They have hit the road with the hopes of ending up in Okotoks this summer.
Baseball Canada’s inaugural “The Road to Okotoks” tournament, which will culminate with the Morneau Cup being handed out in the Alberta community in a few weeks, begins with Regional Qualifiers starting today.
Teams are gathering in eight locations over the coming days to determine the 16-team field that will head to Okotoks July 14-19.
The B.C. qualifiers are being held in Langley and White Rock, while the Ontario/East qualifiers are being shared by Mississauga, Oakville, Scarborough and Woodstock.
The Prairie Qualifiers will feature 13 teams battling it out in Lethbridge and Vauxhall with the top three teams getting the invite to Okotoks.
Pool A will be made up of the Calgary Bucks, HR Sports Academy (Winnipeg), Okotoks Dawgs White, Sylvan Lake Gulls Prep and Vauxhall Academy.
Pool B consists of ATHX Academy (Edmonton), Calgary Premier Blues, Okotoks Dawgs Red and Team Saskatchewan.
Pool C features AHP Academy (St. Albert), Calgary Cubs, Parkland Twins and Webber Wildcats.
We asked each of the teams to provide a little more information about the squads they are bringing to Southern Alberta, as we get you set up for the next few days of action.
Calgary Bucks
Head coach: Phil Curtis
Assistant coaches: Derek McPherson, Ty Scott
Three Players to Watch: Corbin Hammer, Kaleb Hanna, Declan Wurz
What They’re Saying: “We are offensively capable of surprising anyone. We’re also okay with being overlooked and are poised to make some teams uncomfortable.”
HR Sports Academy (Winnipeg)
Coaches: Cody Benson, Amos Ramon, Ben Onyshko, Landen Bourassa
Three Players to Watch: Lincoln Carriere, Aiden Shepherd, Chase Derksen
What They’re Saying: “Our team has a wealth of players that can impact the game on both sides of the ball. There’s a real strength in the experience of playing together at competitive events like this. It’s a determined group that embraces challenges and we expect this tournament to be no different. Overall, it’s a group of players that truly enjoy playing the game and the grind that comes with it. We may be under the radar on the national scene, but we believe that makes us all the more dangerous to play against.”
Okotoks Dawgs White
Head coach: Scott Smith
Assistant coach: Connor Robbins
Three Players to Watch: Julio Valasquez, Lucas Kayter, Owen McSorely
What They’re Saying: “Although relatively young, our team has the ability to compete with anyone. We have a strong starting staff off the mound which is complemented by individuals who can serve in a bridging or a closing role. Offensively, we are a scrappy, fundamental team that will not hit for a lot of power but will make up for it with situational hitting and some team speed. Defensively, we are strong up the middle and solid in our corner spots throughout.”
Sylvan Lake Gulls Prep
Head coach: Josh Zanolli
Assistant coaches: Riley Barrett, Tyler McWillie
Three Players to Watch: Daril Rodriguez, Dayne Liske, Braxton Bussing
What They’re Saying: “We are very excited about this group of players representing us at the Prairie Qualifiers. We are a young, talented group that is ready to compete.”
Vauxhall Academy
Head coach: Les McTavish
Assistant coaches: Jim Kotkas, Joel Blake
Three Players to Watch: Easton Kitura, Rogan Rivard, Will Zielinski
What They’re Saying: “The Jets are hungry to make a statement. We won’t look ahead of ourselves, and will look to compete and play the game the right way one game at a time.”
ATHX Academy
Head coach: Wyatt Hummel
Assistant coaches: Tanner Kirwer, Halen Knoll, Evan Bourassa
Three Players to Watch: Jacob Borstmeyer, Everett Seeley, Carter Mueller
What They’re Saying: “This is an offensively driven club built around a hungry, young core eager for the opportunity to compete. While still a relatively young program compared to others in the field, the group is motivated to make its mark on the Alberta baseball.”
Calgary Premier Blues
Head coach: Alex Morrissette
Assistant coaches: Cole Bingleman, Drew VanderVeen
Three Players to Watch: Ethan Holland, Jonah Maerov, Oliver Bassin
What They’re Saying: “The Blues take pride in a resilient defensive approach and an explosive offense. Our culture is player-led and team-first. Players care about each other, hold each other accountable, and show up everyday ready to compete together.”
Okotoks Dawgs Red
Head coach: Bryan Donahue
Assistant coach: Quinn Tocheniuk
Three Players to Watch: Victor Lefebvre, Ethan Pittman, Riley Wolbeck
What They’re Saying: “Our team has shown strong depth on the mound this year with a solid defensive group to back them up. Our pitching staff has a good mix of different guys that all can step into different roles to help us make a deep run into any tournament. Although we have some power in our lineup, our ability to apply pressure on the bases and situationally execute is one of the best attributes of our team.”
Team Sask
Head coach: Greg Brons
Assistant coach: Todd Plaxton
Three Players to Watch: Aiden Kilshaw, Mitchell Rauckman, Trentin Kooy
What They’re Saying: “We are a true high school aged team with no gap-year players. The players have a lot of pride wearing our uniform and representing Saskatchewan. I’m betting other provinces don’t have the same pride. We have no problems getting the best players to come out and compete for us. You never have Sidney Crosby turning down the opportunity to represent his country and it’s the same with our players and this province – we love being from Saskatchewan and competing with the Sask uniform on.”
AHP Renegades
Co-Head coaches: Connor Burns, Ethan Elias
Three Players to Watch: Jax Mitzel, Jayden Kane, Cale Harsch
What They’re Saying: “We have a talented group that has been working very hard all fall, winter and early spring for this opportunity in front of us.”
Calgary Cubs
Head coach: Jamie Mitchell
Assistant Coach: Solomon Searle
Three Players to Watch: Brayer Siemens; Marcus Nielsen; AJ Weimer
What They’re Saying: “We are a team that may not be the favourite on paper, but won’t be an easy out. We are the kind of team nobody talks about until they start winning games.”
Parkland Twins
Head coach: Shane Dawson
Assistant coach: Keegan Kwong
Players to Watch: Ronan Johnson, Garet Ostapchuk, Chase Hembling
What They’re Saying: “We will be bringing a team that fills up the strike zone and plays the game the right way.”
Webber Wildcats
Head coach: Cole Armstrong
Assistant coaches: Chris Reitsma, Sean Gaffney
Three Players to Watch: Cohen Miller, Zach Macdonald, Mac Warawa
What They’re Saying: “We are a scrappy team that will take advantage of opposition mistakes on offense and has the pitching depth to sustain a long tournament run. Predominantly homegrown talent that competes at the same level as the clubs that recruit from across the country.”
