By IAN WILSON
There’s nothing quite like the Western Canadian Baseball League’s midsummer classic.
From the top-notch talent, to the derby dingers, to the post-game fireworks, the WCBL All-Star Game & Home Run Derby is a dream day for baseball fans.
The 2025 event, presented by FortisAlberta, takes place at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks on Saturday, July 19th. It promises to be filled with family fun and give a stage to the best players in the WCBL.
With that in mind, let’s look back to our top 10 favourite memories from recent All-Star Game festivities:
THE ATMOSPHERE: The setting for the last three WCBL All-Star Game events has been magical. Former Major League Baseball (MLB) slugger and postseason hero Matt Stairs, a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, has been on hand during batting practice to offer tips to the players. Children have flooded the outfield of Seaman Stadium to collect home run attempts that fall short during the Home Run Derby. Players can be seen signing autographs for kids before, during and after the festivities. Mascots representing teams from around the league take time to high five fans before squaring off in a race during the game. Add in the pomp and circumstance of the opening ceremonies and player introductions, and you’ve got a remarkable day at the ballpark.
GETTING THE START: The recognition an All-Star nod can bring is special. For lefty pitcher Graham Brunner he was honoured with the starting mound assignment for the West Division at the 2024 game. The Sherwood Park, Alberta product debuted with the Okotoks Dawgs as a 17-year-old and won four WCBL championships with the team. He also collected 30 victories with the Dawgs, making him the club’s all-time leader in wins. Brunner had been named to the 2022 West Division All-Star squad but did not play, making his 2024 appearance the first of his career. Limited by shoulder injuries in his final season, the 24-year-old was a late addition to the roster after another pitcher was unavailable for the game. “I was very excited, especially with the All-Star Game being here in Okotoks and having a bunch of guys on the team that are in it,” said Brunner after he was informed by Lou Pote, the manager of the Dawgs. Added Pote: “I was like a little kid. I couldn’t wait to tell him … to be able to give him that news and to his face and to see how much it meant to him, was really cool.”
LASER TO HOME PLATE: All-Star Games are often notable for their offensive player performances, but there was a defensive gem that stood out during the 2022 midsummer classic. Drew Mackie, an outfielder with the Brooks Bombers, came up clutch on several occasions during that contest. With the West Division trailing the East Division in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Missouri native smacked a game-tying double. That sent the game to extra innings. With a ghost runner on second base to start the 10th frame, Swift Current 57’s catcher Logan Grant came to the plate with a chance to win it for the East. He hit a two-out single that was collected by Mackie, who launched a missile of a throw to home plate. The crowd and the players in the dugout held their breath as the bullet came in and gunned down the runner for the third out at the dish. That play set up walk-off heroics for Mackie and his West Division teammates in the bottom of the 10th.
FAMILY AT THE DERBY: It’s not just the players who get to revel in the festivities. Family and friends of the pitchers and batters also get to enjoy cheering on their loved ones. This has been especially true for the Home Run Derby. When Braden DeSonia – who holds the single-season WCBL record for stolen bases with 42 – was picked for the long-ball competition in 2022, the Medicine Hat Maverick had his father, Rob, toss pitches to him. “Growing up me and my dad would always watch the home run derby and we’d say, ‘Oh, someday we’re going to get to do that,’” Braden told CHAT News Today. “So, it was pretty special for him to be able to be here and come pitch to me.”
In 2023, Sylvan Lake Gulls catcher Hank Dodson and his dad, Drew, took this formula to new highs. The father-and-son duo from North Carolina perfected the tossing and ball clobbering so well that Hammerin’ Hank won the Home Run Derby over Ethan Murdoch of the Swift Current 57’s. “It was special. It was a good moment had with my father and it was pretty surreal to even be able to have the opportunity to show off my swing and show off how far I can hit the ball sometimes,” said the junior Dodson.
Eric Rataczak, a 2023 outfielder with the Brooks Bombers who is now playing professionally in the Miami Marlins system, was one of the long-ball contestants who lost out to Dodson. Rataczak’s father, Jim, brought his long-lensed camera and sketch pad during his visit to Okotoks, and the nature artist painted a scene of the home dugout during the game.
The 2024 Home Run Derby champion, Peyton McDowall, dedicated the win to his grandmother, Virginia, who passed away just days before the event. “I was getting a little teary-eyed at the end there, I realize she couldn’t see, but I thought she’s looking down on me,” said the infielder with the Fort McMurray Giants. “We lived so far apart. She lived in Oregon and I lived in Texas, so I never got a lot of time. But it’s probably the best thing I could do for her.”
