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2022

(Photo from the Calgary Sun, by Darren Makowichuk)

For the sixth time, Okotoks Dawgs are champions of the Western Canada Baseball League.

Dawgs downed Moose Jaw Miller Express 4-1 in the deciding game of the best-of-three final series. Alex Stufft knocked in two runs to lead the offense. Starter Brady Baltus and three relievers held the Express at bay. Closer Matt Wilkinson shut the door in the final two innings fanning four. Baltus racked up nine strikeouts,

Dawgs took the lead in the opening frame as Brendan Luther scored on a ground out. Express tied it in the second when Greyson Barrett doubled to plate Joe Osborn. In the decisive fourth, Stufft and Caleb Lumbard drove in runs to put the Dawgs up 3-1 and Stufft added an insurance marker in the fifth with a single.

Dawgs went 6-1 in the playoffs after a record-setting 43-13 record in the regular schedule.

Catcher Mike Kenney (left) of Regina Red Sox captured the 2022 batting title with a .409 average.

Tyler McWillie of Sylvan Lake Gulls (near right) and Nate Mensick of Moose Jaw Miller Express (far right) tied for the lead in homers, each with 11.



Nate Bach (far left) of the Red Sox knocked in the most runs, 46. Braden Desonia of the Medicine Hat Mavericks (near left) broke the league steals record with 42 thefts, well ahead of the pack.

Travis Cole (right) of Fort McMurary led the pitchers with an ERA of 0.98 in 46 innings of work. He fanned 48. 


Graham Brunner
(far left) of Okotoks Dawgs led in wins with a 7-0 mark, just ahead of Braden Houston of Regina and Josh Tucker of Sylvan Lake, each with 6-0 won-lost records.

Tucker was tops in strikeouts with 91 in just 56 1/3 innings and led in innings pitcher, 63 1/3.

EASTERN W L GB WESTERN W L GB
Regina Red Sox 34 22   Okotoks Dawgs 43 13  
Moose Jaw Miller Express 33 23 1.0 Sylvan Lake Gulls 38 18 5.0
Swift Curren 57s 29 27 5.0 Fort McMurray Giants 27 29 16.0
Medicine Hat Mavericks 18 38 16.0 Brooks Bombers 26 30 17.0
Weyburn Beavers 14 42 20.0 Lethbridge Bulls 26 30 17.0
        Edmonton Prospects 20 36 23.0

2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic only five teams competed in the 2021 season of the Western Canada League. One of the two teams from Okotoks, the Blacks, captured the league pennant.  It appears the playoffs were never completed with Lethbridge winning all four games played, but others playing as few as one game.

Noah OrTyler BoudreauTyler McWillieCatcher Noah Or (left) of the Lethbridge Bulls captured the batting title in the abbreviated schedule with an even .400 average, while Tyler McWillie (near right) of Sylvan Lake led in homers, with 8, and Kaden Zarowny of Okotoks Black and Kyle Froelich of Sylvan Lake tied for the most runs batted in, 35.

Sylvan Lake's Ty Boudreau (far right) compiled the most pitching wins, 6, while McWillie had the best earned run average, 2.29 and was tops in strikeouts with 67.

2021 W L GB        
Okotoks Dawgs Black 25 16          
Sylvan Lake Gulls 23 17    1.5        
Lethbridge Bulls 19 21 5.5        
Edmonton Prospects 19 22 6.0        
Okotoks Dawgs Red 15 25 9.5        

2020

The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 season.

2019

It’s been 10 years coming, but the Okotoks Dawgs finally won the 2019 Western Canadian Baseball League championship title after closing out the Regina Red Sox in game two of their best-of-three series with a incredible 8-6 comeback effort August 16th.

The Dawgs posted a four-run bottom-of-the-eighth inning to come back for the second time, to not only rip the hearts out of the Scarlet Stockings, but also inflict historical revenge after the Red Sox won the 2012 title on Seaman Stadium soil. Bellevue University commit Liam Rihela opened the scoring with one swing of the bat, albeit on his third try during his leadoff at-bat in the bottom of the second. Okotoks also came out on top in game one, defeating Regina 7-2 at Currie Field in the Queen City. Tristan Peters, an outfielder with the Dawgs, was named the playoff MVP.

