Claim OwnershipAlberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast
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Host Joe McFarland chats with players, coaches, fans, volunteers and others involved in the sport in our province. While the focus is on their personal journeys, we also talk about some of the headlines and issues surrounding baseball in Alberta.
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For the first time in World Baseball Classic history, Canada advanced to the quarterfinal and nearly upset the United States to move even further. In fact, had Japan beaten Venezuela, Canada would have earned a berth in the 2028 Olympics. Is this a sign of things to come from our country in baseball? Joe McFarland and Ian Wilson share a few of their thoughts on a special edition of the show.
Read more: "Oh Canada, Indeed"
What a wild week it's been in the baseball world, highlighted by Canada getting into the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic for the first time ever. We look at all the news and notes from around the baseball world before three great conversations. Dawgs Academy alum Logan Rumberg talks about throwing six innings of a combined no-hitter at George Mason University, Webber Academy grad Lucas Laukkanen gives us the inside scoop on the #3 nationally ranked Cloud County Community College, and Les McTavish joins us to talk about 20 years of Vauxhall Academy baseball.
5:16 - Logan Rumberg
23:46 - Lucas Laukkanen
36:14 - Les McTavish
We take a bit of a detour this week as we have an entire guest list filled with umpires. Hear from Tyler Malaka as he gets ready to head to the Little League World Series, Rob Allan on some of the work going on behind-the-scenes in the WCBL, and Brandon Strocki looks ahead to how busy the 2026 season is going to be. We also get into each of their individual journeys in the game and more!
6:16 - Tyler Malaka
27:44 - Rob Allan
49:07 - Brandon Strocki
What a crazy week it’s been with plenty of action in MLB Spring Training with ties to our provinces, as well as several player of the week nods in college baseball and new commitments state-side. We have the full rundown in the news, then visit with a trio of newcomers to the show plying their trades south of the border. Hear from Dawgs Academy alum Jacob Gillis (Fergus, Ontario) as he’s off to a great start at Ball State University, then we visit with Martin Academy product Nathan Yunick (Estevan, Saskatchewan) as he’s into his sophomore season at Trinidad State College. And we wrap things up with AHP Academy grad Seamus Lehman (Edmonton, Alberta) as he’s into his first full season as a redshirt sophomore at Fort Scott College.
5:24 – Jacob Gillis
14:06 – Nathan Yunick
26:12 – Seamus Lehman
A pair of Australian Baseball League award winners and Sydney Blue Sox teammates join us on the show this week. Lethbridge Bulls alum Landen Bourassa picked up the top pitcher honours while former Brooks Bombers all-star Eric Rataczak was named the Helms Award recipient as the circuit's most valuable player.
4:30 - Landen Bourassa
26:30 - Eric Rataczak
We put the wrap on what's been a busy couple of weeks on the show with a special episode to unofficially kick off the 2026 college baseball season. We welcome three brand new voices to the program who had massive 2025 campaigns. Turner Zdunich (High River/Dawgs Academy) is into his sophomore season at Colby Community College while Hudson Hoy (Spruce Grove/Parkland Twins) is doing the same at Northeastern Junior College. The veteran is Kleysen Gabruch (Martensville/Going Yard Academy), as he gets ready for his first season at Campbellsville University after two successful years at Williston State University.
5:22 - Turner Zdunich
15:16 - Hudson Hoy
28:28 - Kleysen Gabruck
We now know who will represent Canada at the World Baseball Classic. All rosters were unveiled during a special broadcast last Thursday night. Led by manager Ernie Whitt, 21 of the 30 players are either current or former MLB players, with a quartet of pitchers having roots here in Alberta: Michael Soroka, Rob Zastryzny, Adam Macko and Matt Wilkinson. We catch up with Baseball Canada architect Greg Hamilton to talk about the process of building the roster, bullpen catcher and Dawgs alum Jordan Procyshen on going to his second WBC, and the two youngsters - Macko and Wilkinson - talk about their excitement to represent Canada on the international stage.
1:58 - Greg Hamilton
16:47 - Jordan Procyshen
26:33 - Adam Macko
39:39 - Matt Wilkinson
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has unveiled its Class of 2026 and it’s an excellent group to be celebrated on June 20th in St. Mary’s, Ontario. Jim Baba, Stubby Clapp, Kate Psota, Paul Runge, Bill Stoneman and Devon White make up this year’s class.
With a busy couple of weeks coming up, we're getting this episode out a couple of days early. Hear from Tyler Hollick of the Okotoks Dawgs as they have plenty of construction, roadtrips and "The Road to Okotoks" coming up this season. Then we hear from Baseball Alberta's 15U 'AAA' Player of the Year, Riley Wolbeck, about his journey with Black Gold 47s and much more. And we wrap things up this week with Innisfail native/Red Deer Minor Baseball alum/Sylvan Lake Gulls alum Nathan Flewelling following his first year of pro baseball in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
4:02 - Tyler Hollick
24:49 - Riley Wolbeck
34:20 - Nathan Flewelling
We head to the minor leagues for a pair of fantastic conversations this week. Hear from Wetaskiwin's Matt Coutney as he continues to make a name for himself in the Los Angeles Angels system. Then we get to know Regina's Thomas Ireland as he had a breakout season in the Texas Rangers organization. Both are looking forward to the new season and an opportunity to get closer to the big leagues.
