By IAN WILSON

The Sylvan Lake Gulls are a proven winner on the Western Canadian Baseball League circuit.

Over the last two summers, the squad has posted identical regular-season records of 38-18, and since joining the WCBL in 2021 the Gulls have not had a losing record.

Despite that success, Sylvan Lake has yet to overcome the juggernaut Okotoks Dawgs. The Dawgs have bested the Gulls in the standings and in the postseason, eliminating their northern neighbours in the second round in consecutive years.

If the Gulls hope to truly take flight, they’ll need to figure out how to defeat Okotoks. That said, the rivalry continues to simmer.

Sylvan Lake will be without 2023 WCBL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Jonah Weisner, who went pro with the Quebec Capitales, as well as two-way star Tyler McWillie, who has set his sights on teaching and coaching in the Red Deer area. McWillie was an original member of the franchise who swatted 22 homers over 357 at bats while racking up 156 strikeouts in 126.2 innings pitched. Last year’s Most Outstanding Pitcher award winner, Ty Boudreau, will also be absent – he’s expected to play in the MLB Draft League instead.

The Gulls have undoubtedly become a popular addition to central Alberta’s sports scene.

In 2022, the team experienced a total attendance of 36,136, for an average of 1,291 fans per game. That crowd total grew to 45,105 last year, resulting in a typical audience of 1,611 at Gulls Field. Only the Dawgs have welcomed more fans to the ballpark over the last two years.

IN THE DUGOUT

Steering this collection of pitchers and hitters are the familiar trio of Jason Chatwood, Wyatt McKnight and Matt Hape.

Chatwood – the head coach and general manager of the Gulls and lead instructor at Red Deer’s St. Joseph High School Academy – has been coaching the Gulls since their inaugural season. The Gonzaga University graduate from Innisfail has helped mold the ball club into a competitive entry in the WCBL.

“It’s special to be a part of and it’s a class organization. It’s made up of good people that are trying to create a special experience in the central Alberta area,” said Chatwood of coaching the Gulls.

Aiding Chatwood are McKnight – a grad assistant at Mount Marty University – and Hape, the team’s pitching coach. Hape is a native of Bozeman, where he has served as the pitching coach at Montana State University for several years.

ON THE MOUND

Known for assembling one of the top pitching staffs in the WCBL last season, the Gulls are eager to welcome back a number of top arms.

Josh Tucker was selected as the league’s Most Outstanding Pitcher in 2022, when he set the single-season record for strikeouts with 91 Ks. The Spokane, Washington product has appeared in 23 games for Sylvan Lake over the last two summers. During the span of 127 innings, the left-handed starting pitcher has put together a 12-5 record with a 2.83 earned run average (ERA) and 188 strikeouts.

Also back is Edmonton’s Hunter Jones, a righty who has an 8-5 record, a 2.92 ERA and 80 Ks in his 20 WCBL appearances since 2022.

Burnaby, B.C. product James Brock returns, as well. The University of British Columbia (UBC) righty worked as both a starter and a reliever in 2023. Brock posted a 2-4 record with a 2.65 ERA, 31 Ks and one save over his 40-plus frames for Sylvan Lake.

Adding a bit of spice to the Gulls-Dawgs rivalry is Sylvan Lake’s acquisition of righthander Owen Pote, who is the son of Okotoks skipper Lou Pote. The younger Pote has been honing his craft at Absolute Human Performance (AHP) Baseball Academy in St. Albert.

Calgarian Kai Rempel, a Webber Academy pupil, is new to the team. The right-handed pitcher comes in at a height of 6-foot-2 and weighs 215 pounds.

Joining the pitching staff from Gonzaga University, the alma mater of coach Chatwood, is Finbar O’Brien, a righty with a 2.00 ERA and 10 Ks in nine innings of relief work this year.

Another righthander who will see time on the hill is Parker McMan. The 6-foot-3 Montana sophomore at Bellevue University has assembled a 4.34 ERA and 46 punch outs in his 56 innings and 26 appearances over two seasons with the Bruins. He has a 6-4 record and one save during his work on the mound, which has primarily come out of the bullpen.

A pair of right-handed hurlers will join the ball club from Colby Community College. Zach Gregory, of Littleton, Colorado, has logged 77 innings for the Trojans during the last two years. He’s appeared in 21 games and started 15 of them. His teammate Ben Bohlman has a 2-1 record, 34 Ks and a save in 30-plus innings.

Two more righty arms were added to the roster from Cochise College. Ramses Guerra is originally from Veraguas, Panama. He has 40 strikeouts in 43-plus innings, as well as a 3-1 record and a 4.78 ERA in 14 appearances. His mound mate and fellow Panama product, Olmedo Quezada, has a 2-2 record, one save and is a K per inning pitcher.

Californian Josh Perez, a right-handed pitcher at Ottawa University, has appeared in 30 games over three years for the Braves, going 7-2 with 90 Ks in his 93.1 innings. He was primarily used as a starting pitcher but has also seen time out of the bullpen.

