They’ve always had the pitching tools to be a force in the Canadian College Baseball Conference.
But the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks will be looking to add more offense to the mix in their quest for a first CCBC championship in program history.
A big piece of that puzzle will be Wainwright’s Jake Roggensack, who impressed in his first full season with the Hawks.
The 6-foot, 190-pound infielder hit .409 in 14 games as a sophomore in 2024, picking up 18 hits and 10 runs batted in.
Roggensack added another five hits and an RBI in five games during the championship weekend on May long weekend, where the Hawks made it to the semi-final.
The Badlands Academy alum, who is attending NAIT’s Personal Training program, was a major player in Matthew Ridsdale’s no-hitter against Thompson Rivers University on March 22, making an integral catch on a line drive in the fifth inning.
We caught up with Roggensack for the CCBC Season Preview Extravaganza on Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast, leading to our latest edition of 7th Inning Stretch.
1. How excited are you to get the season rolling?
I’m super-excited. This team, we know how the season ended last year with the championships. We’re eager, we’re excited and we have a lot of older guys with a lot of experience under our belts and it’s exciting to get back outside. It’s been a long offseason here indoors, early morning lifts and all that stuff. The hard stuff is over and now we just get to go outside and have fun.
2. Is there a feeling of “unfinished business” after the way 2024 ended?
Yeah, for sure. It was definitely not how we wanted last season to end, obviously. That semi-final game, we really came together that weekend and we played for each other. We were winning the majority of that semi-final game and all of a sudden, Okanagan College scrapped some runs together and they had the momentum and we couldn’t get runs across the plate. That leaves a good mark and pretty happy to see how the boys kind of dealt with that.
We took it as a learning moment and you can tell over the summer that the guys were working hard in the cages, getting their reps in the weight room too, then taking that motivation and drive into the fall and had a very competitive fall. The Fall World Series was the most competitive I think this program has ever had in the series. We were just playing for bragging rights and hoisting the trophy. For a fan, that might sound ridiculous but no, here, we love to compete, and we love to win. I’m excited to get the season going and see what we bring to the table. Our season is on the line and we have a championship to win.
3. What did you take away personally from that run to get to a championship?
The big thing I’d say is just playing the game the right way and playing for each other. Always being there for your teammates and brothers that you go to war with every day. Especially in the championship weekend there, we had two guys go down in the lineup and we had to fill in those spots. Same thing with the year before. Everyone showing up to the field being ready to play. You don’t know what could happen in the game of baseball. Just everyone coming together, being there for each other and you never know when you’re going to get your shot.
4. How happy were you with your performance last season?
I was pretty happy. Especially from my freshman season was kind of frustrating as I wasn’t hitting the ball that well. Being able to take a step back and not really worry about the outcome of my at-bats by putting more pressure on myself to score runs or whatever. What I did after being a freshman was took a step back and I wanted to enjoy the game again and control what I can control. That’s like being on time for the pitch and putting a good swing on. That’s all I really wanted to do going into the season and that was my focus. I’m glad that it turned out well and that I had fun doing it last year.
5. Do you expect more of yourself while you’re being a leader?
Yeah, for sure. It’s kind of different because it almost feels like yesterday that I was a freshman. I was always asking older guys questions and picking their brains about everything and now, this year, I’m an older guy and people look up to me and ask me questions. They’re tagging along with me in the weight room or in the cages every day, getting extra reps. It’s kind of cool to see how far I have come as an individual and just being able to be there as a role model to teach what we are all about here in Edmonton.
6. What do you think it’s going to take for EC to take home the championship in 2025?
We put a lot of hard work in during the offseason and in the fall. It starts right in the fall. You have to show up every day and put your work in. You can’t just flip a switch in March and championship season then say you want the championship. It’s what you do every day during the offseason, during the summers. Putting your work in every day, showing up every day, not taking days off or skipping the weight room because you’re tired. Just bear down and get going in the offseason so that when the season comes, it comes easier, and you get to just go out there and execute.
7. Let’s say you’re chatting with young kids just starting their baseball journeys and they are asking you for advice on how to get to where you’re at now. What would you want to impart on them?
Put your head down and work for what you want. You can say you “want it” all you want, but actions speak louder than words. If you’re not going out there and improving your game and practicing, sitting in the weight room or even taking care of your nutrition like eating the right foods and drinking water. Focus on things like that. You have to go out to get what you want. You can’t just sit back and expect for it to happen.
The Canadian College Baseball Conference World Series is set for May 15-19 at Spitz Stadium in Lethbridge.