4:48 - Matt Coutney
23:44 - Thomas Ireland
It's good to be back! The 2026 season of ADS: The Podcast gets underway in a big way with a trio of fantastic guests. We hear from Steve Hildebrand of the Saskatoon Berries as the team has unveiled plans for an addition to NexGen Patch at Cairns Field. Then Dawgs Academy and Okotoks Dawgs alum Eric Hartman stops by to chat about his first full season of pro baseball in the Atlanta Braves system. And we wrap things up with Toronto Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman as he gets ready to head west for fundraiser event stops in Weyburn and Swift Current.
5:16 - Steve Hildebrand
14:33 - Eric Hartman
30:17 - Tyler Heineman
If you thought 2025 was a busy year for baseball in our provinces with all kinds of highlights, we have no doubt that 2026 will be even better. With a wide array of storylines to follow, from the grassroots to the big leagues, we are excited to announce that our coverage on the show will begin with the 2026 season premiere on January 22. So make sure to hit subscribe or like the show on your app so you don't miss a moment of the action. And, as always, a tip of the cap to all of our official supporters for helping tell the game's stories in Alberta and Saskatchewan. We can't wait to see you around the diamond soon!
It's finally here! Thank you for your patience as Joe battled through a sickness recently, which led to a delay in the final episode of the 2025 season. He catches us up on all the news from the past couple of weeks (including some personal news courtesy of Baseball Canada) then Ian Wilson stops by for a recap of the recent WCBL annual general meeting. We also hear from league president Kevin Kvame before we get into our highlights of 2025 and a short look-ahead to 2026.
He’s a man who really needs no introduction. Justin Morneau is a former MLB MVP, All-Star, Silver Slugger, Batting Champ and more. The New Westminster, B.C. native had an 18-year pro career, which included a stop with the Edmonton Trappers in 2002. Most recently, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame legend was made the namesake of the new Morneau Cup, the academy national championship through Baseball Canada, which is playing out in “THE ROAD TO OKOTOKS” which comes to a head in July 2026. Always gracious with his time, Morneau stopped by for a chat about his journey, the power of giving back and what excites him the most about seeing the best face the best in Okotoks next summer.
It was a packed house at the Wyndham Edmonton Hotel and Conference Centre, as the best of the year were celebrated. From players and coaches to volunteers and organizations, it was great to hear of all the successes of 2025 and look ahead to what 2026 had in store. We have a full rundown of the festivities and list of award winners here. On the show this week, you will hear from Women's Player of the Year Julianna Scott (Calgary), Baseball Alberta Elite League Player of the Year Carter Moffat (St. Albert), 18U 'AAA' Player of the Year Aubrey Stender (Calgary), and Baseball Alberta president Jon Oko.
1:56 - Julianna Scott
10:56 - Carter Moffat
14:21 - Aubrey Stender
18:55 - Jon Oko
It was an historic week as the Women's Pro Baseball League held its first-ever draft to start putting rosters together for its inaugural season. A total of 120 players were selected including some of the biggest names in the game like Kelsie Whitmore and Ayami Soto. 20 Canadians had their names called, including Edmonton's Madison Willan, Fort McMurray's Sydney Barry, and Saskatoon's Braidy Birdsall and Addie Ziebart. In this special edition of the show, we hear from all four about their draft-day experience and what they look forward to the most as they look towards starting their professional baseball careers.
2:02 - Madison Willan
9:30 - Sydney Barry
18:14 - Braidy Birdsall
32:23 - Addie Ziebart
What a year it’s been for all three of our guests this week. Dawgs Academy hurler Josh Mills (Leduc) played for Alberta at the Canada Summer Games, the Canadian Futures Showcase and most recently suited up with the Baseball Canada Junior National Team. Baseball Sask Female Player of the Year Taylor Schueller (Saskatoon) also went to the Canada Games as well as repped Saskatchewan at the 19U Women’s Nationals and the Women’s Nationals before joining the Baseball Canada Women’s National Team. And Dawgs Academy alum Dane Tofteland (Grande Prairie) thought his baseball career was finished after a great year with the Rocky Mountain Vibes, only to get a message to try out for Banana Ball, which landed him a draft selection by the Loco Beach Coconuts.
4:12 - Josh Mills
18:59 - Taylor Schueller
31:30 - Dane Tofteland
After unfortunately missing this year's special Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Induction Ceremony, we circled back to bring you some conversations with the baseball people recognized. Last week, we chatted with executive director Tracey Kinsella and the families of inductees Reno Lizzi and Mel Kowalchuk. This week, we sit down with inductees Orv Franchuk and Dr. Randy Gregg to talk about their journeys in baseball and what it meant to be recognized with this year's class.
4:20 - Orv Franchuk
30:12 - Randy Gregg
After unfortunately missing this year's special Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Induction Ceremony, we circled back to bring you some conversations with the baseball people recognized. We start this episode by chatting with the Hall's executive director, Tracey Kinsella, before we hear from Reno Lizzi's daughter, Brenda, and Mel Kowalchuk's son, Darin. This is the first of a two-part series as we will chat with fellow inductees Orv Franchuk and Dr. Randy Gregg on next week's program.
6:11 - Tracey Kinsella
15:19 - Brenda Lizzi
28:12 - Darin Kowalchuk
Baseball Sask celebrated the best of 2025 with its annual awards banquet on Oct. 18 and we bring you a trio of the winners on this week's show. Hear from Male Player of the Year Kane Kaufmann (Regina), Junior Female Player of the Year Rylee Lenius (Saskatoon) and Builder of the Year Justin Eiswirth (Regina). Check out our new story about the Baseball Sask Awards here.
3:40 - Kane Kaufmann
14:47 - Rylee Lenius
24:59 - Justin Eiswirth
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