August 5, 2021

By Joe McFarland

Alberta Dugout Stories

Kaden Zarowny was used to watching Okotoks Dawgs games from the stands as a member of Dawgs Academy.

Now, he’s the one inspiring future players with his standout performance for Dawgs Black this summer.

The Strathmore, Alberta native has been near the top of the WCBL leaderboard in several categories, hitting .273 with five home runs and 27 runs batted in through 27 games. He’s also tied for the league lead in triples (2) and is second in stolen bases (20).

Zarowny is using the opportunity to play this summer as a chance to learn what college baseball is all about, as he graduated from high school this past spring and is set to join Crowder College in the fall.

He recently took a few minutes to answer some of our questions for the latest 3 UP, 3 DOWN.

THREE UP

1. Congrats on the great season thus far, near the top of the leaderboard in many offensive stats. What’s been the secret to your success?

Thank you! My main secret is just being me and playing how I know I can play. It’s easy to get caught up in the crowd and try and do too much, but that’s when things don’t go your way. I struggled with that the first couple games of the season but now it finally feels normal having fans in the stands.

2. Take us back to July 8th and your two-homer game against Lethbridge. It’s not every day that you see that happen so what was going right for you that night?

That was a special night! One of the craziest games of my life, that’s for sure. Again, I was just sticking to my approach and staying within myself and got a hold of a couple balls! Going up to the plate with the bases loaded, it never crossed my mind that I should hit a grand slam. I knew I was going to get it done with something but I was thinking a hard-hit, line drive, opposite side of the field.

3. What’s it like playing in the stadium for the college team that you grew up watching when you were part of Dawgs Academy and what does this opportunity mean to you?

It is absolutely amazing. I have been watching summer games at Seaman since I can remember with my brother Tyson playing in the the league years back. And even before that, I would go with my Strathmore Reds team to go watch games. It’s such an awesome environment and feels amazing to be out there with my brothers. Not many high school kids get to play in front of 5,000 fans so it’s pretty special, especially when they are all cheering for you no matter what.

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Listen to the Alberta Dugout Stories podcast featuring Kaden Zarowny here.

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THREE DOWN

1. Speaking of the Academy, there are two Dawgs teams this summer and a lot of you have known each other for a while. What’s the trash talk like between the two dugouts when you face each other?

Yeah, playing against some of my best friends is a cool feeling too. Hanging out with them before the games and then once the warmup and game starts, it’s on and we aren’t friends anymore. The trash talk is pretty good since we know each other so well and have some pretty good inside jokes. But at the end of the day, they are just another team we have to beat.

5. You’re heading to Crowder College, joining Alejandro Cazorla Granados. What are your expectations heading there and what does it mean to you to have him along for the ride?

I am expecting to go and do my thing no matter where that takes me! Ready to win a lot of ball games with a new squad. College baseball is a lot different than high school and this league is really going to help out with the transition in the fall playing against older, more experienced guys.

Having Ale come along is going to be awesome! He’s been one of my best friends while here at Dawgs Academy and we play very well with each other, so I’m excited to go down and have some fun with him. Show them what the Dawgs can do!

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Listen to the Alberta Dugout Stories podcast featuring Alejandro Cazorla Granados here.

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6. You’re at the ballpark as a spectator, not a player, and you’re in line to grab something to eat. What’s your go-to food and drink at the concessions? (And any parks you’ve been to that have the best of whatever you like?)

Tough question! If I’m at Seaman, I gotta go with a Duda double burger with a coke. I’m a pretty picky guy, so I’m not too crazy on new foods. If any field has a burrito, that’s what I would be going with!