Coming Up Aces

When Gavin Logan was called in for a chat with Hillsboro Hops skipper Mark Reed in mid-June, he wasn’t entirely sure what to think.

The Oyen native and Okotoks Dawgs alum found himself embarking on a jet-setting journey to three different minor league teams in the Arizona Diamondbacks system.

Dawg Day for Logan Brothers

It was a good old fashioned baseball night.

While Chase Logan was performing well for the Western Canadian Baseball League’s Okotoks Dawgs, his brother, Gavin, was being promoted to Triple-A in the Arizona Diamondbacks system.

Feels Like Home

It was a homecoming Max Benton didn’t think he would ever make.

The Lethbridge Bulls starting pitcher toed the rubber at Doug Lehman Field in Oyen for the Western Canadian Baseball League’s Rural Roots Classic, where he had done it many times before as a member of the Badlands Baseball Academy.

OPINION: WCBL’s Rural Roots was a Classic

There were cheers, beers and even a few tears at the first Western Canadian Baseball League Rural Roots Baseball Classic in Oyen, Alberta.

And if Joe McFarland had a vote at the WCBL board of governor’s table, he would enthusiastically vote “yes” to hold another one in 2026.

Rural Roots Baseball Classic Photo Gallery

Oh yeah, Oyen!

That was quite a show at the Rural Roots Baseball Classic over the weekend.

The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) event – a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Oyen Pronghorns championship season – culminated with a neutral site game between the Lethbridge Bulls and the Sylvan Lake Gulls at Doug Lehman Field on Sunday, June 8th.

Here are some of the sights from the Rural Roots Baseball Classic …

Pronghorn Proud

When they galloped onto Saskatchewan’s baseball scene, you did not want to lock horns with Oyen.

The Pronghorns, the lone Alberta representative in the Saskatchewan Major Baseball League (SMBL), joined the five-team circuit in 1993 and came ready to play.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Pronghorns claiming their first SMBL championship.

Beaver Tales

Gavin Logan is no stranger to the open road.

Growing up on a farm outside Oyen, the young athlete played a lot of his minor baseball in Consort, before heading to Dawgs Academy.

After a couple of other college stops, he made his way to Oregon State University, where the Beavers are looking to get back to the College World Series.

1 Thru 9: Badlands Academy

Situated in the heart of Alberta’s badlands, Badlands Baseball Academy is a diamond oasis on the prairies.

As we continue our “1 Thru 9” Academy profiles, we chat with Jeff Amos about what makes Badlands as good as it is.