They have flown onto the game’s map in a big way in a short time and hope to swoop in to snag Baseball Canada’s biggest prize.
Started in 2024 as a partnership between the Western Canadian Baseball League’s Sylvan Lake Gulls and St. Joseph High School Baseball Academy, the Gulls 19U Prep team brings together the best high school baseball players from central Alberta
They have already started picking up wins over provincial rivals and been in gold medal contention at major Western Canadian tournaments.
Now it’s time for the ultimate showdown: The Road to Okotoks and the Morneau Cup.
And they believe they have what it takes to win it all after a strong showing at the Prairie Qualifiers in Lethbridge and Vauxhall in late-May.
“It feels like our lineup is starting to hit together and generate consistent offense,” head coach Josh Zanolli told Alberta Dugout Stories.
“We’re starting to really slug and impact the ball, so if we get some key performances on the mound, we could make a run in Okotoks.”
It would be a feather in the cap for a Gulls team that continues to generate buzz everywhere they go.
WE HAVE TAKEOFF
It wasn’t an easy road for the Gulls to get to Okotoks, despite their 4-1 record at regionals.
They started things off with a decisive 10-1 victory over the Calgary Bucks and a 6-4 squeaker by Home Run Academy out of Winnipeg.
Then the Gulls suffered their first setback: a 15-5 loss at the hands of Okotoks Dawgs White.
“We played our best those first two games, we felt like we could just kind of carry that into any game where we thought we weren’t playing against a team that wasn’t as strong,” said outfielder Owen Coumont.
“We took that loss and I think we understood that we needed to definitely play our best.”
They did exactly that against a perennial favourite in Vauxhall Academy, edging out their southern counterparts 2-1 thanks to the strong pitching duo of Cole Dickinson and Lucian Barker keeping the Jets bats at Bay. Wyatt Schmidt provided the only offense the Gulls would need with a two-run double.
Pitching remained the name of the game as Braxton Bussing tossed six shutout innings and Keaton Rusnak finished the job in a 3-0 win over ATHX Academy in the quarterfinals.
The Gulls were set to face AHP Academy in the semifinals when rain postponed the rest of the tournament.
READY TO FLY
Baseball Canada originally planned for only the top three teams from the Prairie Qualifiers to make it into the main event in Okotoks.
With a wildcard spot available, that made it a little easier to give the top four teams the green light and the Gulls were more than happy to get their ticket punched.
Zanolli says they were really starting to put things together and want to ride that momentum into the Morneau Cup playdowns.
“We had some guys step up in key moments all weekend,” he said. “Whether it was on the mound or at the plate, we seemed to get the big out or big hit when we needed it.”
To shore up their roster, the Gulls took advantage of the Morneau Cup Draft – allowing each team to take up to three players from non-qualifying clubs – by choosing Zach Macdonald of Webber Academy, as well as Lucas Gensler and Caleb Mercer of ATHX.
Having three more Alberta products on the team will mean there won’t be a steep learning curve on what they should expect when they step onto the field in their new duds.
Bussing says they expect to be hard-working and resilient every step of the way.
“I would say that you will be hard-pressed to find a tighter group of guys than us,” said the Coronation native. “We had a tough loss against a team we should have beat and bounced back to beat one of the better teams around.”
FOR THE FLOCK
The team-first mentality is what the Gulls are hoping sets them apart when the Road to Okotoks begins July 14.
Zanolli says his message to the team will be fairly simple: compete as hard as they can until they’re told they are done.
“Support each other and enjoy the experience,” he says. “We’ve earned the right to be part of the biggest tournament in the country, so let’s try to win as many games as we can and see where it takes us.”
While they have only been together as a club for a couple of seasons, many have known each other playing in Red Deer and surrounding area their whole lives.
“Winning is obviously everything and winning the Morneau Cup would mean everything to us,” Bussing said. “Our team wants to win for the guy next to each other and that will take us a long way in this tournament.”
Coumont adds it’s been amazing to build something from the ground up and hopes to set the standard for years to come.
“Winning it all would be insane,” said the Red Deer native. “It’s definitely a goal now that we have put ourselves in a position to be there and, if we can do it, it will definitely put Gulls Prep even more on the map.”
Gulls Prep is in Pool A with the hometown Dawgs Black squad as well as Atlantic Frontier and Terriers Baseball. You can get your tickets to The Road to Okotoks here or watch all games online here.
(Main image courtesy: gamedaybyaddi on Instagram)
