The timing of Rogan Rivard’s arrival into the world couldn’t have been any better … at least for his father.
Born in February 2009, the soon-to-be baseball-obsessed outfielder arrived during Reggie Rivard’s first offseason with the Golden Baseball League’s Calgary Vipers.
Once his dad finished up his professional baseball career a couple of years later, the family was back in Bonnyville, with the young lad taking advantage of any sporting opportunity he could.
While he never felt any pressure to follow in his dad’s footsteps, Rogan always felt something special with baseball.
After spending time playing and training in St. Paul, Lloydminster and Sherwood Park, the 5-foot-8, 160-pound Rivard decided to head south to join Vauxhall Academy.
He’s been a force with the Jets thanks to his speed, power and work ethic, garnering enough attention to earn a spot at the Prep Baseball Futures Games before he represented Alberta at the Canada Summer Games.
Rivard is hoping to take his next game to the next level with Team Red at the Canadian Futures Showcase in Toronto, and potentially catch the eye of college scouts as he eyes high school graduation in 2027.
We recently caught up with the 16-year-old for a Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast, which forms the basis for our latest 1 Thru 9.
1. How excited are you to get things rolling at the Canadian Futures Showcase?
Oh yeah, it’ll be an unreal experience. I’m super-excited and I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.
2. Take us back to the moment you found out you were going?
So, I got a call from my dad and he told me the news. It was right after Canada Games. I was pretty excited and just in shock. I knew it’d be pretty cool playing at Rogers Centre with all the top kids in Canada.
3. Was this something you had circled on the “to-do” list, like, “I wanna go this year”?
Yeah, for sure. Last year, when I first got to Vauxhall, I saw that a few guys were going to the showcase. I was like, ‘yeah, I want to try to do that next year.’ Glad it happened.
4. Do you have any goals or expectations going into the showcase?
Just do everything I can do to get noticed and play hard. Just make an impression on the guys there.
5. You’re fresh off Canada Summer Games as well. How was that experience through your eyes?
Oh, it was the most fun experience I’ve ever had, for sure. The baseball there was for sure the best baseball I’ve played in Canada. It was super-fun. We were all in a village and stuff, hanging out with different provinces and games. It was awesome.
6. It’s been a busy year for you because you also went down to the Prep Baseball Futures Games. How was that experience?
That was probably my favourite experience so far. It was unreal. The competition there was some of the best I’ve faced. It was awesome with so many great players from North America.
7. Growing up, did you ever feel any pressure from your dad, who was a professional baseball player?
He always told me to do what makes me happy. So I never felt any pressure from him. Obviously, he played lots of baseball and he has lots of connections and stuff, for sure more than hockey. So I was like, you know what, I’m going to do this. I love it and we’ll see where it takes me.
8. Looking back on your young career, any favourite memories or moments that stand out as being the ones where you had to take that step back to appreciate it?
The Best of the West tournament with Vauxhall was probably one of my favourite tournaments just because the atmosphere and stuff, with all the best teams in Canada. That was probably my favourite moment thus far, and I did pretty well there where I put myself on the map a little bit.
9. For those young kids who are just starting out on their baseball journeys and they’re wanting to end up in your shoes one day, what’s that advice or those words of wisdom you would like to impart upon them?
Just make the best of every day. Just doing everything you can to better yourself every day. This game, just have a lot of fun with it and who knows where it can take you.
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