Alberta athletes figure prominently in the Cloud County Community College baseball record books.
Matt Bondarchuk holds the single-season and career singles marks (72 in 2017 and 124 in 2017-2018, respectively).
Tom Poole has the most home runs in a single season (23 in 2022), while Erik Sabrowski remains at the top of strikeouts in a game (18), in a season (117) as well as shutouts in a season (two), all in 2018.
Now you can add Simon Baker to the list.
The Cochrane native set the school’s single-season and career records for triples with 12 as part of an unbelievable spring, which culminated with him being named the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) West Player of the Year, among several other accolades.
“It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball,” Baker told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. “I’m just really thankful that everything worked out the way it did.”
When you consider the path he’s taken to this point and the one that still lies ahead, it makes the spring even more impressive.
HEAD IN THE CLOUD
Baker admits his introduction to college baseball was rough.
A highly touted prospect out of Webber Academy and fresh off being named the most valuable player of the 2023 Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase, he was scooped up by Gonzaga University for the 2024-2025 school year.
However, Baker was redshirted and didn’t see any game action.
In hopes of getting regular playing time, he transferred to Cloud, where he found some familiar faces in fellow Webber product Lucas Laukkanen and Sylvan Lake Gulls teammate Kai Rempel.
READ MORE: 7th Inning Stretch – Simon Baker
Baker dedicated himself to spending more time in the weight room to get bigger and build more muscle.
“I also did a lot of swing mechanic stuff in the winter, really getting more bat speed and stuff like that,” he said.
The redshirt freshman’s 2026 college season started slowly with one hit in his first four games, but then things clicked with a two-hit performance on February 17, kick-starting a five-game hitting streak and his first of two KJCCC West Player of the Week honours.
Baker pieced together two eight-game and two seven-game hitting streaks, en route to hitting .404 on the season with 12 doubles, 12 triples, 20 home runs, 73 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases in 53 games.
In Cloud’s single-season record books, he is now tied for second in runs scored (75), third in RBI, tied for seventh in hits (73), and tied for third in roundtrippers.
WOUNDED WING
Not only was Baker named the KJCCC West Player of the Year, but he also raked in an All-KJCCC First-Team nod, First-Team All-Region 6 and became the first Cloud player to ever be named a National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Baseball First-Team All-American.
However, the most impressive thing about his first full college season was that the 6-foot-4, 215-pound utilityman was doing it with a major injury.
Always a pitcher and outfielder, Baker was throwing a bullpen session during the winter break when his elbow became tighter than he had ever experienced.
“I thought it was nothing,” he said. “Then a month later, I was still hurting, so I went in to get an MRI.”
Baker found out in March that he required Tommy John Surgery and decided to talk to his doctor about whether he could keep playing if he didn’t pitch.
“The doctor said I couldn’t hurt it anymore by playing and it was like, ‘Okay, well, if it doesn’t get more hurt, might as well do anything I can to help the team,’” he said. “So I decided to finish out the year knowing I’d have to get surgery eventually.”
Baker says it didn’t hurt his wounded wing when he swung the bat, which made the decision a lot easier, adding it was a great decision that he’s glad he made.
DA BEARS
Now spending his time watching television and relaxing while he waits for the green light to resume baseball activities again, Baker is now looking forward to the next step in his baseball journey.
The Cochrane High School grad will be joining Missouri State University in the fall under a fellow Canadian in head coach Joey Hawkins.
This spring’s roster also featured a handful of Canucks including Michael Yusypchuk, Adyn Schell, Sam Maclaughlin and Taeg Gollert.
“I really like the coaches and there’s a few guys I’m familiar with down there and they love the program,” Baker said. “I’m super-excited to go down there and hopefully make an impact as soon as I get off this injury here.”
While that return is still a few months away, he remains team-focused, hoping to do anything it takes to take the Bears to the College World Series.
And if all goes well, maybe rewriting the school’s record books will be in the cards as well.
