7th Inning Stretch: Max Hartman

One of the younger players from Alberta who attended the recent Tournament 12 (T12) in Toronto was Max Hartman.

The 15-year-old roamed the outfield at Rogers Centre for Team Navy during the showcase event, which was hosted by Blue Jays Baseball Academy and took place from Sept. 17-21.

We spoke with the Dawgs Academy product before and after the T12 to find out more about him and what it was like to be selected as one of Canada’s top 150 baseball prospects.

He answered the following seven questions for us for our 7th Inning Stretch profile.

7th Inning Stretch: Jean-Luc Bussieres

The Tournament 12 (T12) in Toronto has come and gone for another year, but we’re still checking in with some of the Alberta players who took part in the prestigious showcase event.

Catcher Jean-Luc Bussieres, 17, is one of the 150 baseball prospects who played at Rogers Centre in the T12, which took place from Sept. 17-21. Originally from Edmonton, but now attending Foothills Composite High School as he trains at Dawgs Academy in Okotoks, Bussieres was kind enough to make time for us recently.

Here’s what he had to say in response to seven questions we asked him as part of our ongoing 7th Inning Stretch series.

7th Inning Stretch: Tyrese Johnson

Tyrese Johnson literally came out of left field at this year’s Tournament 12 (T12), but his performance shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

The outfielder, an Okotoks Dawgs Academy player, attended T12 last year and admitted that nerves got the better of him, but he went to Toronto more mentally prepared this time around.

The experience paid off. The Calgarian received “Player of the Game” honours on day three of the showcase tournament, which took place at Rogers Centre from Sept. 17-21. The annual event shines a spotlight on 150 of the best Canadian baseball players between the ages of 14 and 19 years old.

Johnson made time for our 7th Inning Stretch series before he left for Ontario.

7th Inning Stretch: Matt Wilkinson

He was a star at the Little League World Series several years ago and an effective pitcher as one of the youngest players in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) this summer.

So, it’s not surprising that Matt Wilkinson has been selected to take part in the Tournament 12 (T12) annual showcase tournament, which is taking place at Rogers Centre in Toronto from Sept. 17-21.

We caught up with the Dawgs Academy pupil and asked him seven questions as part of our 7th Inning Stretch series.

7th Inning Stretch: Conor Pote

Tournament 12 (T12) – a national showcase tournament featuring some of Canada’s best baseball prospects – is fast approaching and the annual event once again includes a number of players from Alberta.

We are bringing back our popular 7th Inning Stretch series – which poses seven questions to our profile subjects – to spotlight some of the Alberta athletes who are taking part in T12 this year.

We get started with 15-year-old pitcher Conor Pote, who is a student of the Dawgs Academy program in Okotoks.

7th Inning Stretch: Owen Steele

He was the Man of Steel on the cellar-dwelling Yorkton Cardinals last year, but now he’s one of several masters on the mound in Medicine Hat.

With the Cardinals in 2018, Owen Steele had a minuscule 1.46 earned run average (ERA) and 46 strikeouts through 49 innings of work for the 14-33 Eastern Division squad.

Since joining the defending Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) champion Mavericks this summer, the Calgarian has a perfect 6-0 record, 49 Ks and a 4.37 ERA in 59.2 frames.

He’s been a reliable presence in Medicine Hat’s starting rotation and we caught up with the 5-foot-10 hurler to spotlight him in our 7th Inning Stretch series.

7th Inning Stretch: Davis Todosichuk

The Okotoks Dawgs have put together another powerhouse regular season in 2019, thanks in no small part to Davis Todosichuk.

In 43 games and 140 at bats for the Dawgs, the Kelowna native has a robust .343 batting average, 17 RBI and 39 runs. The centre fielder also leads the team in stolen bases, with 18.

We had a quick conversation with Todosichuk as part of our 7th Inning Stretch series.

7th Inning Stretch: Tanner Hess

It’s been a steady summer season of baseball for middle infielder Tanner Hess of the Fort McMurray Giants.

The 23-year-old from Victoria, British Columbia was a last-minute addition to the Fort McMurray roster and he ended up turning the opportunity into an All-Star calibre campaign.

Hess is the focus of this 7th Inning Stretch feature.

7th Inning Stretch: Hunter Boyd

Hunter Boyd has been the king of the hill for the Edmonton Prospects this season.

As the team’s ace, the right-handed pitcher from Moses Lake, Washington has been both durable and effective.

We caught up with Boyd and asked him several questions, which he graciously answered for us as part of our 7th Inning Stretch player profile series

7th Inning Stretch: Flynn Ridley

Coming off of a Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) title win, Flynn Ridley set his sights on a summer season in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL).

When it came time for the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) pitcher to find a team to play for, another championship squad – the Medicine Hat Mavericks – seemed like a perfect fit.

In his first season in the WCBL, the right-handed reliever from Vancouver has delivered an effective campaign thus far. The 18-year-old has a 3-1 record, two saves, a 2.49 earned run average (ERA) and 17 strikeouts through 21.2 innings pitched.

We spoke with the 6-foot-4 mound manager as part of our 7th Inning Stretch series.