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 al…

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 in…

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 Hartma…

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 w…

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…

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 Leag…

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) a…

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…

Andrew Albers spent 13 seasons in professional baseball, including parts of five years in the Majors with the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. The North Battleford, Saskatchewan product was also a fixture of the Baseball Canada roster, playing in several major events including the Pan Am Games, Baseball World Cup and the 202…

We had originally planned to head south to Vauxhall Academy of Baseball for their annual banquet and awards last Saturday. Then I ended up catching yet another cold, then Mother Nature dumped a ton of snow on us, rendering us immobile to take in the celebrations. However, we have been able to catch up with a few of the honoured guests from what was…

It’s hard to believe but it’s been 25 years since the Lethbridge Bulls joined what was then the Saskatchewan Major Baseball League. That decision changed the trajection of the league, which would later become the Western Major Baseball League and is now known as the Western Canadian Baseball League. Take a trip down memory lane with coach Todd Hubk…

The US college baseball season is well-underway and several Albertans are getting themselves into the headlines with great performances at all levels. We take a look at some of the best over the past week, then we catch up with Calgary Babe Ruth product and Lindsay Wilson College veteran Cohen Achen as well as Fort McMurray Minor Baseball and Dawgs…

It's banquet and awards night season and recently, it was Prairie Baseball Academy who spent a night celebrating the year and two new members of the PBA Hall of Fame. Our Ian Wilson catches up with PBA head coach Todd Hubka as well as the two new inductees: Rob Greeno and Rob Watt.Oleh Alberta Dugout Stories

We have an announcement to make: we are expanding and have officially launched Saskatchewan Dugout Stories. To mark the occasion, Dugout Stories co-founder Ian Wilson joins us for a bit of context behind our decision and what he's most excited for. Then we get a "state of the game" conversation with Baseball Sask's Greg Brons.…

We're doing things just a little differently this week. With just two weeks left until pitchers and catchers report in MLB, we thought we'd take a look at the expectations of Canada's team, the Toronto Blue Jays, through the lens of three people with ties to Alberta. Sportsnet broadcast and former MLB catcher Buck Martinez was here recently as part…

Dozens of coaches spent last weekend at Webber Academy, just outside of Calgary, for the Blue Jays Academy National Coaches Clinic. They learned about how they can get the most out of their teams through drills, practices and even game-planning with several high-profile guest speakers including former Blue Jays Pat Borders, Devon White, Buck Martin…

This one isn't just for our listeners in Alberta. Baseball Canada released its 2023-2028 Strategic Plan in November, and while it might not mean a lot to some, there are a lot of interesting pieces to it, including how the organization plans to grow the sport across the country, evaluating the possibility of a 15U and 23U National Team, and the pot…

Welcome to the first episode of the 2024 season! While we've seen Old Man Winter return with a vengeance, it's easy to start dreaming about the upcoming summer baseball season. It actually starts with the preparation being done by coaches, aided this year by Blue Jays Academy bringing its annual National Coaches Clinic to Webber Academy in Calgary …

Greetings and salutations, friends! We hope 2024 is off to a great start for you and yours. It's that time of year again where we get things set up for the upcoming year, and we're excited to announce that the first episode of the 2024 season of Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast will arrive on Thursday, January 11. We also have some big plans for…

We started the year with two pros (Damiano Palmegiani and Adam Macko), so why not finish the 2023 season with two more, in the form of Wetaskiwin's Matt Coutney and Manitoba's Tristan Peters. Coutney, who attended St. FX Academy and Old Dominion University, just wrapped up his first full pro season in the Los Angeles Angels system, while Peters, wh…

Zoe Hicks laughs when you ask her about where she’s from. Among her answers: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Red Deer, Austria, Calgary, back to Manitoba, then off to US college and has now spent the last couple of winters back in Calgary. This last summer was a whirlwind though, as she played first base for Canada at the Women’s Softball World Cup, then t…

It was a celebration fit for every Alberta community from Acme to Youngstown and from border to border to border to border. Baseball Alberta held its annual general meeting and awards banquet last weekend in Edmonton to talk about the year that was, look ahead to the upcoming year, and of course, hand out some hardware. We sit down with 18U 'AAA' P…

What a week it was for Alberta's baseball scene, which started on the night our last episode dropped. For those who might have missed it, Calgary's Michael Soroka was involved in a blockbuster deal between the Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox. Our Ian Wilson stops by for some analysis and thoughts on the trade, as well as Alberta's connections …

We recap what has been a busy couple of weeks on the local baseball scene, including Matt Lloyd being named Baseball Canada's Men's National Team Most Valuable Player, Fort McMurray being named hosts for more national tournaments, a local look at the Arizona Fall League and a multitude of college commitments. Then we get to our guest, and the mere …

It was only supposed to be a one-year deal to try playing baseball internationally. Yet, here we are, six years later, and Levi Moon is still traveling the world playing the game he loves. The Red Deer product has had a fascinating journey in the game, starting at home before becoming part of the first Badlands Academy team in Oyen. He went onto pl…

When you think baseball in Central Alberta, one family name is synonymous with the game: Northcott. And while he may too humble to admit it, Harold Northcott is an Alberta baseball legend. The Clive, Alberta native had a storied playing career which took him to Eastern Oregon University, where he helped the Mountaineers set team records for wins in…

Plenty of big news items coming out of the Western Canadian Baseball League this week, with the biggest being the announcement that Okotoks will host the 2024 All-Star Game. Our Ian Wilson caught up with WCBL president Kevin Kvame and managing director of corporate sponsors and marketing Mark Stiles to talk about the selection process, while Dawgs …

It started as a simple question our Joe McFarland posted on Twitter/X shortly after Nathan Flewelling (Innisfail) picked up the Home Run Derby crown at the Canadian Futures Showcase and Simon Baker (Cochrane) at the Canadian Futures Showcase: does Alberta punch above its weight when it comes to baseball in Canada? It elicited a number of replies, D…

Plenty of catching up to do on this week's episode and all three guests were fantastic. Hear from Dawgs Academy (via Quebec) product and Oregon State commit Leo Cote about his great summer, former Baseball Alberta Midget-AAA Player of the Year and Sylvan Lake Gulls catcher Ben Prediger and Vauxhall Academy/University of Washington alum and head sco…

Welcome to October and the start of the MLB playoff race, which is also an unofficial sign of the local scene starting to slow down. We chat about some of the headlines we're watching, then welcome a trio of athletes to the show. We hear from AHP Academy product Reece Hemmerling as he starts his sophomore season at Barton Community College, Basebal…

Alberta took centre stage at the annual Canadian Futures Showcase in Toronto, with Innisfail's Nathan Flewelling taking home the Home Derby crown while Cochrane's Simon Baker was named Showcase MVP. Reporter Zach Worden caught up with them both, then joins us to recap what was a big week of baseball at Rogers Centre. Then we sit down with Sherwood …

Playoff season is upon us and several Alberta-born and raised athletes have been able to raise trophies over their head. We recap those wins, then we head to Okotoks where Ian Wilson has spent most of the week chatting with those taking part in the Oregon State visit and camp at Dawgs Academy. He brings us a great conversation with Beavers head coa…

While things might be slowing down a bit in Alberta, there is certainly no shortage of storylines we're following. We get you up-to-date on a number of fronts, before a trio of great interviews. We preview the upcoming Canadian Futures Showcase in Toronto with Vauxhall Academy product Brett Getz and St. Albert Minor Baseball Association standout Ke…

It's been another busy week with news on Michael Soroka, Damiano Palmegiani, Jacob Melton and Gavin Logan to go along with some of the local tournaments and events happening. We recap it all, then sit down with a pair of Canadian Futures Showcase invitees in Cochrane's Simon Baker (Webber Academy) and Halifax's Benito Bonilla (Dawgs Academy). We wr…

We recap a crazy week for Alberta’s baseball scene with everything from big tournament wins to big-league call-ups. Then we sit down for chats with Baseball Alberta Women’s Open Team player and 16U assistant coach Cydnie Moore, Sherwood Park Minor Baseball GM and Western Canada Prospects Series head coach Josh Bishop, and St. Joseph Academy product…