TAKE ME OUT WITH THE CROWD: The All-Star Game has been a smash hit when it comes to attendance at Seaman Stadium. The staff of the Okotoks Dawgs have been excellent hosts for the event, taking care of the players with commemorative ball caps and T-shirts and making sure the field has all the finishing touches that make it look and feel like an outstanding game. It’s also been a remarkable day for the fans. They’ve come out in force for the last three WCBL midsummer classics, with over 18,000 spectators – an average of more than 6,000 fans per game – filing into Seaman Stadium to check out the best talent in the league. There have been plenty of Dawgs faithful on hand and that’s to be expected, but you can spot ball caps and logos of all 12 teams in the crowd. Baseball lovers from across Western Canada and parts of the United States make the trek to see this signature event.
BECK’S APPEAL: It was a coming out party for Carter Beck at the 2024 All-Star Game & Home Run Derby. The Carnduff, Saskatchewan native, an outfielder with the Saskatoon Berries, had his fingerprints all over the day’s action. He came very close to capturing the derby title after launching 11 long balls in the opening round, more than any other competitor. And Beck finished with 16 homers, which was more than anyone else in the event, but he fell short of Peyton McDowall in the final round. Despite missing out in the derby, the lefty slugger did capture Most Valuable Player honours in the All-Star Game by going 3-for-3 with a run scored and three runs batted in. That was just the start of the WCBL achievements. By season’s end, Beck was named the league’s Rookie of the Year, Most Outstanding Canadian and a First Team All-Star.
FRENEMIES: Foes become friends when they meet up for the All-Star Game festivities. Players who are major rivals during the regular season and playoffs can be seen sharing a smile and a fist bump at this event. The West Division unites the Sylvan Lake Gulls and Okotoks Dawgs on one team, for example, while the East Division crams Saskatoon Berries, Regina Red Sox, Medicine Hat Mavericks and Moose Jaw Miller Express hitters into one dugout. A catcher with the Fort McMurray Giants will comfort a pitcher from the Brooks Bombers on the mound, while infielders with the Energy City Cactus Rats and Lethbridge Bulls whip balls around the horn. Pitchers from the Weyburn Beavers and Swift Current 57’s will compare notes in the bullpen and coaches from all clubs will let their guard down for one night to allow the laughs to break through.
HECK YEAH: It’s not unusual to see Shohei Ohtani impersonators at the midsummer classic, players who are as elite in the batter’s box as they are on the mound. Noah Geekie of the Okotoks Dawgs, Jack Kalisky with the Lethbridge Bulls, and Hunter Cooper of the Medicine Hat Mavericks come to mind. Perhaps the most impressive example of this two-way threat was on display at the 2024 All-Star Game & Home Run Derby when Ian Heck of the Weyburn Beavers did it all for his teammates. The Antelope, California product launched six long balls in the derby and then took the bump as the East Division starting pitcher. When he was done on the mound, Heck grabbed his batting helmet and went to work against West Division pitching. He smacked a triple off the wall in the late stages of the game, which was a 13-6 triumph for the East squad. “It was a super fun day. The experience is like no other and definitely trying to take advantage of the moment and doing anything I can to have the most fun and most success that I can,” said Heck.
WALK OFF THE EARTH: There’s nothing quite like a walk-off win. When it comes in extra innings, it’s even better. Fans who attended the 2022 WCBL All-Star Game were treated to such an ending. With the game tied up in the bottom of the 10th inning, the West Division had an automatic runner on second base and Ricardo Sanchez drew a walk before a sacrifice fly advanced both runners. Ethan He, a shortstop from Utah who played for the Sylvan Lake Gulls, stepped to the plate with a chance to finish the game. The East Division pulled an outfielder into the infield to prevent anything on the ground from getting through, but He punched a single to right field that scored the winning run and sent the crowd into a frenzy. The result was a 9-8 win for the West Division and an MVP award for He. “I was just fighting off pitches, got the right one and just got it through and that’s all that mattered,” said He after he was mobbed by his teammates. “It’s awesome. It’s a moment I won’t forget in my life … I love seeing all of these amazing Canadians out there. I wanted to win the game in front of them, in front of an awesome crowd.”
FIREWORKS DISPLAY: There’s only one way you can end such a spectacular night as the WCBL All-Star Game and that’s with a fireworks show. As the players find a cool spot on the grass, the stadium lights dim and the fans catch their breath after all the action, the sky is lit up to punctuate another amazing July baseball experience. The “oohs” and “ahhs” from the game are replaced with Sandlot-like memories of pyrotechnics above Seaman Stadium.
Did you witness any of these great All-Star moments? Are there any new memories you’re looking to enjoy at the 2025 WCBL All-Star Game & Home Run Derby? Sound off in the comments.
