe now wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

It's hard to believe that we are putting the wraps on yet another season of #ADSPodcast. Thank YOU for checking us out, whether it was one episode or all 50+ this season. Our Ian Wilson stops by for a recap of the recent Western Canadian Baseball League Annual General Meeting, then we hear from Saskatoon Berries president Steve Hildebrand and new Swift Current 57s president Jamie LeBlanc. Then Ian returns as we look back at our favourite stories of 2024 and what's exciting us heading into 2025.  3:38 - Ian Wilson on WCBL AGM 18:04 - Steve Hildebrand 26:02 - Jamie LeBlanc 32:27 - Ian Wilson on 2024 highlights and 2025 look-ahead

It's a big day with a new show and brand new stories on both of our websites to celebrate the unveiling of the fifth annual ADS All-College Team and the first annual SDS All-College Team. After the news headlines, we look quickly at each of the rosters, then are joined by Connor Crowson (Okotoks) of the University of Montevallo, Tom Poole (Calgary) of Dallas Baptist University and Payton McHarg (Saskatoon) of Washburn University. 3:28 - Connor Crowson 16:20 - Tom Poole 30:11 - Payton McHarg

Awards season in baseball around Alberta rolled into high gear recently with a pair of major galas last weekend. We looked back at the Little League Alberta event earlier this week, and now we head to the Baseball Alberta festivities in Edmonton. We start things off with executive director Danielle Moffat, who says it was another banner year for baseball in the province. Then we get to know Baseball Alberta Elite League Player of the Year Luke Schmitt and catch up with Women's Open Player of the Year Kaitlyn Ross. 3:17 - Danielle Moffat 17:13 - Luke Schmitt 32:15 - Kaitlyn Ross

It's awards season in Alberta's baseball world with two major events held this past weekend by Baseball Alberta and Little League Alberta. We will wrap-up the Baseball Alberta awards later this week, but we open things up with the Little League Alberta awards. Our Joe McFarland hosted a session on traditional and social media before serving as emcee for the banquet. After it was all over, he sat down for a "state of the union" with president Kevin Kvame then continued his fireside chat with former Little League World Series competitor and current Vancouver Canadians athletic therapist Katie Reyes. 1:27 - Kevin Kvame 12:15 - Katie Reyes

We open up the show with a look at the news headlines, including Joe's pick for the new Edmonton Prospects name, which you can enter their contest here. Then he chats with a pair of Tampa Bay Rays prospects: Dawgs Academy and Okotoks Dawgs alum Tristan Peters and Grande Prairie Minor Baseball and St. Albert Minor Baseball alum Tyler Herron. 5:06 - Tristan Peters 22:21 - Tyler Herron

Erik Sabrowski really needs no introduction. The Edmonton native's journey to the majors has been well-documented, and we've been lucky enough to follow him for quite some time. This year, it went to another level as he got the call-up to the big leagues, became a big piece of the Cleveland Guardians bullpen during their run to the playoffs, and made some impressive appearances in the ALDS and ALCS. The St. Albert Minor Baseball, Absolute Human Performance and Edmonton Prospects alum is back home now and received a hero's welcome in Edmonton, including getting to see his beloved Oilers play a few games and even being part of Wednesday's Sportsnet broadcast with Gene Principe. It's been a big year and it'll get even bigger for the 27-year-old as he's set to get married in just a few days. We talked about it all in this fantastic conversation. 

News from the baseball world is slowing down a bit, but we still have a few things to pass along. Then we go a little deeper into last week's unveiling of the 2025 Western Canadian Baseball League schedule. Joe explains why he loves the idea of the WCBL Rural Roots Game, then sits down with Pat Cassidy of the Edmonton Prospects to talk about the latest on the new Myshak Metro Ballpark in Spruce Grove and an upcoming name change.

