Nathan Nukes

When the players, coaches and assorted baseball observers assembled for scout day at the Canadian Futures Showcase, Nathan Flewelling hit perhaps the longest home run of the outing.

It was a hard-struck ball that smacked off the face of Schneider’s Porch in the 200 level of Rogers Centre.

That was just the beginning of Flewelling’s long-ball exploits this week in Toronto.

Selected for Saturday’s Home Run Derby, the Innisfail, Alberta native cracked 11 total dingers over two rounds to secure the event’s championship belt.

1 Thru 9: St. Joseph Baseball Academy

Opening day took on new meaning for some central Alberta students during this school year. That’s because newly opened St. Joseph High School in Red Deer began accepting baseball and softball academy students for the first time last fall.

It was a welcome addition to the school and the community for Jason Chatwood, who is the lead instructor of the academy.

Chatwood made time for Alberta Dugout Stories recently to discuss the freshly-minted program, as part of our “1 Thru 9” series focusing on Alberta baseball academies.