It might have been a banner year for Alberta’s baseball teams at Baseball Canada national championships.
The province’s teams came back home with two silver and two bronze medals draped around their necks.
Each club played exciting and meaningful games, while several players stood out with deserving performances.
Let’s look at how each team fared.
19U Women (July 30-August 2 – Saskatoon, SK)
It was a rollercoaster ride for Team Alberta at the 19U Women’s Nationals. It started with a decisive 17-4 win over Newfoundland and Labrador before a 19-13 marathon loss to Saskatchewan. They finished up the round-robin with a 12-6 win over Manitoba, putting themselves into the semifinals, where they lost 14-4 to Quebec. The bronze medal game was a rematch against the hosts, with Saskatchewan coming away with a 15-5 mercy win.
Placing: 4th
Overall record: 2-3
Top performers:
- Brooke Forslund – 13-for-21 with eight singles, three doubles, two triples, 11 RBI and a stolen base. Also started two games on the mound.
- Claire Hingley – 7-for-17 with six singles, a triple, two stolen bases, four RBI and led the team with 13 runs scored
- Natalie Kerr – seven innings pitched over two starts, allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out eight. Also had three doubles and six RBI at the dish.
Baseball Canada Cup (August 5-9 – Summerside, P.E.I.)
Team Alberta kicked off the Baseball Canada Cup with an explosive 20-1 win over Newfoundland and Labrador. The wins kept coming in the round-robin thanks to an 8-1 decision over Nova Scotia and 8-6 against New Brunswick. They then edged the hosts 5-2 before suffering their first setback, a 2-1 nailbiter against Quebec, before hammering Manitoba 7-2 in the quarterfinal. They were then beaten 3-1 by B.C. in the semi and bounced back to take a dramatic 7-6 walk-off victory over New Brunswick to claim bronze. Read more…
Placing: 3rd
Overall record: 6-2
Top performers:
- Brooks Froese – 11-for-23 with 10 singles, a double, eight walks, 11 runs batted in and five stolen bases. He was also named the tournament’s top defensive player.
- Riley Wolbeck – 8-for-24 with six singles, a double, homer, and led the team with 12 RBI.
- Ronan Johnson – led the team with 10.1 innings of work over two starts, striking out nine while allowing just one earned run, eight hits and no walks.
18U (August 13-16 – Fort McMurray, AB)
Call it “a little bit of everything” for Team Alberta at the 18U Nationals that were kind of on home turf. The Fort McMurray Oil Giants had true home field advantage, but Team Alberta – who were represented by the Parkland Twins – were able to feed off it a bit. They opened the tournament with a 1-0 loss to B.C. before beating up on the hosts 11-0. They then doubled up New Brunswick 8-4 and lost 4-2 to Ontario, putting them into the quarterfinal against Manitoba, where they won a walk-off 7-6 thriller. They came back on championship Sunday to hammer B.C. 10-2 in the semis, then were mercied 11-1 by Ontario, coming away with a silver medal. Read more…
Placing: 2nd
Overall record: 4-3
Top performers:
- Dzeo McNaughton – 12-for-24 with seven singles, five doubles, seven RBI, a stolen base and five runs scored.
- Caleb Azevedo – the team’s workhorse with two starts totalling 11.1 innings pitched. He allowed just one earned run on six hits and a walk while striking out 11.
- Garet Ostapchuk – strong two-way performance with seven scoreless innings pitched, allowing just four hits while striking out six. At the plate, he went 6-for-27 with five singles, a double, two RBI and seven runs scored to pace Team Alberta.
13U (August 20-23 – Woodstock, Ontario)
Mother Nature wasn’t in the best spirits heading into mid-August in Ontario. The 13U Nationals in Woodstock were plagued by rain, especially during the weekend games, which led to several games being moved to the Monday. For Alberta, they started with a 15-3 loss to B.C. before wins of 8-4 and 7-5 over P.E.I and Ontario, respectively. They rounded out the round-robin with a 14-2 loss to Quebec, putting them into the placement bracket, where they lost 14-6 to B.C. and were set to face Nova Scotia in the 7 vs. 8 game but it wasn’t played.