Michael BattenMichael Batten (left) of the Regina Red Sox has captured the Pitching Triple Crown after leading the league in ERA, Strikeouts and Wins. Batten’s ERA was 1.53 for the season, he also led the league with 8 Wins and struck-out 81 batters.

Tristan PetersTristan Peters (right), the Okotoks star, captured the 2019 batting crown finishing with a .396 mark in 52 games, edging out Griffin Keller of the Regina Red Sox, who hit .386.

Jack Barrie of Weyburn Beavers was the leading slugger with 19 home runs and Kaleb Warden of the Lethbridge Bulls led in runs batted in, with 66.

 

Eastern W L GB Western W L GB
Regina Red Sox 41 15   Okotoks Dawgs 40 15  
Swift Current 57s 38 18    3.0 Lethbridge Bulls 31 25          9.5
Weyburn Beavers 33 22 7.5 Medicine Hat Mavericks 30 26 10.5
Moose Jaw Miller Express 26 30 15.0 Edmonton Prospects 29 27 11.5
Melville Millionaires 17 39 24.0 Fort McMurray Giants 28 28 12.5
Yorkton Cardinals 6 50 35.0 Brooks Bombers 16 40 24.5

2018

Medicine Hat Mavericks captured the 2018 Western Major League title downing Regina Red Sox 8-2 in the deciding game of the best-of-five final before a capacity crowd of 2,200 fans at Athletic Park. It was the third WMBL title for the Mavericks who also won in 2003 and 2014.

Medicine Hat posted the best regular season record (38-9) in winning the Western Division pennant. Regina finished third in the Eastern Division with a 26-21 mark. Red Sox advanced to the final defeating Swift Current, the defending champions, and Weyburn Beavers.

Corey WheatonKaleb WardenCorey Wheaton (left) of the Weyburn Beavers was named the leagues Most Valuable Player. The product of Scottsdale, Arizona, had an outstanding summer batting .372 in 45 games. The outfielder led the circuit with 30 stolen bases and produced 11 doubles, three home runs and 15 runs batted in. Wheaton came to Weyburn from the University of Mobile.

Kaleb Warden (right) Lethbridge Bulls infielder was selected as the Rookie of the Year.  Warden, who attends the University of Arkansas at Monticello, had a highly impressive first season in the WMBL. He registered a .369 average with eight doubles and seven home runs along with 38 runs batted in.

Jaret SemeniukRiley MacDonaldCatcher Jaret Semeniuk, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, showed poise both with his glove and bat in being selected as the top Canadian Rookie. Semeniuk, a freshman with the Prairie Baseball Academy, played in 30 games with the Lethbridge Bulls compiling a .371 average with seven doubles.

Riley MacDonald (right), catcher of the Brooks Bombers, was honoured with an Outstanding Achievement Award after setting a single season home run record with 20 circuit clouts in just 138 at bats.

Craig SmithMacDonald topped the previous mark of 18 by Jesse Sawyer of Lethbridge in 2011. The slugger is a product of North Vancouver baseball and suited up for the Waldorf University Warriors this spring before lining up with Brooks.

Right-handed reliever Craig Smith closer of the Okotoks Dawgs was an Honourable Mention after setting a Western Major Baseball League record for saves. Smith registered 15 saves in the Dawgs' 35 wins this summer.

Andrew Murphy of the Mavericks was named Coach of the Year.

The Okotoks Dawgs led the WMBL with seven first team all-star selections.

Colton Wright of Medicine Hat claimed the first team catching slot with an infield of Warden af first, Nolan Rattai, Medicine Hat, at second, Nate DeChaine, Okotoks, at the hot corner, and Carson Johnson of Medicine Hat at shortstop. Collin Ridout and William Hollis of Okotoks joined Wheaton in the all-star outfield. Three starting pitchers were selected - Cody Ebert,Okotoks, Ryan Johnson, Weyburn, and Owen Steele of Yorkton. Dustin Schorle of Okotoks won a slot in the bullpen and Smith, with his record-setting 15 saves, is the closer.

In June, the league announced it would be changing the name of the circuit to the Western Canada Baseball League.

Eastern W L GB Western W L GB
Weyburn Beavers 37 11   Medicine Hat Mavericks 38 9  
Swift Current 57s 28 20    9.0 Okotoks Dawgs 35 12        3.0
Regina Red Sox 26 21 10.5 Edmonton Prospects 23 23 14.5
Moose Jaw Miller Express 23 25 14.0 Lethbridge Bulls 19 29 19.5
Yorkton Cardinals 14 33 22.5 Fort McMurray Giants 17 31 21.5
Melville Millionaires 12 36 25.0 Brooks Bombers 13 35 25.5

2017

Swift Current captured its second straight WMBL title, again (as in 2016) downing Edmonton Prospects in the final. The 57s won the series three games to two after sweeping last year. Swift Current lost the first two games of the Eastern final to Weyburn before charging back to win three in a row for a spot in the finals where they fell behind two games to one before winning the last two to claim the championship.

Okotoks Dawgs captured the pennant with a record of 35-13 during the regular season. They led the loop with five players selected to the First Team All-Stars.

Catcher – Bodie Cooper (Swift Current)
First  – Kody Funderburk (Okotoks)
Second – Matt Lloyd (Okotoks)
Third – Eddie Sanchez (Okotoks)
Shortstop – Zane Takhar (Edmonton)
Outfield - Blake Adams (Swift Current), Broderick Rodocker (Regina), Justin Erlandson  (Regina)
Utility - Blake Rowlett (Medicine Hat)
DH - Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton)
Starters - Bobby St Pierre (Swift Current), Anthony Balderas (Okotoks), Tyler Hodder (Fort McMurray)
Relief - Preston Minor (Regina)
Closer - Tyler Burdett (Okotoks)

Kody FunderburkKody Funderburk of the Dawgs was named the Most Valuable Player for 2017. The native of Queen Creek, Arizona, capped a spectacular season playing in 45 games with a .339 batting average and a league-leading 15 home runs. Funderburk also starred on the mound making nine Blake AdamsMatt Lloydappearances without allowing a run. He fanned 11 and gained credit for one save. Blake Adams (far right) of Swift Current was named Rookie of the Year. The outfielder from Tarleton State University in Texas hit .360 with eight doubles and 12 four baggers. He knocked in 54 runs and racked up 18 stolen bases. Matt Lloyd (right), the Okotoks product, was selected as the Canadian Rookie. The All-Star second sacker who attends Indiana University had a 24-game hitting streak, finishing with a .402 average, eight home runs and 38 RBI.

Eastern W L GB Western W L GB
Swift Current Indians 33 15     -- Okotoks Dawgs 35 13           --
Weyburn Beavers 30 18 3.0 Lethbridge Bulls 27 21 8.0
Regina Red Sox 29 19 4.0 Medicine Hat Mavericks 27 21 8.0
Moose Jaw Miller Express 23 25 10.0 Edmonton Prospects 24 24 11.0
Melville Millionaires 16 32 17.0 Fort McMurray Giants 20 28 15.0
Yorkton Cardinals 10 38 23.0 Brooks Bombers 14 34 21.0

2016

For the second straight year a team went undefeated in the league playoffs en route to the WMBL championship. This time it was the Swift Current Indians winning all nine post-season games to duplicate the feat of the Lethbridge Bulls in 2015.  Reliever Ryan Pope was named finals MVP after gaining three saves in three consecutive days, hurling eight frames in the finals. Over the nine playoff encounters, Pope, a 5’8” right-hander out of Sterling College, picked up seven saves in fashioning a 1.12 ERA in 16 innings, fanning 19.

Alec HumphreysCory ScammellSwift Current shortstop Alec Humphreys (left) was selected as the league's MVP for the regular season and teammate Bodie Cooper, a catcher,  was chosen as Rookie of the Year. Humphreys sizzled at the plate, with a .393 average with 14 doubles, a triple and five homers in 48 games. He knocked in 30 runs.

Outfielder Cory Scammell (right) of Edmonton, a former pro in the Seattle Mariners' farm system, was the 2016 batting champion.

Kody RockRight-hander Kody Rock (left) of Yorkton Cardinals, a Canora, Saskatchwan native. was named the top pitcher after compiling a 1.91 ERA in 61 innings with 59 strikeouts.

