Pinky Promise

It would have been easy for Demitri Shakotko to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Instead of chasing the hockey dream, he went after baseball by heading to Vauxhall Academy of Baseball.

After a successful first season with Cloud County Community College, he hopes to suit up in the city his dad played junior hockey in with the Lethbridge Bulls.

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The Ricky Ro! Show

Life often pulls you in different directions.

At times, the path it sets you on can be rather unexpected.

On this particular snow-swept March night on the prairies, former Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ricky Romero found himself pulled to Vauxhall for a fundraising banquet that was being hosted by the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball.

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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.

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Dream Wevers

If baseball doesn’t work out for Ty Wevers, motivational speaking might be a good backup plan.

In chatting with the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball product, you can’t help but feel inspired by how hard work paved the way in his baseball journey.

In this full Q&A from our conversation on Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast, Wevers talks about mindset, as well as his experience at Vauxhall and his decision to continue his education and baseball career at Cloud County Community College.

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Shipping Up To Boston

What a year it has been for Jackson Clemett.

The Calgary native and Vauxhall Academy of Baseball product started off the fall of 2019 by being named to the Tournament-12 in Toronto.

This spring, he announced his commitment to the University of Utah. And this fall, he was named to the World team for the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series.

We chatted with the outfielder recently about the experience and what he has on his radar for the next twelve months.

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Abbott & Canisius

Every athlete has a number of questions they ask themselves before they decide on the route they want to take next in their journey.

For Lethbridge’s Levi Abbott, he had three key criteria on the school he wanted to go to.

In the end, the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball pitcher decided on Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y.

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Rocket Man

He bears little resemblance to Roger Clemens, but you can go ahead and call David Reiniger “Rocket Man.”

While he won’t blow anyone away with a 98 mile-per-hour fastball, Reiniger has something much faster at his fingertips. He literally has rockets at his disposal.

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Macko’s Mindset

Adam Macko has a bold goal in mind.

It’s not enough to make it into professional baseball or even into the Major Leagues. He wants to get into the Hall of Fame.

His journey towards that goal soon begins with his first spring training with the Seattle Mariners.

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1 Thru 9: Connor Green

Moving around is nothing new for Connor Green.

The Manitoba product came to Vauxhall in 2015, went down to the US for college at Pratt and Minot State and is now back in Alberta helping the Medicine Hat Mavericks pace the WMBL.

We caught up with him for another edition of “1 Thru 9.”

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Jet Setters

For Vauxhall Baseball Academy players Jaden Griffin, Damiano Palmegiani and Martin Vincelli-Simard, you just hope their suitcase-packing skills are as good as their baseball abilities.

The trio barely had a chance to return to Alberta from Florida – where they suited up for Baseball Canada’s Junior National Team (JNT) during a hectic 12-day stretch of spring training action against MLB prospects – before they were headed south again for tournament play in Las Vegas.

Vauxhall’s team name – Jets – was never more appropriate.

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