By JOE McFARLAND

Mason Bristow stands out in a crowd.

Meeting for the first time in MacEwan Hall at the University of Calgary, the 6-foot-4 utilityman towers over you when he stands up and delivers a firm handshake.

A product of the hometown Calgary Cubs, he’s now into his third season with the Dinos.

He’s become a regular fixture in the lineup, hitting .232 with a double, two triples and four home runs in 19 games, driving in 18 runs and scoring 10 himself.

Bristow, who is an engineering student, has also made a pair of appearances on the mound, striking out one in three innings of relief work.

It sets himself up well to be a fairly fresh arm if Cam Williams and the Dinos need it for the playoffs, should they emerge as one of the six teams to qualify for the May 21-24 Canadian College Baseball Conference World Series.

We sat down with Bristow to get to know more about his journey for the latest Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast, and here are a few of his answers for the new 7^th Inning Stretch.

1. What’s the vibe in the clubhouse as you guys are hanging onto a playoff spot heading into the weekend?

I think vibes are still pretty solid right now. I think we feel like we’re in a good spot. We’re comfortable with all our guys now. We’ve had a few weeks back at home now to get some of our field work and kind of get a feel for what it’s going to be like playing out of our home field, so it’s been good. We’re feeling pretty good right now.

2. That’s one thing I’ve noticed around the league is that there have been a few more errors in games than what we’re used to seeing. Is it fair to say the weather hasn’t helped things at all?

Yeah, I think that’s fair to say. We’ve been kind of dealing with it over at Foothills and Glen Hanson, but we work through it and we try to play our best given the conditions. It’s been good so far.

3. Talk about your season so far. How are you feeling about your development and gameplay to this point?

I feel really good. I think I’m finally getting into my comfort zone with the team and it’s been good to get lots of swings in this year. Not so much pitching yet, but we’re hopeful here for the last half of the season.

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4. How key is that arm going to be for you and the team, given so many people talk about pitching depth heading into championship weekend and, for the most part, yours seems ready to be fairly rested?

I think it’s going to be really important for me, just to always feel like I’m doing my most to contribute to the team. We’re pretty comfortable with our bullpen right now, so I’m just looking to do whatever I can to help the guys out.

5. When you look at this team, what do you see that gives you the confidence knowing you can make another championship run here?

I just think right now we’re happy with the talent on this team. Everyone is able to contribute and everyone has the talent. I think that’s one of our biggest strengths right now. It’s just about putting it all together and having some success until the end of May.

6. It’s a little different with not everyone making it to the dance in Lethbridge in a few weeks. Has it been different trying to temper expectations a bit but also make sure you’re stacking up wins so you’re one of the six teams heading down?

Yeah, I think it’s definitely a different feel this year. It used to be who is hot and who is not come playoffs, but now, you have to stay consistent throughout the whole season and then keep that rolling at the playoffs. It’s also nice though because it’s making sure everything’s competitive. You’re always playing as best as you can and there are no days off. I think it’s been good for us.

7. As a Calgary kid playing for the hometown team, what would it mean to you to take home a CCBC championship?

Oh, that would just be great. It’s really been on everyone’s mind since 2023. I just missed that year with these guys taking it home, but it would be great to get another one for the program.