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7th Inning Stretch: Tyrese Johnson

Tyrese Johnson literally came out of left field at this year’s Tournament 12 (T12), but his performance shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

The outfielder, an Okotoks Dawgs Academy player, attended T12 last year and admitted that nerves got the better of him, but he went to Toronto more mentally prepared this time around.

The experience paid off. The Calgarian received “Player of the Game” honours on day three of the showcase tournament, which took place at Rogers Centre from Sept. 17-21. The annual event shines a spotlight on 150 of the best Canadian baseball players between the ages of 14 and 19 years old.

Johnson made time for our 7th Inning Stretch series before he left for Ontario.

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7th Inning Stretch: Dryden Howse

Dryden Howse and his Dawgs Academy teammates from Okotoks are having quite the year.

After winning the 18U BCS National Championship in July and being a part of Perfect Game’s third best travel team in North America, Howse has reunited with several of his Dawgs colleagues at the Tournament 12 (T12) in Toronto.

The Sept. 17-21 showcase event at Rogers Centre, hosted by Blue Jays Baseball Academy, features 150 of the best 14-19 year old baseball prospects that Canada has to offer.

Howse was kind enough to make time for us and answer seven questions as part of our 7th Inning Stretch profile series.

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7th Inning Stretch: Alejandro Cazorla Granados

From Venezuela to Alberta, infielder Alejandro Cazorla Granados has seen a lot of baseball.

For the second year in a row, he’s seeing even more of it at the Tournament 12 (T12) in Toronto.

Taking place at Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays, from Sept. 17-21, the utility player is one of 150 prospects from across Canada on display.

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7th Inning Stretch: Andrew Yusypchuk

“My goals for T12 this year are to be able to really compete among all the best players in the country.”

With a little more experience under his belt, Edmonton’s Andrew Yusypchuk is hoping to make more of a name for himself at Tournament 12 in Toronto.

The Dawgs Academy product is the latest to answer our questions for our 7th Inning Stretch profiles.

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Senior Pitch Counts

That back-to-school feeling can hit some people harder than others.

Classroom seating smacks several students with instant nostalgia, inspired by summer memories that fade faster than a farmer’s tan.

Pitchers who have completed their senior season of baseball, and chased that with a final tour on the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) circuit, suffer from phantom pain. They’re back at college or university to complete their education, but the baseball – at least the competitive version of it that they’re used to – has been amputated.

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7th Inning Stretch: Jackson Clemett

Outfielder and left-handed pitcher Jackson Clemett is an active guy.

When he’s not playing baseball, he’s just as happy to be playing other sports.

But when the Tournament 12 (T12) gets underway in Toronto, Clemett’s focus will be on baseball.

Clemett made time for us recently by participating in our 7th Inning Stretch series.

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7th Inning Stretch: Matt Wilkinson

He was a star at the Little League World Series several years ago and an effective pitcher as one of the youngest players in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) this summer.

So, it’s not surprising that Matt Wilkinson has been selected to take part in the Tournament 12 (T12) annual showcase tournament, which is taking place at Rogers Centre in Toronto from Sept. 17-21.

We caught up with the Dawgs Academy pupil and asked him seven questions as part of our 7th Inning Stretch series.

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7th Inning Stretch: Conor Pote

Tournament 12 (T12) – a national showcase tournament featuring some of Canada’s best baseball prospects – is fast approaching and the annual event once again includes a number of players from Alberta.

We are bringing back our popular 7th Inning Stretch series – which poses seven questions to our profile subjects – to spotlight some of the Alberta athletes who are taking part in T12 this year.

We get started with 15-year-old pitcher Conor Pote, who is a student of the Dawgs Academy program in Okotoks.

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Let the Big Dawg Eat

“You win it.”

Visitors to Seaman Stadium may have become familiar with this phrase over the last two summers. Those seated close enough to the home dugout could hear Mitch Schmidt, the head coach of the Okotoks Dawgs, bark this motto to his charges dozens of times each game.

The spirited slogan was often used as encouragement to achieve a seemingly small task – you win an at bat, you win by stealing a bag on the base paths, you win by getting a bunt down, you win by inducing a ground ball, you win by punching through a third strike, you win by making a routine defensive play in the field.

After piling up all those little victories over the course of the 2019 Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) season, the Dawgs claimed the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy with an 8-6 victory over the Regina Red Sox on Aug. 16th and will enter next year as the defending champions.