Getting the Job Dunn

It’s rare to find Sean Dunn without a smile on his face.

The young Fort McMurray native is soaking in the moments while playing for his hometown Western Canadian Baseball League team.

The Giants hurler “definitely got the chills” pitching in the Canada Day 2022 home game.

Three Long Years

You couldn’t fault Shaun Atamanchuk if he thought the worst when he heard his UCL tear was the worst his doctor had ever seen.

Yet, the Beaumont, Alberta native took the news in stride, documenting his recovery through his Instagram account.

After nearly three years without baseball, he recently made the triumphant return to the bump with the University of Antelope Valley.

2021 ADS All-College Team

As the baseball season winds to a close, we take a look back at some of the top performances by Alberta athletes in US College programs.

It’s our second annual “All-College Team”, where we have gone through stats reports and boxscores to find the top performers at each position.

Some are newcomers, while others were on the team last year. All are worthy candidates to be celebrated for their achievements in 2021.

Bengal Brothers

Ayden Makarus knew he was going to a powerhouse when he joined LSU-Eunice in 2020.

Little did he know, the Bengals’ quest to win their seventh NJCAA Division II championship since 2006 would face hurdles along the way.

With fellow Dawgs Academy grad Jackson Fraser, Makarus finally got to taste a title this spring.

Zero In

“He’s a coach’s dream,” is a phrase that gets thrown around when people discuss hard-working athletes.

But when you hear Kaden Zarowny’s coaches discuss the aspiring professional baseball player, it’s clear that such a description carries zero hyperbole in reference to the Dawgs Academy outfielder.

Dream Wevers

If baseball doesn’t work out for Ty Wevers, motivational speaking might be a good backup plan.

In chatting with the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball product, you can’t help but feel inspired by how hard work paved the way in his baseball journey.

In this full Q&A from our conversation on Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast, Wevers talks about mindset, as well as his experience at Vauxhall and his decision to continue his education and baseball career at Cloud County Community College.

Shipping Up To Boston

What a year it has been for Jackson Clemett.

The Calgary native and Vauxhall Academy of Baseball product started off the fall of 2019 by being named to the Tournament-12 in Toronto.

This spring, he announced his commitment to the University of Utah. And this fall, he was named to the World team for the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series.

We chatted with the outfielder recently about the experience and what he has on his radar for the next twelve months.

The Final Out

There 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.

Leader of the Dawg Pack

It is a baseball oasis in the middle of Canada’s prairie landscape.

In under 20 years, the Okotoks Dawgs college and academy programs have become the benchmark for success.

When looking at the path it took to get there, you can’t blame managing director John Ircandia for smiling from ear-to-ear as he looks at his own field of dreams.

We chatted with him in a recent episode of Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast to learn more about his mindset and vision going forward.

Extra Innings

It all started as a promise to his father.

In 1991, Dr. Brent Saik told his father he would do his best to “keep kids out of the places he was going to” in his fight against cancer.

His mission became to raise awareness and funds for research through sport and he has succeeded with the World’s Longest Hockey and Baseball Games.

The latter was recently held in Sherwood Park, with $460,000 being raised.