Hawk Eyes Return

Vauxhall Academy of Baseball grad Garrett Hawkins has been rising up the San Diego Padres’ depth chart since being drafted in 2019.

However, his plans have hit a roadblock after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August.

As Tyson Shushkewich reports, the right-hander is still hoping to return in 2024.

Let ‘Em Fly

Jake Lanferman is hoping to become a coach like the ones he was coached by.

Go down the list: Sheen Bromley, Ray Brown, Taylor Burns, Chris Pritchett, Jason Chatwood.

The Sherwood Park native is using their collective influence to carve out his own journey as the coach of the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks.

The Brothers Vulcano

Canada has a growing list of recognizable baseball families.

The Quantrills. Naylors. Pompeys. Toros.

As Matt Betts of Canadian Baseball Network tells us, the Vulcanos are hoping to make their family a household name as they forge their own path in baseball.

Running of the Bulls

“Definitely the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

Bryce Oriold-Fraser turned 23 on the night his Lethbridge Bulls clinched the Western Canadian Baseball League championship. He was also named the WCBL Playoff MVP after two great appearances on the mound.

We take a look back at the Bulls’ journey to the final and the aftermath of winning it all.

3 UP, 3 DOWN WITH BRANDON HUPE

He just wants to play.

Like many University of British Columbia (UBC) baseball players, Brandon Hupe saw competitive games wiped out over the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the Thunderbirds outfielder is now showing what he can do as a member of the Okotoks Dawgs Red team.

3 UP, 3 DOWN WITH NOAH OR

Catcher Noah Or is like your favourite playlist right now … he’s offering up all the hits.

Through nine games in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL), the Richmond, British Columbia native is leading the pack in batting average (.486), and on-base percentage (.568). His 15 runs, 17 hits and nine runs batted in (RBI) are also near the top of the leaderboard.

Get to know Or a bit better in our latest edition of THREE UP, THREE DOWN …

1 Thru 9: Tony Olson

His favourite baseball memory was eliminating the Okotoks Dawgs from the 2017 Western Major Baseball League (WMBL) playoffs. During Game 5 of that first-round elimination game, Tony Olson led all batters with three hits and two runs batted in as the Edmonton Prospects emerged victorious in a 3-1 contest.

Olson and his Edmonton teammates are once again looking to play spoiler as they face the Medicine Hat Mavericks in Game 5 of the Western Division final tonight.

We caught up with the Sherwood Park, Alberta product in advance of tonight’s winner-take-all game at Athletic Park in Medicine Hat. Here’s what Olson said when he was presented with our “1 Thru 9” series of questions: