May 31, 2022

By Zach Worden

Canadian Baseball Network

SPRINGBANK, Alta. - Just 19 minutes west of Calgary, a brand-new facility is home to the Webber Academy Wildcats, with evolving plans to establish a lasting presence in the local community for years to come.

The Wildcats are backed by the $22-million investment in both fields and indoor training facilities and a coaching staff that includes former pros Chris Reitsma and Cole Armstrong.

The new program was founded in 2021 by Dr. Neil Webber, who “recognized Calgary’s need for youth diamonds,” and put a plan into place to start the development.

Dr. Webber’s love of the game was inspired by his grandfather while growing up on a farm in rural Alberta.

“[My grandfather] immigrated to Canada in 1914 [from Kansas] and continued to play ball with other local farmers and ranchers,” Dr. Webber said when the program was first announced.

“I still remember listening to the 1947 World Series on the radio with him cheering on number 42 (Jackie Robinson),” said Dr. Webber. “I also enjoyed playing the game as a young man with my brothers and neighbors who lived close to Endiang, Alta. in the late 1940s and early 1950s.”

Dr. Webber received a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Alberta and served as an MLA in Calgary before founding Webber Academy in 1997.

Webber Academy Athletic Park is planned to have four ball fields, a soccer pitch, and a state-of-the-art, 50,000-square foot indoor training facility.

In its debut campaign, the youth program is currently operating on the “showcase field” — the first field to have construction completed.

Wildcats Baseball has brought in a group of coaches committed to following Dr. Webber’s vision to “provide a positive experience for as many age and skill levels as possible.”

Included in that coaching staff is a former major league pitcher and the first Canadian high school player to be taken in the first round of the major-league draft. He went 34th overall in North America from the Calgary Rockies to the Boston Red Sox.

Reitsma holds the title of senior advisor of baseball operations and pitching director at the academy.

Reitsma says that it was Dr. Webber’s priorities aligning with his that sold him on the program.

“(Dr. Webber’s) vision is to grow the program with local kids here in Calgary, to make it affordable for families, to provide great facilities and an opportunity to learn the game,” Reitsma said. “That’s my vision as well, in terms of something I want to be a part of.

“So then he showed me the plans of what’s going on and I was very shocked, based on the sheer scale of things. Once we met a couple of times and I was able to understand his vision, it was pretty easy for me to hop on board.”

With a chance to work with kids from around the city in basically his backyard, Reitsma plans to be a part of the Webber program for the foreseeable future.

“I’m putting my roots down here in Calgary and am going to put my time and effort into the Wildcats going forward,” he said.

“It’s kind of a dream situation for me. I get to sleep in my own bed and still work in the game and help youngsters. So, it’s pretty great from my end and I feel very blessed.”

The Home Team

Reitsma signed on in early September to join the Wildcats. Until that point, the program had been guided by coaches Jeff Peach, Matt Korman, Nelson Lipszyc and Cam McLachlan.

Peach is the director of baseball operations and player development at Webber and is consulting on the construction of the Athletic Park.

“It’s every emotion you can think of, it’s definitely exhilarating,” Peach said about getting involved with a program from the ground floor. “It can be overwhelming at times, it’s exciting to be able to build the way you want and [bring in] the values you feel are important.”

The Wildcats currently have three teams: their senior college prep team, junior college prep and a 15U squad.

For Peach, the goal going forward is “controlled growth” for the program while becoming a reliable destination in Calgary and Alberta.

“A personal priority of mine is trying to become a prominent member of the Alberta scene,” Peach said. “I think they’ve been looking for structure and stability in Calgary and this facility will provide the ground for some of that structure and stability.”

One of the selling points of the program is the modern training tools they are using at the Academy to improve the development of the players.

They have invested in both the Rapsodo hitting and pitching trackers, Driveline hitting and throwing programs and training tools, and Hack Attack pitching machines. The Wildcats’ website says it “feels it is important to understand new ways to approach development and strive to find a middle ground that can be applicable to youth” — and all the new tech equipment they have invested in fits into that.

“I really feel like guys are improving dramatically,” Peach said about the players. “They’ve put in a ton of work … we’ve been fortunate enough to have a number of athletes asked to participate in various events across the country.”

For Reitsma, the growth of the program won’t be measured in wins and losses, but in the impact they have on their players.

“Wins are great, but I want to build a program where we develop kids that have a passion for the game and work hard at it,” he said. “I’d love to get a bunch of kids to realize their dreams of playing college ball.”

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In September, the Wildcats started working with their college prep group and have had multiple college commitments with Canada and the United States since the calendar flipped to 2022.

Korman has also taken a large role in the off-field development of the program, in addition to his head coaching duties of the college prep team. He is the communications director — a role that has included getting the name of the program into the public as well as getting some players’ names on the radar of college coaches.

“On a day-to-day basis, I traditionally do five hours of website and social media updates,” Korman said. “[Since I started,] I’ve sent out a ton of emails to colleges all over the place.”

The coaches agree that at the end of the day, everything they do is committed to one goal — helping players improve.

“As long as we keep on our main goal of doing this for the kids, there’s no way we can fail,” Korman said. “It’s all about proper development and getting players ready for a bit of college ball.”

On the same note, Peach said: “We invest as much of our resources as we can into making sure players are in an environment to grow as much as they can and are surrounded by the individuals that will help them grow as much as they can.”

Local Roots

While both the program and Athletic Park are still in their early days of operation, the state-of-the-art field has already proven to be a gathering spot for baseball in the province.

“I’m just hoping it becomes a place where everyone congregates to love the game,” Peach said. “We’ve already had kids as young as 10 out here and guys as old as 40. We want [the facility] to be for everyone and we’re hoping to spark a passion for the game in as many people as possible.”

Webber Academy has begun to branch out to organizations across the city. It recently announced a partnership with Calgary Kaizen softball. The two organizations are planning to ensure that one of the Athletic Park fields is set with softball dimensions.

“It’s going to be huge,” Reitsma said about the facility’s impact on the local community. “It’s going to be great for the growth of the game and it’s going to be really fun to see what happens in the next 10 years.”