Placing: 7th/8th
Overall record: 2-3
Top performers: Unavailable
15U Ray Carter Cup (August 20-23 – Summerside, P.E.I.)
It wasn’t the showing Team Alberta was hoping for at the Ray Carter Cup. Represented by the Red Deer 15U ‘AAA’ Rangers, the squad found themselves on the wrong end of a 14-4 decision against Quebec in their opening day game. They followed that up with an 8-3 loss to Ontario and a 6-1 setback to Saskatchewan. Their tournament came to an end with a 4-2 loss to B.C.
Placing: 10th
Overall record: 0-4
Top performers:
- Ryland Johnson – 6-for-11 with three singles, two doubles, a homer, four RBI and two runs scored.
- Roman Greenberg – 3-for-10 with two singles, a double and a walk.
- Micah Ross – led the team with 5.2 innings pitched, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out 12.
16U Girls (August 20-23 – Moncton, N.B.)
What a run it was for Alberta’s 16U Girls team at nationals in New Brunswick. They started off with two decisive wins of 8-2 over Saskatchewan and 10-3 against B.C. before falling 19-7 to Quebec. They got back on track with a 10-7 win over Ontario, then took the semi-final rematch 11-5 to face Quebec in the championship. They put up three runs in the first, but Quebec scored four in the second before the two teams traded two-run innings to allow the eastern combatant to take the 6-5 win and the gold medal. Read more…
Placing: 2nd
Overall record: 4-2
Top performers:
- Gracy Hadwin – 8-for-14 with four singles, three doubles, a home run, five RBI, four stolen bases and 10 runs scored. She was also a leader on the mound in innings pitched (nine).
- Oakley Tanner – 6-for-20 with four singles, two doubles, a stolen base, four runs scored and a team-leading nine RBI.
- Cora Rydel – 8-for-18 with eight singles, four runs scored, four RBI and four stolen bases.
Men’s Nationals (August 20-23 – Miramichi, N.B.)
A bronze medal was in the offing for Team Alberta (represented by the Red Deer Riggers) at the Men’s Nationals in New Brunswick. It all started with a 7-3 triumph over Saskatchewan on opening day. They then split their Friday games (11-1 loss to the hosts and a 6-5 win over Ontario). They finished out the round-robin with a 7-4 win over B.C., earning a bye to the semi-final, where they lost 10-4 to the eventual champion Quebec. They came back in the bronze medal game with an exciting 11-10 win to bring home some hardware. Read more…
Placing: 3rd
Overall record: 4-2
Top performers:
- Alex Bishop – 8-for-19 with four singles, two doubles, two homers, seven RBI and five runs scored.
- Tyler McWillie – 4-for-15 with two singles, two homers, six RBI and three runs scored.
- DJ Depiero – dominant in the opener against Saskatchewan, allowing two earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out 10 in the complete-game victory.
Women’s Nationals (July 9-12 – Winnipeg, MB)
Normally one of the marquee events that Alberta attends, this year’s edition didn’t have a team from the province. Speaking with Girls/Women’s Technical Coordinator Chris James, he says they tried several avenues to make it happen but they couldn’t overcome several logistical challenges. He emphasized that this was a one-off situation and that Baseball Alberta was determined to be back in 2027. A handful of players did find homes with other provinces for this year’s event.
Top performers:
- Madison Willan – 2-for-17 with a single, double, three RBI, four walks and two runs scored to help B.C. capture gold.
- Julianna Scott – 6-for-10 with six singles, five RBI and three runs scored with Quebec Powder Blue, who claimed silver.
- Cassie Matlock – 9-for-18 with two singles, seven doubles, seven runs scored and five RBI with Nova Scotia.
- Sydney Barry – allowed nine earned runs on 11 hits and two walks while striking out five in four innings of work (two relief outings) with Saskatchewan.
Check out the schedule for 2027 Baseball Canada events here.