The league added two new teams for the 2016 season, the Brooks, Alberta Bombers, and the Fort McMurray, Alberta, Giants bring to 12 the number of teams in the loop with six in each of the Eastern and Western divisions.

 

Eastern W L GB Western W L GB
Swift Current Indians 32 15     - Okotoks Dawgs 32 14           -
Yorkton Cardinals 28 18 3.5 Medicine Hat Mavericks 30 16 2.0
Regina Red Sox 26 20 5.5 Lethbridge Bulls 26 20 6.0
Weyburn Beavers 24 24 8.5 Edmonton Prospects 22 24 10.0
Moose Jaw Miller Express 19 28 13.0 Fort McMurray Giants
16
32
17.0
Melville Millionaires 10 37 22.0 Brooks Bombers
15
32
17.5

2015

The Lethbridge Bulls captured their first league title with a remarkable playoff run winning all nine post-season games downing Regina Red Sox in the final. Dylan Dyson of the Bulls was named the playoff MVP hitting .474 with three homers and 13 runs batted in.

Brandon BuftonJose RojasBulls had the league's best record during the regular season winning 34 of 38 starts. Outfielder Brandon Bufton (left) of the Bulls was named the league's MVP after hitting .359.

Jose Rojas (right), a California college star playing with the Swift Current Indians was the batting champion, with a .366 average, and was named Rookie of the Year.

Trevor SwaneyJ.J. Santa CruzThe Pitcher of the Year was Trevor Swaney (far left) a right-handed pitcher from Illinois (Wright State University) of the Okotoks Dawgs who finished with a 7-1 record and league-leading 1.69 ERA. Swaney's teammate Dylan Nelson had the best won-lost mark winning seven straight decisions without a loss.

J.J. Santa-Cruz of Moose Jaw Miller Express (near left) topped the circuit in strikeouts as the lefty fanned 79 in 62 2/3s innings of work.

Eastern W L GB Western W L GB
Weyburn Beavers 31 17     - Lethbridge Bulls 34 14           -
Regina Red Sox 23 25 8 Okotoks Dawgs 29 18 4.5
Yorkton Cardinals 20 28 11 Medicine Hat Mavericks 25 23 9.0
Swift Current Indians 19 29 12 Edmonton Prospects 21 26 12.5
Moose Jaw Miller Express 19 29 12
Melville Millionaires 18 30 13

2014

Medicine Hat Mavericks captured the 2014 WMBL title downing Swift Current 6-3 to win the final series three games to one. Mavericks had finished the regular season in second place in the Western Division, six games back of Lethbridge, and edged out Okotoks in the semi-finals. Swift Current won a spot in the final defeating Regina Red Sox in their playoff series.

Aidan StinnettMiles HunterTerry McNabbMoose Jaw, who finished second in the Central Division, had the league's top hitters and leading hurler. Aidan Stinnett (far left) the Moose Jaw third sacker led the loop in hitting with a .393 average, barely edging outfield teammate Miles Hunter (near left) who finished at .391.  Eros Modena of Swift Current, who was fourth in the batting race with his .370 mark, knocked in the most runs, 46. Terry McNabb (right) of Moose Jaw had the most pitching wins, with an 8-1 record, and led in strikeouts with 73. Scott Cone of Lethbridge had the best ERA, 2.08 to go along with a 5-1 record.

2014 Final Standings :

East
W
L
GB
  Central
W
L
GB
  West
W
L
GB
Regina
30
16
  Swift Current
28
18
  Lethbridge
31
15
 
Weyburn
20
26
10.0
  Moose Jaw
24
22
4.0
  Medicine Hat
25
21
6.0
 
Yorkton
19
27
11.0
  Saskatoon
20
26
8.0
  Okotoks
24
22
7.0
 
Melville
15
31
15.0
            Edmonton
17
29
14.0
 
                         

2013

Melville Millionaires are the 2013 champions of the Western Major Baseball League defeating the Medicine Hat Mavericks, the best team during the regular season, three games to one in the final series.

Michael CorsoThomas RodriguesMichael Corso (left) of the Moose Jaw Miller Express was selected as the league's Most Valuable Player.

The native of Vancleave, Mississippi, led the circuit with 11 home runs and 46 runs batted in and was the runner-up in batting average, finishing at .388, six points back of Thomas Rodrigues (right) of Okotoks.

