By JOE McFARLAND

For the first time in franchise history, the University of Calgary Dinos have a target on their backs as the reigning Canadian College Baseball Conference champions.

As they started getting ready for the 2024 season, head coach Cam Williams and his team started to plan ahead for what would be an even tougher road to a repeat title.

One of the lynchpins to that success will be White Rock, B.C. pitcher Ethan Webster, who is entering his third year with the Dinos.

The righthander broke onto the CCBC scene in 2022 by going 2-1 with a 2.17 earned-run average in seven games before taking a loss in his one outing during the league championships.

Webster followed that up by going 3-0 with a 2.36 ERA in nine games for the Dinos in 2023, then helped the team pick up a 14-9 playoff win over Thompson Rivers University. He was named a CCBC First Team All-Star for his efforts.

As the CCBC season got underway in late-March, we chatted with the 6-foot, 200-pound junior about his expectations for the spring season.

His answers help us kick off another season of our 1 Thru 9 series.

1. How does it feel to have the target on your backs this year as returning champions?

It’s different for sure because we were used to going in and taking it to guys and being that team that no one expects to do anything. Being that team that’s going to show up and give you a tough game, play hard and take it to you. Now there are guys that want to do that to us. They want to show up and beat us. People are like … they didn’t think we were going to win. I don’t think anyone thought we were going to win. And now guys are like, “We want to take it to UCalgary and show them it was a fluke – it shouldn’t have happened and we’re the better team.” And it’s exciting. It’s exciting to prove guys wrong. I think that’s the biggest thing. I’m just excited to keep proving people wrong.

2. Looking back on it, what was it that put the Dinos over the top in 2023?

It was either the fourth or fifth inning of that first game against Thompson Rivers University in the playoffs and our bats just came alive. A lot of the season, our hitting wasn’t the best. We would get guys on and we wouldn’t be able to string a lot of stuff together. It was just a team approach of “get that guy over” and “get that guy over” and “get on any way you can.” We really strung it together every game. We were down against TRU, we were down against Prairie Baseball Academy at one point, we were down against Victoria. Games got close, especially in the final, and we just kept finding ways to get on-base and our bullpen kept fighting to keep the score as close as we could. I think everyone just realized that if you do your job, the guy behind you will do his job. It was just the “one guy after the other” approach and that was the biggest thing.

Here are the @ccbcofficial all-star selections from the 2023 Canadian College World Series Champions! 💍

1st team SP – Ethan Webster

1st team Utility – Aiden Szautner

2nd team RP – Alex Lanigan

2nd team catcher – Zach Delaquis pic.twitter.com/E4tmbAgWPo
— UCalgary Dinos Baseball ⚾️ (@DinosBaseball) June 5, 2023

3. Looking ahead to 2024, what are you seeing out of this team?

I think this is our best team on paper, at least what I’ve seen. We’ve lost some good team guys and good leaders. We have lots of guys that have stepped up and taken those roles and have been really good role models for the younger guys. We have a lot of arms that came in, especially a lot of lefties. We’ve never really had that many lefties. I think they fit perfectly in the lineup.

4. It feels like the Dinos have started to finally create an identity for themselves after some tough years. Do you think that identity and team has finally arrived?

I do think we’re here and I think we’re here to stay, too. I think we’ve now found ourselves as the team that’s relaxed. We’re having fun but we’re also locked in and focused. We know what we have to do and everyone has their role. Everyone out there is there because we love this game. We love playing baseball. It’s not a job – it’s like a hobby. We’re out there to enjoy ourselves and to play the best baseball we can. I think a lot of other teams around the league are too tense. It’s such a privilege to be playing baseball after high school and I think everyone here appreciates that and respects that and is out there giving their best every game.

5. A few fun ones for the fans to get to know you personally a bit. What’s your go-to ballpark meal when you’re a fan?

Cheeseburger and fries.

6. Who was your favourite ball player growing up and why?

Jose Bautista. It was electric watching him crush home runs and he gave me one of my favourite baseball-watching memories with the bomb in game five of the American League Division Series in 2015. I got to watch the game with my family right after coming home from school. It’s definitely a memory I will always cherish.

7. Let’s say you get a walk-in song from the bullpen like Edwin Diaz. What’s that walk-in tune?

“Kiss This” by The Struts.

8. Who is your hero?

My mom.

9. Finally, what’s it going to take for the Dinos to repeat as CCBC champions?

The regular season is just finding our footing and finding out who we are again. Then the most important part is that one weekend. It’s about being locked in on that one weekend – four or five games. It’s playing our best ball in those games. The regular season is just a warm-up to get to that point. It’s showing who we are and then executing. I really think we have the capability to do that again. I think we have a lot of players who are locked in, that are focused and hungry. We have a lot of young guys that didn’t get to experience that last year and I know they’re hungry and they want that feeling. I want that feeling again, too. I came here thinking that by the time I’m done, I want to win one. Now I have three years left and I’m like, “Why not another?” The next ring is the best. I’m really, really excited.

(The CCBC championships are set for May 17-20 in Lethbridge.)