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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The baseball season might be winding down, but still plenty to talk about. We start with Wednesday’s big news from Baseball Canada that the inaugural Morneau Cup will be hosted by the Okotoks Dawgs, bringing together 16 of the best academy programs in Canada. We hear from Tyler Hollick of the Dawgs about how we got here and what’s to come over the next few months. Then we recap the Canadian Futures Showcase with Home Run Derby champion Daril Rodriguez (Red Deer/St. Joe’s Academy), Jayden Kane (Fort McMurray/AHP Academy) and Jaxson Smith Peterson of Prep Baseball Canada.
5:46 - Tyler Hollick
17:14 - Daril Rodriguez
33:24 - Jayden Kane
50:24 - Jaxson Smith Peterson
It's been a while since we've done a one-guest episode, but when a former Toronto Blue Jays prospect comes calling, especially when the current team is almost clinching the AL East pennant, you take advantage of the situation. Shane Dawson, Jr. was a 17th-round pick of the Jays in 2012, spending six years in the organization before handing it up after the 2019 season. He came back home to do some coaching, where he is now a head coach and technical director with Parkland Minor Ball. Dawson was a guest way back on Episode #12 of the show, so it was great to catch up to talk about his journey, what he's been up to recently, and his thoughts on playing for a young up-and-coming coach in the Blue Jays system by the name of John Schneider.
The season might be winding down but there's still plenty to talk about and several athletes we want to introduce you to before the year is up. We get through the week that was in news, then we hear from Abby Szilagyi (Okotoks) after she helped Team Alberta claim silver at the Canada Summer Games. Then we head to the Canadian Futures Showcase, which starts next week, to get to know Zach MacDonald (Central Alberta) of Webber Academy and Mitchell Rauckman (Saskatoon) of Going Yard Academy.
7:07 - Abby Szilagyi
17:17 - Zach MacDonald
35:36 - Mitchell Rauckman
We take a look back at a busy week of news before hearing from another trio of great guests. We get to know Dawgs Academy utilityman Ethan Renaud (Okotoks) and Vauxhall Academy outfielder Rogan Rivard (Bonnyville) as they get ready for the upcoming Canadian Futures Showcase in Toronto. Then we check back in with Reece Hemmerling (Beaumont) after he was named an All-West Coast League Honorable Mention for his outstanding season with the Edmonton Riverhawks.
7:13 - Ethan Renaud
17:49 - Rogan Rivard
31:50 - Reece Hemmerling
We take a look back at another busy week of baseball as we look at some of the big pro storylines as well as the national championship season wrapping up. Then we go a little more in-depth with the Canada Summer Games, which was historic for having Women's Baseball finally added to the docket. To make things even better, Alberta captured the silver medal in the event. We hear from first base player Sydney Klebanosky (Spruce Grove), who was a major contributor for the team. Then we head to the Men's event, where Dawgs Academy hurler Tyson Kajmowicz (Calgary) checks in to talk about their fifth-place finish and his invite to the Canadian Future Showcase. And we wrap things up by heading back to the Baseball Canada 18U National Championships in Fort McMurray, where the host Oil Giants claimed bronze. We check in with utilityman Ethian Mayuk to talk about what it was like winning a medal on home turf.
6:59 - Sydney Klebanosky
19:00 - Tyson Kajmowicz
31:09 - Ethian Mayuk
The summer college season has wrapped up and national champions are coming to a close, but that doesn't mean we don't have plenty to talk about around the baseball world in Alberta and Saskatchewan. We sit down for a conversation with Western Canadian Baseball League president Kevin Kvame to recap the season and look ahead to what might be big topics for the offseason. Then we get to know Drayton Valley's Dayne Liske after he represented Alberta at the Canada Summer Games and has been named to the Canadian Futures Showcase roster. We wrap things up with Regina Trappers head coach Nolan Dezotell as the team gets ready to host the Baseball Canada Men's National Championship this weekend.
5:49 - Kevin Kvame
28:38 - Dayne Liske
38:25 - Nolan Dezotell
The 2025 Western Canadian Baseball League championship was a baseball lover's dream as it had a little bit of everything from start to finish including lead changes, momentum swings, contentious calls, a steal of home in extra innings and much more. In the end, it was the Regina Red Sox coming away with their first championship since 2012, after what was an emotional year. We take a look back at the series before sitting down with players, coaches and management.
