By JOE McFARLAND

It felt like déjà vu all over again.

That’s how Okotoks Dawgs outfielder Landon Kauffman felt when he stepped into the batter’s box in the 13^th inning of the third-and-deciding game against the Lethbridge Bulls during the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) playoffs.

Just two innings earlier, the 18-year-old affiliated player was in the exact same situation, as he was being tasked with laying down a bunt to move a runner over.

However, he popped his first two attempts foul and swung through the next pitch for a strikeout.

Determined not to make the same mistake in the winner-take-all matchup, Kauffman found a pitch he liked and drove it right into the ground in front of home plate, successfully moving pinch-runner Leo Griffin over to third base as the Bulls’ only play was to throw out the batter.

After leadoff hitter Brendan Luther was intentionally walked, Ricky Sanchez successfully pulled off a suicide squeeze to score Griffin for the walk-off 5-4 victory.

“You always hear those stories and movies and stuff like that,” Kauffman told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. “But I was literally right there and it was just electric.”

The win catapulted the Dawgs into the second round of the WCBL playoffs, where they would knock off the Sylvan Lake Gulls in three games before winning their third-straight title with another three-game classic against the Moose Jaw Miller Express.

For Kauffman, it was a memorable summer in what is turning into an unforgettable year as he gets ready to put his talents on display at the Canadian Futures Showcase in Toronto.

A POWER-POINT TO PROVE

The product of Vancouver, B.C., Kauffman has always loved playing baseball.

A highly touted prospect, he wanted to find a way to focus solely on the game while he was going to school, leading him to look east to Dawgs Academy in Okotoks.

However, he had one critic he needed to convince.

“I had to make a 40-slide pros and cons presentation to convince my mom,” Kauffman laughed. “Originally she was against me moving out.”

He did what was asked of him, then she called him out to the family firepit to discuss her ruling.

Tearfully, she told her son that if he wanted to chase the baseball dream, it sounded like a great opportunity and she would support the move.

At the age of 16, Kauffman was on the road to Alberta.

“Up until that point, the most I had been away from my family was that summer when I went away to Georgia for ten days,” he said about his trip for Prep Baseball Futures Games in 2022.

“I knew it was going to be exciting and stuff, but it’s super-scary being a young kid going to a new place.”

Congratulations to the @DawgsAcademy Black team on winning the 2024 @canadalifeco Canada Day Classic presented by @TourismCalgary. Thank you to all our volunteers, umpires and Webber Academy Athletic Park for supporting a tremendous event!! pic.twitter.com/nSKo2URXSc
— Wildcats Baseball (@wildcats_ab) July 1, 2024

Kauffman acclimatized well and became a major part of a Dawgs team that won several tournaments and high-profile games.

LIVING OUT A DREAM

Part of the process in being with the Academy is selling 50/50 tickets at the Dawgs’ Western Canadian Baseball League games.

Having done that, Kauffman hoped to one day suit up for the summer collegiate team.

The opportunity came earlier than maybe he expected, as the 5-foot-10, 168-pound prospect got the call to become an affiliated player this summer, leading to his debut in the home-opener against Brooks on May 24.

Highlights from May 31st game in Brooks. Dawgs took another W in their first away game (10-2) pic.twitter.com/jTsVpdFGzS
— Okotoks Dawgs Baseball (@Okotoks_Dawgs) June 1, 2024

Coming in as a defensive substitution for outfielder Eiji Sawamura, Kauffman admits it was a nerve-wracking experience in front of 5,412 fans at Seaman Stadium.

“There should be no pressure (as the Dawgs won the game 11-0), but it’s kind of nerve-wracking looking up and half the town is watching you play,” he said. “(Shortstop Brendan) Luther was saying to me that you have to realize that they’re cheering you on and they want you to do well.”

Kauffman says he used that as motivation, which continued through the season as he hit .368 with two home runs, eight runs batted in and two stolen bases in nine games.

He also saw action in four playoff games, and while he didn’t register a hit, made sure to take in every moment.

“Originally, I was like, ‘Okay, it’ll be good, I’ll get some high-level reps and it will help me prepare for my senior season and college,’” the Portland University commit said.

“It turned out to be so much more than that as I feel like I got pretty close with some of the guys and they treated me like their little brother.”

Kauffman says winning the WCBL championship was the cherry on top of what was a memorable experience, one that he will take with him forever.

BELIEVING IN HIMSELF

While many of his Dawgs teammates have headed off to college, Kauffman is back home getting ready for the next big step in his baseball journey.

He will be heading to Toronto for his third Canadian Futures Showcase, where he hopes the experience of college-level baseball will show how much he has improved in the last year.

Congratulations to the 11 Dawgs on being selected for the Toronto Blue Jays Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre from September 17-21.#dawgs #BlueJays #canadianfutures #rogerscentre #youthbaseball #yycbaseball #yycsports #baseballcanada pic.twitter.com/Xg8xrR7k7X
— Okotoks Dawgs Academy (@DawgsAcademy) August 22, 2024

“The baseball is really good,” Kauffman said. “I like it because I get to see the best players in the country and can see where I stack up.”

The showcase has seen 117 players drafted by Major League baseball organizations since 2013, while 700 have received college scholarships.

While Kauffman already knows where he’s heading for college, he’s looking forward to the opportunity to show what he’s capable of.

“I just want to show I’m one of the best players there – I believe I am,” he said. “Just believing in myself and knowing that I can compete with these guys and have success.”

Kauffman will be suiting up for Team Black during the Canadian Futures Showcase, which is slated for Sept. 17-22 at Rogers Centre in Toronto.