Rural Roots Baseball Classic Photo Gallery

Oh yeah, Oyen!

That was quite a show at the Rural Roots Baseball Classic over the weekend.

The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) event – a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Oyen Pronghorns championship season – culminated with a neutral site game between the Lethbridge Bulls and the Sylvan Lake Gulls at Doug Lehman Field on Sunday, June 8th.

Here are some of the sights from the Rural Roots Baseball Classic …

Pronghorn Proud

When they galloped onto Saskatchewan’s baseball scene, you did not want to lock horns with Oyen.

The Pronghorns, the lone Alberta representative in the Saskatchewan Major Baseball League (SMBL), joined the five-team circuit in 1993 and came ready to play.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Pronghorns claiming their first SMBL championship.

By The Horns

As his 2024 college season came to a close, Carlin Dick (Abbotsford, B.C.) contemplated his future in baseball.

A senior at Canisius University, the Golden Griffins finished the campaign 18-30 overall (11-13 conference record) and placed fifth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. It was going to be his final year with the program, the only one he suited up for after high school, and the B.C. product was trying to soak it all in.

2025 WCBL Season Preview

Baseball heroics are on deck.

The last time we saw the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) in action, Connor Crowson was stumbling around the bases of Seaman Stadium and arriving at home plate to a championship celebration in front of 6,341 screaming fans.

It was Crowson’s solo home run in the bottom of the ninth that served as a walk-off tiebreaker against the Moose Jaw Miller Express and delivered a three-peat title to the Okotoks Dawgs. The hometown hero made the final play of the WCBL postseason a decisive and memorable one in the 6-5 triumph.

Who will play the role of hero in 2025?

WCBL Gets Pair of Hall of Fame Nods

The Western Canadian Baseball League is getting Hall-of-Fame recognition for two of its best and brightest people.

WCBL President Kevin Kvame, who is also the owner of the Lethbridge Bulls franchise, has been named a 2025 Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame inductee in the builder category.

Rye Pothakos – the director of recruiting and baseball operations, as well as the head coach of the Regina Red Sox – is also set to be recognized this year. The longtime skipper and scout has been named as an inductee to the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame.

Lethbridge Bulls 2025 Preview

Fans had plenty of drama and storylines to follow during the 2024 Western Canadian Baseball League season.

Meanwhile, the Lethbridge Bulls were quietly turning in a solid campaign.

After pushing the WCBL champion Okotoks Dawgs to the brink in the playoffs, what can we expect from the Bulls this year?

A Flame-Throwing Family

The family’s name is synonymous with baseball in Southern Alberta.

Shaye McTavish is doing his best to carry on the legacy that his dad, Les, and other family members have had on the game around Vauxhall and Lethbridge.

I Heart Baseball

What do people love about baseball?

The answers are here …

Hall for Hubs

Todd Hubka is the ultimate team guy.

He’s never afraid to boast about the players on his current Prairie Baseball Academy roster, looking ahead to his upcoming recruiting class, or beam about how proud he is of the hundreds of alumni players that have come through the program.

Hubka isn’t a big fan of talking about himself, which was put to the test when he was inducted to the PBA Hall of Fame.

Five Storylines We’re Watching in 2025

What will Erik Sabrowski do for an encore? Can Michael Soroka find his way as a starter in Washington? And can the Okotoks Dawgs repeat the four-peat?

We look ahead to what promises to be another fantastic year of baseball coverage from an Alberta perspective.