For the first time in franchise history, the Sylvan Lake Gulls are heading to the Western Canadian Baseball League championship. After three years of heartbreak against the Okotoks Dawgs in the West Final, the team exorcised some demons by beating the Dawgs in a two-game sweep this time around. Ian and Joe were there for the series finale and chatted with several Gulls players as well as one long-time Dawg who played his last game. Then we head east to check in with the Regina Red Sox as they upset the Saskatoon Berries in their division final in three games. This will be the first time Regina is in the final since 2019. Check out our championship preview here.
4:21 – Jason Chatwood
11:16 – Josh Tucker
18:31 – Matty Fung
23:14 – Leeroy Tavarez
28:12 – Antony Gilbert
32:38 – Simon Baker
35:38 – Jaden Flores
37:33 – Logan Grant
39:46 – Rye Pothakos
45:39 – Brady Bye
50:14 – Matt Fox
54:47 – Ayden Page
And then there were four. The Western Canadian Baseball League first round is now complete and the division finals are set. For a fourth year in a row, the West will feature the Okotoks Dawgs and Sylvan Lake Gulls, while the East will see the Regina Red Sox face the Saskatoon Berries. We take a look back at the first round and ahead to those series with a quartet of guests in a special edition of the show.
1:19 – Leo Cote – Okotoks Dawgs
9:12 – Ayden Makarus – Sylvan Lake Gulls
15:36 – Rhett Hodgins – Regina Red Sox
21:07 – Carter Beck – Saskatoon Berries
Welcome to the Championship Season for baseball in Western Canada! We get through a dugout full of news before we chat with Ian Wilson to preview the first round of the Western Canadian Baseball League playoffs. Then we get to know utilityman Jace Richardson after he helped the St. Albert Cardinals claim the Baseball Alberta Elite League championship. And we wrap things up with Saskatoon’s Addie Ziebart, who was a big piece of Baseball Sask claiming bronze at the recent Baseball Canada 19U Women’s National Championships at Webber Academy.
5:54 – Ian Wilson
31:51 – Jace Richardson
45:48 – Addie Ziebart
We do the best we can in getting all caught up on the news from the past couple of weeks, including a couple of late-breaking MLB trades involving Calgary's Michael Soroka and former Okotoks Dawgs hurler Andrew Kittredge. Then we welcome a trio of guests to the show with AHP Academy rising star Gabe Fink, who was among the first players selected for the upcoming Canadian Futures Showcase, as well as Regina Red Sox hometown hero Brady Bye and Okotoks Dawgs co-manager Mitch Schmidt as we discuss his return after two years away.
8:29 - Gabe Fink
19:40 - Brady Bye
31:17 - Mitch Schmidt
As host of the broadcast during the Western Canadian Baseball League's mid-summer classic, it gave Joe McFarland the opportunity to chat with the movers and shakers of the league during the pre-Home Run Derby and pre-All-Star Game shows. As we've done over the last few years, we do the same on this episode as we hear from some of the newsmakers, including the Saskatoon Berries as they're hosting the 2026 All-Star Weekend, league president Kevin Kvame on his "state of the league," Dawgs' managing director John Ircandia, Regina Red Sox governor Al Simpson, new WCBL Legacy Builder Award winner Blair Kubicek, and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame legend Matt Stairs.
We take a look back at the 2025 WCBL All-Star Game at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks. Hear from new Home Run Derby champion Matt Rhoades of the Fort McMurray Giants, new All-Star Game MVP Ethan Menard of the Saskatoon Berries, and a handful of other players who took part in the 10-3 East Division win over the West.
1:56 - Matt Rhoades (Fort McMurray Giants)
5:41 - Ethan Menard (Saskatoon Berries)
8:40 - Levi Abbott (Lethbridge Bulls)
15:20 - Ian Heck (Weyburn Beavers)
19:57 - Brody Forno (Okotoks Dawgs)
23:20 - Nick Sauve (Fort McMurray Giants)
27:48 - Heath Hachkowski (Brooks Bombers)
We get back into our regular routine with plenty of news and notes off the top of the show. Then we go "In The Dugout" as Ian Wilson chats with WCBL All-Stars Zane Skansi of the Okotoks Dawgs and Ethan Menard of the Saskatoon Berries. We wrap things up with a pair of Baseball Alberta athletes heading to the Canada Summer Games in Brooke Forslund and Stone Foster.