Alex Bos of Medicine Hat with a perfect 8-0 won-lost record was tops in that category. Homero Ortiz of Melville was right behind with a 7-0 mark and an ERA of 1.50, second to Billy Martin the Medicine Hat right-hander, who was 4-0, 1.14. Swift Current's Anthony Armanino, 4-0, 2.25, was tops in strikeouts with 60 in 40 innings of work.

Grant Silva of the Mavericks had the most thefts, 37.

2013 Final Standings :

East
W
L
GB
  Central
W
L
GB
  West
W
L
GB
Melville
28
18
  Swift Current
29
17
  Medicine Hat
39
7
 
Regina
22
24
6.0
  Moose Jaw
21
25
8.0
  Okotoks
31
13
7.0
 
Weyburn
18
28
10.0
  Saskatoon
18
26
10.0
  Lethbridge
23
23
16.0
 
Yorkton
16
30
12.0
            Edmonton
6
40
33.0
 
                         

2012

Regina Red Sox dumped Medicine Hat 7-3 Wednesday (August 15) to win their second consecutive WMBL title. Sox took the best-of-five final series in four games. Randy Ramirez led the offense with a two-run homer and Chris Untereiner had a solo shot.  Ryne Drummonds went seven innings for the win. Regina, under first-year head coach Justin Eiswirth had the best record during the regular season finishing with a mark of 34-12.

Ridge GonsoulinAaron DunsmoreJosh YoungThe MVP award was shared in 2012 as selectors choose both Ridge Gonsoulin (Lethbridge Bulls) (far left) and Aaron Dunsmore (Swift Current Indians) (left).

Gonsoulin, from Louisiana State University in Shreveport, had a record-setting 25-game hitting streak. Dunsmore, a Canadian from Spruce Grove, Alberta, was a leading hitter for the University of Dayton, Ohio and finished the WCBL season with a .403 average while belting 9 homers and driving in 42 runs.

Daniel JonesJosh Young of Regina (above right) won the batting crown with a .416 mark, edging Gonsoulin, who registered a .413 average.

Daniel Jones (right) of the Regina Red Sox was named the top pitcher after a sensational season in which he set a record for wins (9) and also topped the circuit in ERA (1.34) and strikeouts (70).

Jones, a right-hander from Daytona Beach, Florida, came to the Sox from Brewton-Parker College in Georgia. where he was an All-Star hurler.

In the spring of 2012, Jones went 7-4, 2.35 on the hill for the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) squad while compiling a .316 batting average in 48 games as a hitter.

 

2012 Final Standings :

East
W
L
GB
  Central
W
L
GB
  West
W
L
GB
Regina
34
12
  Swift Current
28
18
  Medicine Hat
31
15
 
Melville
24
22
10.0
  Moose Jaw
21
25
7.0
  Lethbridge
27
18
3.5
 
Weyburn
19
25
14.0
  Saskatoon
20
26
8.0
  Okotoks
26
19
4.5
 
Yorkton
14
32
20.0
            Edmonton
6
38
24.0
 
                         

2011

Regina Red Sox captured their first WMBL title in 2011 downing the Okotoks Dawgs three games to one in the final series.  During the regular season Regina, the Eastern Division champs, had the best winning percentage with a 32-10 won-lost record. Okotoks, the Western Division champs, and Medicine Hat, the Western runners-up, tied for the most wins, each with 34. The teams in each division finished in the same order as in 2010.

Jesse SawyerBryan AbreyJesse Sawyer (left) of the Lethbridge Bulls was selected as the league's Most Valuable Player. Sawyer led the loop with 18 home runs and 50 RBI.  The homers set a single-season record for the WMBL. 

The Calgary native, who attended South Dakota State University, finished with a .351 batting average and scored 38 runs. For a slugger, Sawyer showed outstanding plate discipline with 37 walks and 39 strike outs. He compiled a .500 on base percentage and .773 slugging percentage. In the playoffs, he hit .400.

Chad JonesBryan Abrey (above right), of the Medicine Hat Mavericks, captured the batting crown finishing with a .423 average.

Abrey, from Vancouver and attending Lewis-Clark College, had been selected as the 2010 Outstanding Canadian in the league.

