Kalem Haney knew he was close to the University of Mary’s all-time hits record.
But in the heat of the battle and trying to keep the Marauders’ season alive, he admits he wasn’t totally sure how many more he needed.
The Lethbridge native was actually just three hits away from claiming the program’s record heading into a May 9th elimination game against Winona State University.
After a lead-off home run in the first inning and a strikeout in the second, Haney tied Noah Hull’s 206 career hits mark with an RBI single in the fourth off reliever Ryan Buchta.
That’s when a voice from above gave him the good news.
“The announcer, in a neutral site conference tournament game, actually said, ‘That hit just tied the UMary all-time career hit record,” Haney told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.
“There was a bunch of parents there from my school and all my teammates – they all gave me a congratulatory standing ovation.”
After a ground-out in the sixth, he hit another single in the bottom of the eighth to claim sole possession of the record.
While the Marauders won the game, they weren’t able to advance to the national championship, putting an end to their star second baseman’s outstanding collegiate career – one he says he will always be proud of.
A DECORATED MARAUDER
Haney arrived on the UMary campus in 2022 as a redshirt freshman with big aspirations.
He had seen baseball at almost every level in the Lethbridge region, including the American Legion Elks, Vauxhall Academy, and was part of the Lethbridge Bulls team that captured the 2021 Western Canadian Baseball League championship in a pandemic-abbreviated season.
Known for his consistency at the plate and ability to get on base, Haney made his debut in 2023 and was an instant contributor by hitting .288 with two home runs, 20 runs batted in and five stolen bases.
The 2023 WCBL All-Star Game MVP’s sophomore season went even better, collecting a .354 batting average with five roundtrippers, 43 RBI and 14 stolen bases en route to being named All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) First Team, also picking up a Gold Glove Award for his defensive play.
Injuries got in the way of Haney playing a full 2025 season, although he still managed to club .293 with four homers and 17 RBI in 39 games.
SETTING THE STANDARD
Determined to put his best foot forward in his senior season, Haney didn’t disappoint on his way to capturing All-NSIC Second Team honours.
Not only was he constantly on base with a .376 average and on-base percentage of .489, he clubbed three more homers and drove in another 17 runs.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound infielder also scored 43 runs, bringing his career total to 167 and a new UMary record.
He was also named to the NSIC All-Tournament Team after going 8-for-23 with five runs scored and two RBI in four playoff games.
More importantly, in his eyes, Haney helped the team finish the season with the most wins in school history and best-ever record at 34-16.
“When I first committed, I don’t think we had a season over .500,” said the infielder.
“Now we’re in the conversation for regionals and potentially for nationals. It’s pretty cool to see how this program has really turned a corner and to be part of the first year where this is the standard now.”
Every day, Haney says head coach Tanner Spencer preached an attitude of “winning the first pitch of the game,” then winning every pitch afterwards to eventually win games and, hopefully, championships.
STUDENT BECOMES THE TEACHER
Haney has one more opportunity to hoist a trophy this summer as he will be rejoining the Bulls after taking the summer of 2025 off.
It’s a team with some high expectations around it as they try to overcome the Okotoks Dawgs and Sylvan Lake Gulls, who have dominated the West Division in the last few years.
The Bulls, however, are a team that have won 30 or more games in each of the past three seasons, and will feature plenty of veteran presence with Carter Claerhout, Stevyn Andrachick, Cardel Dick and Aidan Newton.
One name on the roster stands out more than the others for Haney: his younger brother Karsen.
“That’s going to be super-cool,” said the elder sibling. “We’ve never actually played together, so it’ll be cool to end my career playing alongside my brother.”
And then it’s time for the real world, where Haney is hoping to make something of his degree in elementary education and minor in special education.
He enjoyed his student teaching this spring and hopes he can use his own personal experience to help kids in the classroom.
“I was never the greatest student growing up,” Haney said. “I had a couple of teachers who were so influential in my education career that I wanted to be like that, knowing that every student has a story, every student has a purpose, and I want to bring out that purpose for every single child.”
And don’t be surprised to see the 23-year-old around the baseball fields in Lethbridge as a coach before too long either.
“It’s something I want to get into as I had so many great coaches growing up and I want to be able to give my knowledge to the players around me,” Haney said.
“It’s my time to give back.”
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