McFarland: Red Deer Braves “scratched and clawed” their way to 18U provincial and national championships
"When the Red Deer CarStar Braves clinched the Baseball Alberta Elite League championship this summer, a massive weight came tumbling off their shoulders.
Feeling like they were a favourite heading into each of the last three seasons, the Braves had great regular seasons only to have the playoffs end in heartache.
Little did they know, bigger things were on the horizon as the team would run the table to capture the Baseball Canada 18U National Championship in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador."
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McFarland: Jesson's no-hitter at Ray Carter Cup highlight of successful year
"It wasn’t until after the game that Tucker Jesson realized what had happened.
With the goal of getting Saskatchewan into the semi-finals at the Baseball Canada 15U Ray Carter Cup in Laval, Quebec, the Regina product was focused solely on getting the win.
As the innings rolled along in a tight baseball game, he was completely oblivious to an extra zero on the scoreboard, under the hits column for their opponents for Ontario.
When Jesson struck out Sam Thiessen in the bottom of the seventh to secure the 1-0 quarterfinal victory, his teammates and coaches swarmed the pumped-up Jesson, who had thrown a complete-game no-hitter."
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Beck wins WCBL's Rookie of the Year and Most Outstanding Canadian awards
Saskatoon Berries outfielder Carter Beck (Carnduff, Sask.) has been named the Western Canadian Baseball League's Rookie of the Year and Most Outstanding Canadian.
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McFarland: Morgan draws inspiration from Sabrowski heading into Canadian Futures Showcase
AHP Academy and Junior National Team catcher Dominik Morgan (Sherwood Park, Alta.) will compete in his first Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre this week. He will draw inspiration from current Cleveland Guardians reliever Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) whom he was catching at the AHP Academy earlier this year. Joe McFarland, of Alberta Dugout Stories, spoke to Morgan before the young catching prospect headed for Toronto.
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McFarland: Kooy looking forward to representing Saskatchewan at Canadian Futures Showcase
"The opportunities keep coming for Trentin Kooy and he’s more than happy to take them, no matter how far he has to go.
The Saskatoon native has quickly risen up the ranks of some of the best Canadian prospects set to graduate high school in 2026 thanks to some big performances on even bigger stages.
After appearances at the Prep Baseball Report Junior Future Games in 2023 and the 2024 Baseball Canada Cup with Team Saskatchewan, Kooy is looking forward to adding to that resume when he suits up for Team Black at the Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre in Toronto Sept. 17-21."
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2024 WCBL All-Stars unveiled
The Western Canadian Baseball League has announced their First-and Second-Team All-Stars for the 2024 season.
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McFarland: Dawgs’ Kauffman primed to show off skills at his third Canadian Futures Showcase
OF-LHP Landon Kauffman (Vancouver, B.C.) is one of 11 Okotoks Dawgs Academy players that have been selected to compete in the Canadian Futures Showcase which begins on Tuesday at the Rogers Centre. Joe McFarland, of Alberta Dugout Stories, recently spoke to the young prospect.
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McFarland: Best summer ever for Saskatchewan women’s teams at national level
"Saskatchewan is quickly asserting itself as a powerhouse on the girls and women’s national baseball stage.
Headlined by a silver medal in the 21U Women’s Championships in Summerside, Prince Edward Island this summer, all four of the province’s programs played for national medals for the first time ever.
With the 14U, 16U and Women’s Open teams claiming fourth place in each of their tournaments, it marked the best summer ever for the program."
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McFarland: Sabrowski makes MLB debut
Left-hander Erik Sabrowski (St. Albert, Alta.) made his major league debut with the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday. Joe McFarland, of Alberta Dugout Stories, has the details.
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McFarland: Hingley adds another medal to impressive resume
"Claire Hingley’s trophy case is filling up fast.
A gold medalist with Baseball Alberta’s 14U Girls team at the Western Canadian Baseball Championships in Winnipeg in 2022, the Edmonton product added to her haul by winning bronze medals with the 16U squad at the 2023 national event in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
Heading into 2024, Hingley was hoping to use those experiences to become part of the leadership group going into the 16U tournament in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
She delivered in a big way, as Alberta went 2-2 in the round-robin before big wins over Manitoba and Ontario to get into the gold medal game against Quebec."