Happy Halloween! Big congrats to the Los Angeles Dodgers on winning the World Series (take a look back at the Dodgers' history in Alberta with the Pioneer League's Lethbridge Dodgers here). After we get through the rest of the news from a busy week, we sit down with Vauxhall Academy's Hudson Kozicki (Sherwood Park) and Badlands Academy's Braxton Bussing (Coronation) to talk about their respective college commitments. Then we catch up with Dawgs Academy alum Jack Lines about getting drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 12th round of this past summer's MLB Draft. 3:42 - Hudson Kozicki 19:26 - Braxton Bussing 28:52 - Jack Lines

When we're able to get in touch with a Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Houston Astros Hall of Fame member, among others, we roll out the red carpet. Such is the case with Terry Puhl, whose career kind of speaks for itself. A 15-year Major Leaguer and 18-year pro, with all but 15 games in the bigs coming with the Astros. He was an MLB All-Star in 1978 and was outstanding, particularly in the field and on the base paths. Puhl helped the Astros win their first ever NL West Division crown and postseason berth in 1980. He now lives in Texas, and we were fortunate to sit down with him to talk about his career this past week. Special thanks to Scott Crawford at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame for helping us connect with Terry to line up this conversation!

We catch up with a trio of young men who have been jetsetting around North America in recent weeks chasing their baseball dreams. Seth Suer (Morinville) is coming off an appearance at the Prep Baseball West Coast Games, Ethan Pittman (Fort McMurray) traveled to the Arizona Fall Classic with the Brewers Scout Team, and Taye Thierman (Calgary) isn't done yet as he'll be joining the Baseball Canada Junior National Team at the Dominican Fall Instructional League Camp. 4:02 - Seth Suer 19:54 - Ethan Pittman 32:06 - Taye Thierman

They are an integral part of the game and sometimes umpires don't get the love they deserve. So when the Western Canadian Baseball League announced Kris Hartley was being named the Mitch Ball Memorial Award winner as Umpire of the Year, we knew we had to get him on the show. One thing most umpires have is stories to tell, and Hartley certainly has a few to share. We chat about his season and career highlights, what it meant to win the award, some of the trials and tribulations of being a sports official, and what the most gratifying part of the job is.

Talk about a hard-hitting edition of the podcast! We catch up with a trio of players who had 2024 seasons to remember, starting with Dawgs Academy and Okotoks Dawgs alum Matt Wilkinson, who had an incredible first professional year split between Single-A and High-A in the Cleveland Guardians system. Then we catch up with Western Canadian Baseball League Rookie of the Year and Top Canadian Carter Beck of the Saskatoon Berries. And we wrap things up with Dawgs Academy product and Canadian Futures Showcase Home Run Derby champion Tim Piasentin. 3:24 - Matt Wilkinson 16:08 - Carter Beck 29:54 - Tim Piasentin

First off, THANK YOU for all your support as we mark our 300th episode of the show! Whether it's your first or your 300th listen, we truly appreciate you taking the time each week since Oct. 2018. As always, we check in on the big news of the past week then we're joined by a trio of guests from the Canadian Futures Showcase. We'll hear from Dawgs Academy speedster Quincy Jenkins, Webber Academy slugger Cohen Miller and Saskatoon Berries Academy hurler Merek Yeager about their respective journeys in the game of baseball. 7:58 - Quincy Jenkins 20:59 - Cohen Miller 36:23 - Merek Yeager

What a few weeks it's been for Edmonton's Erik Sabrowski. The Absolute Human Performance alum continues to be a big piece of the Cleveland Guardians bullpen after getting called up at the end of August. We catch up with AHP founder Taylor Burns to talk about Sabrowski's journey and how Guardians games are now "can't miss TV" at their headquarters. We then catch up with Dawgs Academy alum Clayton Keyes, who has had a challenging couple of years after helping Southwestern win the NAIA championship in 2022. He made his pro debut this summer after a lengthy wait for a work visa. Then we head to the Canadian Futures Showcase to chat with Dawgs product and Junior National Team pitcher Max Poirier to talk about his journey from Saskatchewan to BC to Alberta. 5:58 - Taylor Burns 23:06 - Clayton Keyes 38:50 - Max Poirier

As the baseball season winds down this fall, we take a look at some of the big highlights of a busy week, then look ahead to the upcoming Canadian Futures Showcase in Toronto with four athletes who will be looking to make an impression. Hear from Dawgs Academy product Landon Kauffman (Vancouver), Vauxhall Academy outfielder Langdyn Cummins (Taber), Going Yard Goats outfielder Trentin Kooy (Saskatoon) and AHP Academy shortstop Miguel Tetreault (Fort McMurray). 4:53 - Landon Kauffman 23:44 - Langdyn Cummins 27:51 - Trentin Kooy 33:47 - Miguel Tetreault

We start off the episode by recapping the MLB debut of St. Albert's own Erik Sabrowski, who went 1+ inning of shutout baseball in relief for the Cleveland Guardians in a 4-1 loss to Kansas City. We then take a look at some of the other major storylines, before we catch up with former MLB slugger and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame member Matt Stairs, who was recently named a hitting coordinator with Dawgs Academy in Okotoks.