It's been a busy few weeks in Alberta's baseball circles. We do our best to recap some of the big achievements and headlines, then get into the Western Canadian Baseball League final series with ADS co-founder Ian Wilson, catch up with West Coast League Pitcher of the Year and Edmonton Riverhawks hurler Halen Knoll, and chat about the upcoming Base…

For the seventh time in franchise history, the Okotoks Dawgs are Western Canadian Baseball League champions. In front of a packed Seaman Stadium, they beat the Medicine Hat Mavericks 13-5 in the winner-take-all game three of what turned into a wild series. After the game, we were able to catch up with head coach Lou Pote and Playoff MVP Brendan Lut…

The home of the Okotoks Dawgs, Seaman Stadium, is onto the final of the Ballpark Digest "Best of the Ballparks" competition at the Summer Collegiate level. We chat with William Gardner of the Dawgs about what it means to the team, the WCBL and the community. We also visit with Mike Mayuk of the Fort McMurray Minor Baseball Association about hosting…

We're throwing a bit of a change-up at you this week. Instead of a handful of WCBL-centric guests, we're tapping into the many great storylines in other action around Alberta. Our list of guests this week includes: 2:30 - Fort McMurray's Sydney Barry on helping Alberta win bronze at the Baseball Canada Women's Open Championships in Nova Scotia 14:4…

It's a pitcher's paradise on this week's edition of the podcast. We sit down with four Western Canadian Baseball League All-Stars including Ty Boudreau of the Sylvan Lake Gulls, Devin Benavides of the Lethbridge Bulls, Dylan Esquival of the Medicine Hat Mavericks and Logan Knight of the Fort McMurray. All have had very different journeys to get to …

After speaking with several players taking part in the WCBL All-Star Game festivities last week, we wanted to bring you some of the conversations we had with dignitaries and special guests, including John Ircandia of the Okotoks Dawgs, VIP and special guest coach Matt Stairs, Hall of Fame writer Bob Elliott, long-time WCBL supporters and builders M…

We take a look back at the 2023 Western Canadian Baseball League All-Star Game with Home Run Derby champion Hank Dodson of the Sylvan Lake Gulls, runner-up Ethan Murdoch of the Swift Current 57s, game MVP Kalem Haney of the Lethbridge Bulls, Okotoks Dawgs fan favourite Cole Cramer and Moose Jaw Miller Express star Dawson Tweet.…

We look back at the week that was in Alberta's baseball world and then look ahead to this weekend's WCBL All-Star Game with West Division coach Lou Pote of the Okotoks Dawgs as well as a couple of Alberta products taking to the field with Lethbridge Bulls infielder Torrin Vaselenak (Coaldale) and Weyburn Beavers outfielder Trent Lawson (Calgary).…

We have hit the midway point of the Western Canadian Baseball League season, so we thought we'd do a recap of what we've seen and look ahead to the WCBL All-Star Game in Okotoks with Ian Wilson. Then we catch-up with Okotoks Dawgs catcher Logan Grant, who is now a two-time WCBL All-Star, and Sylvan Lake Gulls infielder Jonah Weisner, who has had hi…

As always, we start off by taking a look back at the week that was, including a special shout-out to a Sherwood Park pitcher who threw a no-hitter over the weekend. Then we recap the last week in the Western Canadian Baseball League and sit down for chats with Lethbridge Bulls coach Chance Wheatley, Brooks Bombers slugger Eric Rataczak and Medicine…

We take a look back at the week that was in major baseball news for Alberta, including Matt Coutney's promotion and the Baseball Alberta Women's Team announcement. We also rewind on the WCBL week that was, and chat with Sylvan Lake coach Jason Chatwood, Okotoks pitcher Quinn Tocheniuk and Fort McMurray outfielder Max Stagg.…

We take a look back at the week that was with some of the highlights around baseball in Alberta, and are joined for conversations with Medicine Hat Mavericks head coach Mark Goodman, Lethbridge Bulls infielder Kalem Haney and Okotoks Dawgs product Connor Crowson.Oleh Alberta Dugout Stories

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 …

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 …

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,…