The Red Deer Riggers’ run to a national medal wasn’t for the faint of heart.
As Alberta’s representative at the 2026 Baseball Canada Men’s National Championships, the Riggers came in believing they had the talent to get the job done.
What they couldn’t have foreseen was the journey it would take to get there, battling adversity in almost every game and having to wait – sometimes excruciatingly long – to take the lead and pull out the win.
Of their four wins in Miramichi, New Brunswick, three were of the comeback variety including their bronze medal thriller over Ontario.
“Our pitchers did a great job keeping it close until the bats could come around,” head coach and second baseman Jaret Chatwood told Alberta Dugout Stories. “Every time we got knocked down, we punched right back.”
It was the first medal at the event for an Alberta team since 2017, when the Riggers won bronze on home turf, and the first for a Baseball Alberta representative since 2012.
FINDING THEIR WAY
The Riggers started the tournament on the right foot with a 7-3 win over Saskatchewan, who had been a powerhouse in recent years.
Alex Bishop and Kyle Belich led the way offensively with a pair of runs batted in each.
“Our mindset was just go there and compete every game,” Chatwood said. “We were in a really hard pool so we just needed to get the first game then go from there.”
They hit a stumbling block in the second game, getting mercied 11-1 by the hosts from New Brunswick with Josh Edwards driving in the only Alberta run.
Then it was time to cue the comebacks.
It started with a 6-5 walk-off win in extra innings, where the Riggers scored two in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie it before Bishop plated Caleb Lumbard with a single in the eighth.
In their final round-robin game, they were down 4-3 to B.C. before scoring two in the fifth inning and two in the sixth to come away with the triumph.
“I think the key was that everyone took care of their business and was ready when the big moments came up,” Bishop said.
“Throughout the tournament, the group made the big plays and got the timely hits when we needed them, and that’s what you need to have success in a tournament like this.”
With a 3-1 record to top their pool, the Riggers earned a bye to the semi-final, but it wasn’t going to be an easy task as they were facing the hosts again.
Despite putting up more hits than the eventual champions, the Alberta contingent dropped a 10-4 decision with utilityman Tyler McWillie driving in two of the four runs.
Thanks to a rainy visit from Mother Nature, the team had an extra day to think about the loss before suiting up in the bronze medal match-up against Ontario.
“We were just all at a point where it was like, ‘We didn’t come here to go home with nothing,’” McWillie said. “You have to find a way for 2.5 hours to give it everything you got.”
DIGGING DEEP FOR BRONZE
The final game was the definition of a rollercoaster ride.
Bishop took a 2-2 offering over the fence to open up the scoring in the first inning, but Ontario came back to score two in their half of the second.
Left fielder Matt Murray then went yard with a two-run shot in the bottom of the second before Cleary Simpson drove in another run with a single to make it 4-2 Alberta.
Ontario came back again with a four-run third inning and another run in the fourth.
Down 7-4 in the fifth, Alberta put up another three runs thanks to a two-run roundtripper from Bishop and an RBI double from Edwards, but Ontario answered back with a three-run sixth and a 10-7 lead.
“At that point, we were just like – we have to find a way to win this one and that’s all it came down to,” McWillie said. “We had nine guys buy in and all our bench guys bought in and we just had to find a way.”
They found that way quickly, as Murray and Simpson hit RBI singles before McWillie drove in a pair with a line drive single to centrefield.
With an 11-10 lead, closer Kai Poffenroth gave up a leadoff single before inducing a groundout, flyout and, with two outs, struck out Josh Anderson to set off the celebration.
SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF
As the dogpile started to clear out, the Riggers started taking a step back to soak in the moments.
For McWillie, he was grateful to have played the role of hero after having a tough tournament at the plate.
“I think we’re just a bunch of good guys that care about winning,” said the Watrous, Saskatchewan native who now calls Red Deer home. “I’m big on being competitive and that you’re there for a reason … that’s kind of what we all are and we all bought in.”
As a pickup from Calgary, Bishop says his goal was simply to contribute in any way he could, which he did with a massive performance including a two-homer bronze medal game.
“It’s always special to represent something bigger than yourself and it means a lot to bring home a medal for Alberta,” said the third baseman. “I’m really grateful to the Riggers for giving me the opportunity to join the group and play for the province.”
Finishing on the podium clearly meant a lot to Chatwood, who was a part of Riggers’ 2017 bronze medal-winning team.
To go almost a decade between medals made this year’s celebration that much sweeter.
“Obviously gold is the goal, but just to come home with a medal is something myself and the team is really proud of,” Chatwood said. “It’s such a hard tournament and things have to go your way, so it’s a week none of us will forget for a very long time.”
The 2027 Baseball Canada Men’s National Championship is set for August 26-29 in Edmonton. The St. Albert Tigers will represent Alberta after claiming the Sunburst League championship this summer.
