Love Letters to Baseball

Over the last year, we have asked a simple question of our guests on Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.

“What does the game of baseball mean to you?”

It has resulted in some of the most heartfelt, genuine answers, which we wanted to gather together in one place as we celebrate the game of baseball.

Ready For The Warhawks

It wasn’t planned, but Tylor Jans managed to pack a spring worth of college baseball highlights into a matter of days.

From a strong start to the season with Cloud County College to the abrupt end with the COVID-19 pandemic to signing his Letter of Intent with the University of Louisiana Monroe, it’s safe to say March 2020 is a month the Edmonton native won’t soon forget.

We talked about that and more in a recent conversation on Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.

7th Inning Stretch: Andrew Yusypchuk

“My goals for T12 this year are to be able to really compete among all the best players in the country.”

With a little more experience under his belt, Edmonton’s Andrew Yusypchuk is hoping to make more of a name for himself at Tournament 12 in Toronto.

The Dawgs Academy product is the latest to answer our questions for our 7th Inning Stretch profiles.

7th Inning Stretch: Taran Oulton

No matter where he pitches – or how he’s throwing – you can always count on Taran Oulton to log a lot of innings.

The Calgary-born lefty, who trained at Prospects Academy in St. Albert, recently wrapped up his senior year at William Woods University (WWU), where he set a new school record for complete games in a season.

Since returning to the Edmonton Prospects of the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) for yet another summer season, Oulton has remained busy.

Case Closed

The announcement took more than a few people by surprise.

After three games with the New Hampshire Fishercats this spring, it was announced Andrew Case was retiring.

As we found out, the former Prospects Academy and Prairie Baseball Academy product made a lasting impression here in Alberta.

1 Thru 9: Prospects Baseball Academy

After a decade of operation, Prospects Baseball Academy in St. Albert has cultivated some incredible talent.

Those who have attended the academy include Major League Baseball (MLB) draft picks – like Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Andrew Case and Erik Sabrowski, a 2018 selection of the San Diego Padres – while others have represented the Prospects in Edmonton as members of the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) team.

Other students – such as Jackson Wark, Kobe Hyland and Taran Oulton – have gone on to play high-end college baseball in the United States and across Canada.

Jordan Blundell, meanwhile, has become the face for the Prospects in both St. Albert and Edmonton. In St. Albert, Blundell works as a hitting instructor and recruiting coordinator at Prospects Baseball Academy, while in Edmonton he was recently named head coach and director of baseball operations by the Prospects.

We caught up with Blundell recently to learn more about the academy.

Dome Sweet Dome

It’s hard not getting butterflies in your stomach as you step onto the turf at Rogers Centre.

It will be up to Alberta’s coaches like Allen Cox and Les McTavish to keep them all at bay as the annual T12 tournament kicks off.

We chatted with them ahead of the showcase in Toronto.

Oulton Hears a Hoo

Alberta baseball fans may recognize left-handed pitcher Taran Oulton from his work on the mound for the Edmonton Prospects of the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL), but the 21-year-old has been a stabilizing force for the William Woods University (WWU) Owls this season.

The Owls – who play out of Fulton, Missouri in the American Midwest Conference – have an overall record of 21-11 on the year, including a 10-3 showing in the conference, good for second place.

For his part, Oulton has collected five wins over eight starts. The 6-foot tall junior has not pitched less than six innings during any one outing, and he has yet to yield more than two earned runs on game days. Over 55 innings, Oulton has struck out 50 batters while walking 15 hitters. He has also surrendered 56 hits, but just one of them for a home run

That’s Erik with a K

In a season full of eye-popping numbers for sophomore Erik Sabrowski, the two-way threat delivered his finest performance of 2018 – and perhaps of his career – last week.

During the seven-inning affair, Sabrowski powered his Cloud County Community College T-Birds to a 3-0 victory in dominant fashion. Of the 21 outs recorded with Sabrowski on the mound, 18 of them came via strikeout.

We followed up with Sabrowski – a product of Prospects Academy in St. Albert who played for the Edmonton Prospects last summer – to talk about his record-setting game.