“Play ball!”
It’s back. Spring training for Major League Baseball (MLB) has cranked up again and college baseball south of the border is in full swing.
It feels really good to type those words. And to show some love to those from our province taking part, we wanted to highlight some of their accomplishments.
Read More Box Score BeautiesOver the last year, we have asked a simple question of our guests on Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.
“What does the game of baseball mean to you?”
It has resulted in some of the most heartfelt, genuine answers, which we wanted to gather together in one place as we celebrate the game of baseball.
Read More Love Letters to BaseballIt hasn’t been an easy road in life for Willy Diaz.
Moving to Edmonton from the Dominican Republic with his mother in search for a better life, there were no guarantees that he would find a career in baseball.
But after suiting up with Prairie Baseball Academy and garnering the attention of the right people, the young infielder has his sights set on the pros after signing with the Minnesota Twins.
Read More Twin WillThere are final outs and then there are final outs.
The final out of a game. The final out of a series. The final out of a season. The final out of your final season.
Then there’s the last out that precedes a rain delay. Is it really the final out? Will this game start up again? Will we play the rest of this another day?
Such are the questions that come with rain delays.
Welcome to the season of coronavirus. It’s a season of uncertainty and one of far more questions than answers.
Read More The Final OutThe Prairie Baseball Academy (PBA) in Lethbridge celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and the school is marking the occasion with the introduction of its own Hall of Fame.
The first class honours a half dozen PBA pioneers, including coach Blair Kubicek; the late Keith Jorgensen; former president Rick Paskal; founder Doug Jones; major donor Larry Nolan; and Dustin Molleken, the first PBA player to pitch in Major League Baseball.
We caught up with Kubicek – or “Kubie” as he’s affectionately known by his players and colleagues – to discuss his lengthy history with the academy, which dates back to 1995.
Read More Little House on the Prairie‘Tis the season for year-end and decade-end lists.
We decided to put a different spin on those lists with a roster of Alberta’s baseball talent to suit up between 2010 and 2019.
From an MLB phenom to college stars to women’s national team stalwarts, take a look at who we think deserves recognition for their performances.
Read More Alberta’s All-Decade SquadWe spent a lot of time examining the Alberta teams of the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) with 2019 season previews for each club. But the six Alberta squads only make up the Western Division of the league. There are another six teams competing in the Eastern Division of the WCBL – all of them from Saskatchewan.
Here’s a quick look at each Saskatchewan-based team in the WCBL …
Read More When East Meets WestThe 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft took place from June 3-5 and we have a summary of players with Alberta ties who were selected over the three-day event.
Some of the players chosen in the draft moved here to attend one of the province’s baseball academies, others were born and raised here, while others became familiar faces through the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL).
We also took note of players who are related to some well-known players who made their way to Alberta to play with one of our minor-league affiliates decades ago.
Read More 2019 MLB Draft ReviewIt is every baseball player’s dream.
Stepping into the batter’s box in the bottom of the final inning and a chance to win it all with one swing of the bat.
Camrose baseball product Dylan Borman provided his own heroics for the University of Arkansas at Monticello earlier this spring and talked to Alberta Dugout Stories about it.
Read More Borman’s BombIt’s the final countdown!
This is our last edition of Alberta Dugout Digest, our weekly analysis of baseball players from the province who are crushing it at post-secondary institutions south of the border.
With regular season play mostly wrapped up and championship tournaments in full swing, we are preparing for the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) season to start up at the end of the month while we keep an eye on postseason action in the United States.
But before we get to that, here’s a look at our leader board
Read More Alberta Dugout Digest – May 7th Edition