It was another crazy week for baseball in Alberta, highlighted by Erik Sabrowski being called up by the Cleveland Guardians. We recap the week in news, then are joined by Baseball Canada 18U National champion Jake Brooks of the Red Deer CarStar Braves, 16U Girls National silver medalist Claire Hingley and Edmonton Riverhawks veteran Tylor Jans to talk about their summers and more. 4:56 - Jake Brooks 21:08 - Claire Hingley 33:59 - Tylor Jans

We have seen some outstanding performances from Alberta teams in recent weeks, so we thought it'd be a good time to catch up with a few of them. This week, you'll hear from Medicine Hat Major Mavericks coaches Steve Russell and Aaron Lybbert as they look back at the team's outstanding performance at the Canadian Little League Championships, where they finished one win away from going to Williamsport. We also sit down with Baseball Alberta 14U Girls coach Geoff Hall after that team won Western Regional gold for a third year in a row. And we get to know AHP Academy product Dom Morgan (St. Albert) as he just came back from a trip with the Baseball Canada Junior National Team and will soon be heading to the Canadian Futures Showcase. 4:56 - Steve Russel and Aaron Lybbert 23:06 - Geoff Hall 35:34 - Dom Morgan

For the eighth time in team history and the third-straight season, the Okotoks Dawgs are Western Canadian Baseball League champions. After outlasting the Lethbridge Bulls and Sylvan Lake Gulls in the first round of the playoffs, they battled through a classic best-of-three series with the Moose Jaw Miller Express, winning game three 6-5 thanks to a walk-off solo home run from local product Connor Crowson. We take a look back at the series, then feature a series of interviews heard in Seaman Stadium and on the HomeTeam Live broadcast, including players and coaches for both teams as well as league president Kevin Kvame.

We have several guests lined up for this week's episode as we take a look back at the first two rounds of the Western Canadian Baseball League playoffs and look ahead to the best-of-three championship between the Okotoks Dawgs and Moose Jaw Miller Express. You'll hear from: Okotoks Dawgs - head coach Lou Pote as well as players Brendan Luther, Tucker Zdunich, Brock Townsend (and his father Bill), Graham Brunner, Logan Grant and Ashton Luera Sylvan Lake Gulls - head coach Jason Chatwood and player Elijha Hammill Moose Jaw Miller Express - head coach Eric Marriott and player Nate Mensik

We are getting into a busy part of the baseball season with championship weekends at a number of levels. We get through a ton of news before we catch up with Baseball Canada Women's National Team member Cassie Matlock after winning bronze at the Women's Baseball World Cup. Then we sit down with Red Deer Braves coach Josh Zanolli after they claimed the Baseball Alberta Elite League title. And we wrap things up with Vauxhall Academy product and Team Alberta infielder Easton Kitura as he's been named to the upcoming Canadian Futures Showcase. 4:15 - Cassie Matlock 20:53 - Josh Zanolli 32:13 - Easton Kitura

Time to get back into some sense of normalcy! After having a couple of episodes each week for the last couple of weeks, we are going back to our weekly episodes (for now anyways). This week, we try to put the wraps on the news side of things in what's been a busy little while. Then we sit down with Baseball Alberta product and Women's National Team invitee Ava Greiner (Stettler) to talk about the World Cup roster tryout, we sit down with Dawgs Academy pitcher and Canadian Futures Showcase invitee Zac Foden (Edmonton) and we put the wraps on Ian's family trip to Saskatchewan with visits from Austin Gurney (Moose Jaw Miller Express), Brody Alexandre (Swift Current 57s), Oakland Flodell (Saskatoon Berries) and Mike Singleton (Saskatoon Berries). 5:07 - Ava Greiner 17:01 - Zac Foden 30:01 - Austin Gurney 36:02 - Brody Alexandre 40:20 - Oakland Flodell 46:24 - Mike Singleton

