Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

We have another jam-packed show with tons of news and a trio of great guests. Hear from Prairie Baseball Academy slugger Declan O’Kane (Ontario) as he’s putting up an amazing season in the CCBC. Then we catch up with Ryan Kucy (Edmonton/AHP Academy) as he’s now into his senior season at St. Bonaventure University, where he’s taken on a new position on the field. And we wrap things up by welcoming long-time supporter and friend of the show Shari Reiniger (Edmonton) as she shares her experiences from the World Baseball Classic. 7:56 - Declan O’Kane 22:01 - Ryan Kucy 35:39 - Shari Reiniger

What a wild week of news with Michael Soroka’s debut with Arizona, Erik Sabrowski’s dominance in Cleveland and Tristan Peters getting his first big league hit. We catch up on all the news of the past week before we hear from Prairie Baseball Academy alum Carter Claerhout as his monster season at Bellevue University continues. Then we get to know Carson Friesen of the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks after his unbelievable weekend. And we wrap things up with another monologue based off Joe’s recent editorial about now being a pivotal time for women’s baseball in our provinces. 7:08 - Carter Claerhout 17:31 - Carson Friesen 33:22 - Important time in women’s baseball

After the tremendous success of the inaugural Rural Roots Baseball Classic in Oyen last summer, the Western Canadian Baseball League is making it an annual tradition. The circuit announced on Monday that Carnduff, Saskatchewan will play host to the event on May 29th with the Weyburn Beavers at home to the Saskatoon Berries. The league held a news conference to make the announcement and to allow reporters to speak to all the parties, so we have a few of the highlights with league president Kevin Kvame, John Prette of the Weyburn Beavers, Steve Hildebrand of the Saskatoon Berries, and Carnduff Recreation Director Jodie Wall. We also have a one-on-one conversation with community baseball coach, teacher and local event organizer Blair Beck about the importance of the day and how Carnduff plans to put on a show.

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.

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

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 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

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

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

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.

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

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