Lefty pitcher Tyler Boden comes to the Gulls from Spokane. Boden achieved the rare feat of tossing three no hitters during his senior year of high school in 2023.

Southpaw Will Yamka heads north to the WCBL from Cloud County Community College. The Ontarian has appeared in 24 games for the Thunderbirds over the last two seasons and has primarily worked out of the bullpen. Yamka, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, has 44 Ks over 30 innings.

Rounding out the pitching staff are a pair of righty hurlers – freshman Cameron Neilson from the University of Utah and Tyler Alm from Spokane Falls Community College. Alm is a reliever with two saves and 10 Ks in 11 innings for Spokane in 2023-24.

BEHIND THE PLATE

He got a taste of life in the WCBL when he made his debut with the Gulls last summer. Nathan Flewelling only appeared in two games in July, but he made the most of the opportunity, smacking an RBI double in one of his two at bats. Since then, the Innisfail catcher has shown off his power stroke at the Canadian Futures Showcase in Toronto, where he won the tournament’s Home Run Derby last fall.

Jason Green is a newcomer to the Gulls. The 6-foot-5 catcher and infielder from Ontario has appeared in 13 games for Niagara University this year as a freshman. In his 24 at bats, Green is batting .333 with a pair of homers, two doubles and seven runs batted in (RBI).

Camrose catcher Gavin Galenza has played in 54 games with Colby Community College the last couple years. With the Trojans, he has a .402 on-base percentage and 27 RBI through 183 at bats.

Backstop Kevin Spear is a redshirt freshman from Seattle who is a member of the Gonzaga University Bulldogs. In 14 games this season, Spear has a .346 on-base percentage and four RBI.

AROUND THE HORN

Beware the Schark attack in Sylvan Lake! Jack Schark, a utility player from Missouri, can seemingly surface anywhere on the ball diamond. A capable infielder and outfielder, the righty batter suited up for the Gulls in 37 games in 2022. During his 126 career games at the University of Central Missouri, Schark has a .359 batting average, 16 homers, 32 doubles, 120 runs, 96 RBI and 49 stolen bases.

Infielder CJ Townsend brings three seasons of experience to Sylvan Lake from Bellevue University. In 132 games and 232 at bats with the Bruins, Townsend has 71 runs, 55 RBI and a .396 on-base percentage.

Sudbury, Ontario product Gavin Roy will get some infield work for the Gulls this summer. The sophomore from Cloud County Community College has played 106 games for the Thunderbirds the last two years and in his 350 at bats, Roy has a .329 batting average, 105 runs, 60 RBI and 48 swiped bags.

Local product Matthew Murray will look to impress the home crowd at Gulls Field. Murray played for the U18 AAA Red Deer CarStar Braves, as well as for St. Joseph Baseball Academy, and was named the 18U Baseball Alberta Elite League (BAEL) Player of the Year in 2023. He is a two-way player who could see time on the mound, as well as in the infield.

Arizona infielder Kenneth Rhein is another Cochise College addition. He posted a .385 on-base percentage in 55 games during the 2023-24 campaign while manufacturing 35 RBI and 31 runs.

Utility player Reese Harmon joins the team from Iowa Western Community College. In his 76 games for the Reivers, the lefty batter has 63 runs, 19 steals and a .343 batting average.

Marques Abulhosn is another recruit from the Zags. The freshman infielder hails from the state of Washington.

IN THE OUTFIELD

The MVP of the 2023 Canadian Futures Showcase, Simon Baker, is expected to make his debut with Sylvan Lake Gulls in 2024. Baker hails from Cochrane, Alberta and was trained at Webber Academy.

A fresh face with Sylvan Lake is UBC product Kyle Anderson, who has taken the field for 46 games for the Thunderbirds over the last two seasons and notched 29 RBI and 29 runs while batting .289 in that time.

Niagara University outfielder Nate Milk is a new addition to the team. The sophomore has played in 48 games over two years for the Purple Eagles. He has scored 32 runs in 72 at bats and is getting on base at a .379 clip. Milk also has 15 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

Dakota Duffalo is a righty batsman from Arizona who has played in 101 games over three seasons at the University of Utah. He has scored 47 runs and collected 29 RBI with the Utes.

Sophomore outfielder Cooper Cieselksi has suited up in 53 games for the UTPB Falcons in 2023-24. Over his 186 at bats, the Colorado native has nine homers, 17 doubles, 46 RBI, 47 runs and 13 stolen bases.

Whitworth University outfielder Elijah Tanner has played in 89 games with the Pirates over the last three years. Through 315 at bats, he has 47 runs, 50 RBI and 21 stolen bases. Tanner also has a career .305 batting average and a .385 on-base percentage.

Home Ballpark: Gulls Field

Home Opener: 7:05 p.m., Saturday, May 25th vs. Brooks Bombers

2023 Regular Season Results: Second place in West Division with 38 wins & 18 losses

2023 Playoff Results: Lost in second round to Okotoks Dawgs; 2-2 postseason record

Mascot: Sully the Gully