The 2024 MLB Draft might be one for the record books in Alberta. For the first time since 2015, an Albertan was taken in the first three rounds of the draft (Nathan Flewelling) while a total of five Albertans were taken in the 20 rounds, something that hasn't happened since 2011. We break down the numbers, then chat with three Albertans, a Canadian who trained here and an American whose career was resurrected by coming to our province. 2:42 - Nathan Flewelling 9:20 - Cohen Achen 17:05 - Owen Pote 26:58 - Micah McDowell 34:06 - Eric Rataczak

After spending last episode focusing on the players involved in the 2024 Western Canadian Baseball League Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, this episode focuses on the state of the league through the various conversations had during the broadcast for the game. Thanks to HomeTeam Live for allowing us to use the audio from those interviews, which include: 1:36 - WCBL President Kevin Kvame 12:20 - Okotoks Dawgs GM Tyler Hollick 18:33 - Regina Red Sox VP Al Simpson 24:47 - Canadian Baseball Network editor Kevin Glew 29:26 - Saskatoon Berries President Steve Hildebrand 35:32 - WCBL Managing Director of Corporate Sponsorships & Marketing Mark Stiles 45:16 - Canadian baseball legend Matt Stairs

Have yourself a day, Carter Beck! The Saskatoon Berries slugger was the star of the 2024 WCBL Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, finished second in the Derby to Fort McMurray's Peyton McDowall before going 3-for-3 with two RBI to help the East Division to the 13-6 win over the West Division. Beck, who is from Carnduff, Saskatchewan, was named the Game MVP. In the first of a trio of new podcast episodes this week, we chatted with several players representing their teams at the All-Star Game festivities at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks. 1:45 - Carter Beck - Saskatoon Berries 4:50 - Peyton McDowall - Fort McMurray Giants 7:19 - Cooper Ciesielski - Sylvan Lake Gulls 10:45 - Jackson Syring - Regina Red Sox 15:44 - Colton Anderson - Regina Red Sox 20:58 - Ian Heck - Weyburn Beavers 26:36 - Nathan Houston - Moose Jaw Miller Express 29:26 - Antony Gilbert - Brooks Bombers 32:06 - Tucker Zdunich - Okotoks Dawgs  

It's an action-packed episode of the podcast as we have five guests joining us this week as well as a new sponsor announcement and a contest to win a Michael Soroka autographed baseball. Joe sits down with long-time Okotoks Dawgs infielder Aidan Rose while Ian takes us along for his family trip through Saskatchewan to chat with Cory Wouters of the Saskatoon Berries, Takao Cookson of the Moose Jaw Miller Express and Marcus Graham of the Swift Current 57s. We wrap up the episode back in Medicine Hat where Ian caught up with Sportsnet broadcaster Jamie Campbell. 4:39 - Aidan Rose 21:05 - Cory Wouters 27:30 - Takao Cookson 33:59 - Marcus Graham 41:11 - Jamie Campbell

Both Joe and Ian found themselves on the road for Canada Day to take in games in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, respectively. Joe chatted with Bulls head coach Myles Fletcher (Lethbridge, AB) about being an original member of the LA Bulls and marking the team's 25th anniversary, utilityman Carlin Dick (Abbotsford, BC) about his season so far, and Sylvan Lake Gulls hurler Hunter Jones (Edmonton, AB) about his outstanding start. Then Ian stops by for conversations with Medicine Hat Mavericks stars Nick Thibodeau (Burlington, ON) and Tyler Vanneste (Warman SK) about their respective baseball journeys. 5:40 - Myles Fletcher 10:50 - Carlin Dick 16:16 - Hunter Jones 24:13 - Nick Thibodeau 33:16 - Tyler Vanneste

We've been meaning to chat with Richie Borysewicz for a while now following this spring's Jays Care "Field of Dreams" funding announcement for Bow Ridge Little League to upgrade the Tuscany Diamonds in Calgary. We finally had that conversation this week about the plans and what's to come. We also sat down with Okotoks Dawgs slugger Nash Crowell about the brutal pitch to the face he took with Reinhardt University and his return to the WCBL, and we meet Australian Lachie Smith, who is getting his first taste of collegiate baseball with the Edmonton Prospects before he heads to Odessa College in the fall. 8:11 - Richie Borysewicz 20:44 - Nash Crowell 35:33 - Lachie Smith