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McFarland: WCBL's Regina Red Sox still hoping for new stadium
"If the Regina Red Sox had it their way, they would have been playing in a new baseball stadium yesterday.
Their current abode, Currie Field, is more than 60 years old and in need of major upgrades and repairs – ranging from only having one dressing room, a backstop that is held together with zip-ties and washroom facilities which operate off a septic tank system that can’t keep up with park usage."
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McFarland: WCBL may expand East in the future
Is Brandon, Manitoba the next destination for the Western Canadian Baseball League? It’s a question that is up for debate now as the summer collegiate circuit looks at potential expansion destinations in the next decade, writes Joe McFarland, of Alberta Dugout Stories.
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McFarland: Great playoff run by Miller Express comes up one win short
After a 26-29 regular season, the Moose Jaw Miller Express had a great WCBL playoff run, but they ultimately fell one win short. Joe McFarland, of Saskatchewan Dugout Stories, spoke to some of the Miller Express team members after their walk-off loss to the Okotoks Dawgs in Game 3 of the championship series.
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Wilson: Grizzled, resilient Dawgs repeat the three-peat
"These are no Greyhounds.
And they won’t win any ribbons at the Westminster Dog Show.
No, this breed is more of a junkyard dog or an older canine tasked with guard duty on the porch – a bit surly, fairly grizzled and totally committed to protecting the house. Not quite as unhinged as Cujo, but definitely carrying the reputation of “The Beast” from the classic baseball movie The Sandlot.
These are your 2024 Okotoks Dawgs, winners of a third consecutive Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) championship. "
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Wilson: Beck stars in WCBL All-Star Game and HR Derby
“Sweltering heat, a stuffed Seaman Stadium, and a star-studded cast of Western Canadian Baseball League talent punctuated the 2024 All-Star Game.
Despite temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius, an elated record crowd of 6,064 baseball fans showed up to take in the signature WCBL event in Okotoks.”
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Wilson: First overall pick, Bazzana, spent 10 days in Okotoks last September
Travis Bazzana, the top pick in this year’s MLB draft, and his Oregon State Beavers teammates spent 10 days training at the Seaman Stadium Complex in Okotoks, Alta. last fall. Ian Wilson, from Alberta Dugout Stories, wrote about it.
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McFarland: Vanneste shares taste of home with Mavericks’ teammates
“Being the parent of an athlete, you come to expect that you will occasionally have a few visitors to the house.
So when Tyler Vanneste asked his parents, Joey and Patty, if he could have his Medicine Hat Mavericks’ teammates stop by his hometown of Warman, Saskatchewan during a July roadtrip, they rolled out the red carpet.
With a full spread of pulled pork, fruits and veggies, and some Nestea iced tea waiting for them, the team bus pulled in on June 13 for a pre-game meal and plenty of memories.
Believe it or not, the visitors didn’t eat the family out of house and home.
“There were lots of leftovers,” Vanneste told Alberta Dugout Stories. “They cooked up a LOT of pork.”
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ICYMI - McFarland: Canadian Futures Showcase HR derby champ Flewelling impresses at MLB Draft Combine
“When Nathan Flewelling squared up a Riley Burton pitch on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Gulls Field in Sylvan Lake, everyone in the crowd knew the baseball wasn’t coming back.
The three-run seventh inning home run to deep right field tied the game against the Lethbridge Bulls, which the Gulls would later go onto win 7-6.
It was a big moment for the team, and for the Innisfail native who hit his first Western Canadian Baseball League home run with family in the stands.”
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McFarland: Canadian Futures Showcase HR derby champ Flewelling impresses at MLB Draft Combine
“When Nathan Flewelling squared up a Riley Burton pitch on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Gulls Field in Sylvan Lake, everyone in the crowd knew the baseball wasn’t coming back.
The three-run seventh inning home run to deep right field tied the game against the Lethbridge Bulls, which the Gulls would later go onto win 7-6.
It was a big moment for the team, and for the Innisfail native who hit his first Western Canadian Baseball League home run with family in the stands.”
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McFarland: Jays Care grant helping to rebuild historic Big Foot Diamond in Saskatchewan
A Jays Care “Field of Dreams” grant is being used to help with the rebuild of Big Foot Diamond in Holdfast, Sask. Joe McFarland, of Saskatchewan Dugout Stories, has the story.
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