7:31 - Zane Skansi
11:50 - Ethan Menard
17:03 - Brooke Forslund
26:20 - Stone Foster
Joe's on vacation in B.C. this week, so we don't have the regular news and notes off the top of the show, but we still have five outstanding guests from Ian and Joe's recent trips around the province. Hear from Micah Dvorak (Medicine Hat Mavericks), Blake Johnson (Regina Red Sox), Carter Claerhout (Lethbridge Bulls) and Ryan Dauphinee (Weyburn Beavers), before we visit with Dawgs Academy rising star Rhys Whiteford (Duncan, BC) as he has a busy summer of baseball ahead.
1:55 - Micah Dvorak
6:41 - Blake Johnson
12:34 - Carter Claerhout
18:21 - Ryan Dauphinee
25:29 - Rhys Whiteford
It has been a very busy couple of weeks in Alberta’s baseball world. We get through some of the big storylines before sitting down with a handful of guests. Ian went to see the Medicine Hat Mavericks host the Regina Red Sox, while Joe visited Lethbridge as the Bulls welcomed the Weyburn Beavers. Hear from Carter Roth (Stratford, Ontario), Kai Langford (Houston, Texas), Brett Getz (Medicine Hat) and Ethan Webster (White Rock, B.C.), then we visit with Vauxhall Academy rising star Calum Andersen (Calgary) after he was named to Team Alberta for the Canada Summer Games.
9:22 – Carter Roth
15:35 – Kai Langford
20:51 – Brett Getz
26:37 – Ethan Webster
32:37 – Calum Andersen
This is a special edition of the show as we are dedicating it entirely to Baseball Canada’s National Girls in Baseball Week. This is such a great opportunity to put a spotlight on the female game in our country as it continues to grow and we are proud to have always been an ally for elevating those stories as well. We go through some of the big events coming up this summer, highlighted by the inclusion of female baseball in the Canada Summer Games for the first time ever, then visit with five guests who are making an impact on the game.
2:27 - Tracy McEachern - Director, Beaumont Minor Baseball
13:29 - Kimberley Jordan - Centennial Little League & Girls With Game YYC
25:53 - Ara Siemens - Headed to Canada Summer Games with Team Alberta
31:35 - Victoria Bateman - Headed to Canada Summer Games with Team Saskatchewan
39:30 - Lauren Owens - Player-turned-Coach with Baseball Sask
It was another week for baseball on the prairies, highlighted by a major announcement by the Regina Red Sox. We take a listen to what was said during last Friday's news conference and offer a few thoughts. Then we catch up with a trio of guests: Simon Baker (Cochrane/Webber Academy) of the Sylvan Lake Gulls, Brandon Paez (Montreal/Dawgs Academy) of the Okotoks Dawgs, and Easton Kitura (Spruce Grove/Vauxhall Academy) of the Energy City Cactus Rats and Baseball Canada Junior National Team.
5:00 - Regina Red Sox announcement and analysis
18:32 - Simon Baker
22:28 - Brandon Paez
30:33 - Easton Kitura
It was a fantastic weekend to celebrate the past, showcase the present and inspire the future of baseball in Oyen. The WCBL's first Rural Roots Baseball Classic took to the field at Doug Lehman Field between the Lethbridge Bulls and Sylvan Lake Gulls. It was held to mark the 30th anniversary of the Oyen Pronghorns claiming their first Saskatchewan Major Baseball League title, the first for an Alberta-based team in what is now the WCBL. It was an emotional day as well with mayor and long-time baseball architect and booster Doug Jones being honoured with the re-naming of the park where the game was held. Hear from Jones, some former Pronghorns, Badlands Academy alum Max Benton and Joe finishes up the show giving his thoughts on the future of the Rural Roots Classic.
8:27 - Doug Jones
13:24 - Todd Hubka
23:22 - Graham Schetzle
26:48 - Aqil Samuel
31:13 - Max Benton
33:15 - Joe's Thoughts
Time to get back into our Thursday routine after a crazy few weeks with the CCBC World Series and our WCBL Season Preview Extravaganza(s). We get you all caught up on some of the big news from the past week before introducing you to a quartet of guests, including a pair for a new segment we're calling "In The Dugout." Hear from Medicine Hat Mavericks slugger Evan Morrison, Sylvan Lake Gulls hurler Hunter Jones, Okotoks Dawgs catcher Lou Anderson and Airdrie's Evan Wilde, who has put the finishing touches on an outstanding collegiate career at Niagara University in a way he wasn't expecting.
8:02 - Evan Morrison
16:28 - Hunter Jones
26:20 - Lou Anderson
33:16 - Evan Wilde
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