1 Thru 9: Absolute Baseball Academy

Standing in the shadow of Foothills Stadium in Calgary is Absolute Baseball Academy.

And while the aging stadium – which was home to the Triple-A Calgary Cannons and the independent league Vipers – serves as a reminder of the great history of baseball in Cowtown, the academy signals a hopeful future for the game in Alberta’s largest city.

Academy director Cam McLachlan, who is also a coach with the Junior Dinos program, made time for us and told us what is happening with baseball at 2221 Crowchild Trail N.W. in Calgary. Here’s what he shared with us in our ongoing “1 Thru 9” look at the province’s baseball academies.

Striving for More

During a season in which Danny Jansen realized his dream of playing Major League Baseball (MLB), it was Giancarlo Stanton who provided the “pinch me” moments for the Toronto Blue Jays catcher.

In the bottom of the first inning on Aug. 18, 2018, the 6-foot-6 pinstriped baseball beast stepped into the batter’s box at Yankee Stadium and gave Jansen his first game-action look at the chiseled outfielder’s 245-pound frame.

Jansen and fellow rookie starting pitcher Sean Reid-Foley got the better of Stanton during that at bat, watching him strike out swinging.

But in the fourth inning, Stanton sent a fastball 412 feet away from home plate and over the centre-field wall. It was Reid-Foley’s second start for the Jays and Jansen’s fourth game with the big club. Welcome to the major leagues.

1 Thru 9: Badlands Academy

Situated in the heart of Alberta’s badlands, Badlands Baseball Academy is a diamond oasis on the prairies.

As we continue our “1 Thru 9” Academy profiles, we chat with Jeff Amos about what makes Badlands as good as it is.

Five Things We’re Watching in 2019

From Edgar’s Hall of Fame bid to Mike Soroka’s ascent up the Atlanta Braves depth chart to the Western Canadian Baseball League’s rebrand & revamp, there is a lot for Alberta’s baseball fans to be excited for.

We take a look at five of the headlines we will be watching in the coming year.

The Legend of Luch

She admits it’s been on her mind for a while.

But just days before her 29th birthday, Nicole Luchanski announced her retirement.

The Baseball Canada Women’s National Team star and Edmonton native is now ready for the next chapter of her life.

Making a List

We made a list. We checked it twice.

Time to find out who was naughty and nice in Alberta baseball circles this year.

The Road Warrior

Far away from home, 17-year-old Guillermo Quiroz arrived in Medicine Hat in 1999 to play for the Blue Jays.

What later transpired was a 17-year pro career with a lot of stops and stories.

He recently shared some of them in an episode of the ADS Podcast.

1 Thru 9: Vauxhall Academy

Vauxhall is known as the “Potato Capital of the West.”

But after more than a decade in operation, the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball is giving the town another reason to be put on the map.

This is our second installment of our “1 Thru 9” academy profiles.

Act of Lalor

It’s hard to imagine calling Kelsey Lalor a “veteran.” She is only 20, after all.

Yet, her resume is an impressive one, including being named to the All World Team after this summer’s Women’s Baseball World Cup.

The Red Deer native finished off the year by being named the top women’s player in Alberta.

1 Thru 9: Dawgs Academy

It’s about time we took you to school.

More specifically, we’re going to invite you to take a closer look at some of the baseball academies operating across Alberta.

This summer we debuted a feature called “1 Thru 9” that allowed our readers to get to know some of the players who were taking the field at ballparks throughout the province.

We’re applying that same 9-question format to the baseball academies in Alberta. Our first stop is in Okotoks, where the Dawgs Academy has been molding student athletes for years.

TALES OF BASEBALL