2026 will go down as a year of making memories for Reid MacDonald.
The 18-year-old was a key piece of a Dawgs Academy 18U Black team that won several major tournaments including the inaugural Morneau Cup before heading to the Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase.
They were the kinds of experiences that the Long Point, Nova Scotia product hoped for when he moved west to Okotoks three years ago.
MacDonald wanted to prove he belonged among the elite players in Canada and his performance showed he’s on the right path.
“It’s such a confidence boost,” he told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. “It’s awesome knowing that I can play with the best in the country and compete with them.”
Fresh off the Dawgs’ annual U.S. college trip, he’s looking to take his game to the next level and have an even more memorable 2027.
CROSS-COUNTRY CALL
The son of well-known senior league player Sheldon MacDonald, the young athlete had an inkling not to follow in his father’s footsteps.
A fan of Justin Verlander, the right-hander says his attention went to the diamond by his first year of bantam baseball, where his talent became obvious.
Pitching for Nova Scotia at the Baseball Canada 15U Ray Carter Cup in 2022, MacDonald remembers pitching very well against Alberta, who was represented by the Dawgs.
That performance, along with his complete-game 2-0 shutout over Ontario in the fifth-place game, prompted a call from Dawgs coach Lou Pote to come to Okotoks the following spring.
“Going from a country lifestyle to a city lifestyle was a big change in itself,” MacDonald said. “New people, new everything, new school – I was really nervous but once I got settled in, I was good.”
A BIG BOUNCE-BACK
While it’s never easy to move across the country to keep chasing your baseball dreams, MacDonald faced an additional hurdle before his first summer in Okotoks.
While throwing a bullpen session, he felt something tweaked in his elbow, forcing him to the sideline for a couple of months.
“I didn’t know if I’d be back for the start of the season or not,” MacDonald said. “My dad and I were debating on going back home, but I said I wanted to stay and just see it out.”
He stuck it out and it’s been nothing but smooth sailing since, including a return to playing for Nova Scotia at the 2025 Canada Summer Games.
I didn’t know if I’d be back for the start of the season or not. So me and my dad were debating on going back home but I said I wanted to stay and just see it out and things I was ready to go by the start of the season. It’s all been uphill from there.
That set the table for his 2026 season, which culminated with The Road to Okotoks and a big win on home soil.
MacDonald pitched a total of five innings during the tournament, allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out four.
“That was probably my favourite tournament I’ve ever played in,” he said. “We had a great group of guys, and everybody worked so hard towards that moment. It was awesome.”
Adding to the allure of the Morneau Cup, according to MacDonald, is how special it was to win the first one and to set the standard for future teams.
SUNNY DAYS AND COOL NIGHTS
Then it was off to Vancouver for the Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase.
For pitchers, it’s a prescribed kind of tournament in that you know which games you’re likely to perform in and you’re only pitching for a couple of innings.
MacDonald was suiting up with a Team Grey that ended up playing in two nightcaps in two days, with his schedule appearance to be at the tail-end of the second.
Admittedly, it was a bit chilly with the sun already set and the evening dew starting to form.
“I was just walking around during all the games trying to stay warm,” MacDonald said about his preparation. “Going for jogs out of the bullpen towards the scoreboard and back a couple of times, just anything to stay warm.”
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound twirler closed out an 11-3 Team Grey loss to Team Red, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four in two innings of work.
He’s happy with how he performed, including touching 89.9 miles per hour with his fastball.
INSPIRED BY HOME
After wrapping up their stateside trip, MacDonald says the Dawgs shut down their throwing programs to give pitchers a chance to rest their arms.
They have still been in the gym working on strength and conditioning and will continue to do that until ramping back up again in December.
When he gets to that point, the 18-year-old says he plans to work on a complimentary pitch to his fastball and curveball: a changeup.
“I can get my curveball over for a strike pretty much whenever I want to,” MacDonald said. “I’d like to be able to get that changeup dialed in just like that curveball.”
He’s also in the midst of a gap year and on the hunt for where he might take the next step in his baseball journey.
As a small-town Nova Scotia athlete, MacDonald is cognizant of how much of an impact he can have on players from his home province.
He says he was once “that kid” keeping tabs on how others were doing and now he’s the one being asked about his time on the diamond – it’s a point of pride.
“It reminds me that I’m doing it for them,” MacDonald said. “They want me to succeed and I’m going to succeed for them.”
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