Reliever Chad Jones (right) of Swift Current Indians was named Top Pitcher.  The right-hander compiled a 6-2 record with an ERA of 1.06 in 22 games.

 

2011 Final Standings :

East
W
L
GB
  Central
W
L
GB
  West
W
L
GB
Regina
32
10
  Swift Current
26
16
  Okotoks
34
12
 
Melville
20
22
12.0
  Moose Jaw
17
24
8.5
  Medicine Hat
34
16
2.0
 
Weyburn
16
25
15.5
  Saskatoon
14
28
12.0
  Lethbridge
23
25
12.0
 
Yorkton
14
26
17.0
            Edmonton
10
36
24.0
 
                         

2010

The Swift Current Indians are the new champions of the WMBL! Swift Current captured the 2010 title August 14th with a 7-2 win over Regina, sweeping the best-of-three series. They won the opener 7-1. Rain forced the league to switch from a best-of-five final to a best-of-three series.

Mitch McDonaldAdam ReynoldsDuring the regular season, the defending champion Okotoks Dawgs again had the best record, with 31 victories.

Regina first sacker Mitch MacDonald (left) won the Triple Crown leading the league in batting average, .476, home runs, 8, and runs batted in, 48. McDonald, a Regina product, was also named the league's Most Valuable Player. The first baseman had experience in the Florida Marlins system after signing with the club after a record-breaking, all-star, college season at Monterey Peninsula College in California in 2007. 

Adam Reynolds (right) of Lethbridge was named the top pitcher in leading the league in wins (7) and ERA (1.26).

2010 Final Standings :

East
W
L
GB
  Central
W
L
GB
  West
W
L
GB
Regina
29
13
  Swift Current
30
12
  Okotoks
31
18
 
Melville
25
17
4.0
  Moose Jaw
19
23
11.0
  Medicine Hat
25
23
05.5
 
Weyburn
17
25
12.0
  Saskatoon
12
29
17.5
  Lethbridge
26
24
05.5
 
Yorkton
13
27
15.0
            Edmonton
15
31
14.5
 
                         

2009

The Okotoks Dawgs finished with the best overall record in the regular 2009 season and went on to capture their third straight WMBL championship. 

Okotoks and Melville Millionaires had each won a game in the best-of-five final when rain and the need for players to return to their colleges wiped out the rest of the series. The league declared the two clubs as co-champions. But, Melville was later found to have used an ineligible players and Melville was disqualified.

Nik GumesonJames GreenCoty SaranthusNik Gumeson (left) of Swift Current was selected as the leagues Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year. Gumeson, from Utah University, batted .312 and led the league in slugging percentage (.675), triples (5) and tied for the lead with 11 home runs.  He had 42 runs batted in and slammed 14 doubles.

James Green (above right) of Melville captured the batting title with a .423 average.  Coty Saranthus (above middle) side-arming reliever of Melville was named top pitcher in compiling an spectacular, league record, earned run average of 0.41 to go along with a 5-1 won-lost mark. (in 2010 Saranthus was named Pitcher of the Year in the Coastal Plains League of the Southeast USA as he went 7-0, 0.68.)

2009 Final Standings :

East
W
L
GB
  Central
W
L
GB
  West
W
L
GB
Melville
26
14
  Swift Current
27
13
  Okotoks
32
13
 
Regina
21
18
4.5
  Moose Jaw
15
25
12.0
  Lethbridge
25
21
07.5
 
Yorkton
20
20
6.0
  Saskatoon
15
25
12.0
  Medicine Hat
20
26
12.5
 
Weyburn
12
28
14.0
            Edmonton
18
28
12.5
 
                         

Brooks Bombers Edmonton Prospects
EDMONTON PROSPECTS
Fort McMurray Lethbridge Bulls
LETHBRIDGE BULLS
Medicine Hat Mavericks Moose Jaw
MOOSE JAW MILLER EXPRESS
Okotoks Dawgs
OKOTOKS DAWGS
Regina Red Sox
Swift Current 57s
SWIFT CURRENT 57s
Sylvan Lake Gulls
SYLVAN LAKE GULLS
2019_Weyburn Beavers
WEYBURN BEAVERS