By IAN WILSON
When it comes to the Western Canadian Baseball League, Ian Regnier channeled his inner Johnny Cash this summer.
No, he didn’t walk the line or become the man in black.
But his adventures across Alberta and Saskatchewan evoked memories of Cash’s classic hit song I’ve Been Everywhere.
Of travel, he’s had his share. He’s been to Sylvan Lake, Brooks, Lethbridge, Okotoks, Medicine Hat, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Swift Current, Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw, Weyburn.
After getting a taste of WCBL action at Seaman Stadium in 2023, the 35-year-old high school teacher decided he wanted to get a full look at the league and visit all 12 ballparks on the summer collegiate circuit.
He set out to do just that from his home in Strathmore, Alberta by splitting his 2024 WCBL journey into eight mini-trips. Regnier started in Sylvan Lake on May 26th with a matchup between the Bulls and Gulls and he completed his trek with a four-city tour of Saskatchewan that ended in Saskatoon with a game between the Dawgs and the Berries on July 28th.
Along the way, Regnier met lots of baseball fans, sampled plenty of concessions delights and, generally speaking, had fun in the sun.
He made time for us recently for a question-and-answer session about his baseball travels. Here’s what Regnier had to say:
Q. First off, tell us a bit about your love of baseball?
A: I played baseball growing up but the game kind of faded away for me after high school, but my love for the sport was reignited when I went to a MLB game at Coors Field in Denver in 2018. Since then I have been following baseball religiously and discovering minor, independent and collegiate leagues like the WCBL along the way.
Q: What was your first experience at a WCBL game and what did you think of it?
A: My first WCBL game was just last June watching the Okotoks Dawgs play the Swift Current 57’s and I was really impressed with the level of play and fan atmosphere at Seaman Stadium. I didn’t know the level of the league, nor other teams until my friend who lives in Medicine Hat and knows some of the Mavs players later explained that it was all college players. It was awesome to learn we had all these teams in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Q: Where did the idea come from to tour all 12 WCBL ballparks and why was it important to you?
A: I love traveling to ballparks. I’ve been to a dozen MLB stadiums and a handful of minor league ones and discovered places I never would’ve thought of visiting if it weren’t for baseball. So, I just loved the idea of seeing all 12 WCBL teams in their home-field setting and having the opportunity to watch the collegiate-level calibre of ball. It’s great to take in local attractions and activities before and after the ball games too, so this challenge was also an opportunity to discover more of these prairie communities.
Q: Tell us about the logistics of making the trek. What dates did it happen between? Did you have traveling companions? Did you have to bribe anyone to get the green light to take off for the trip?
A: I love looking at baseball schedules and planning routes according to dates that work for me, so when the WCBL schedule came out I just looked up the games and started marking the calendar. There’s quite a bit of distance between some of these teams so I knew it was going to be big mileage to pull it off.
To see all 12 ballparks it took eight separate trips, mostly on weekends, and then as a teacher with the summer off it was easier to knock off the remaining ones in July.
I did it all in my old, yet reliable, 2004 Toyota Camry starting on May 26th in Gulls Stadium in Sylvan Lake and finishing at Currie Field in Regina on July 27th.
It was mostly just me, but on the last southern Saskatchewan trip I had my buddy, John, hop along to take in the WCBL experience. He died his face purple for the Berries, so definitely got them a new fan!
Q: What challenges did you face along the way? Were their rainouts or travel obstacles?
A: Thankfully there were no major obstacles during any of the journeys. Camping outside of Brooks at the end of May got really chilly at night to my surprise, so I didn’t see that coming and it was a smoky ride up to Fort McMurray in early July. Overall, I was very fortunate that all the games I chose didn’t have any delays and was able to see them all as planned. I wish I would’ve been in Brooks for the windy football score night in June.
Q: What was your favourite ballpark and why?
A: Tough question because each ballpark offered its own unique features but overall Sylvan Lake’s ballpark struck me as the most impressive. Maybe because it was my first game of the season and I was super excited to start the challenge there, but I really just loved the look of the stadium, the pitch count and pitcher’s velocity on the scoreboard, and it just reminded me of some of the intimate minor league parks I’ve been to in the U.S. Can’t wait to go back there.
Q: Tell us about some of the WCBL fans you met along the way. What did they make of your adventure?
A: I talked to lots of great fans and ballpark personnel throughout the trips. Some people were simply there for a nice ball game experience and taking in the vibes, while others were closely watching technical aspects of the game, like pitch usage and looking up batter stats. There were big crowds in places like Sylvan Lake, Okotoks and Saskatoon and smaller ones in Edmonton (Sherwood Park), Swift Current and Weyburn, but I loved these latter ones just as much because it reminded me more of playing ball as a kid. I only told a few people I was seeing all 12 teams, but those conversations just led to talking about the league as whole and how abundant in talent it is.
Q: Where was the best game-day experience? What were your favourite concession foods and drinks in your travels? What about the swag from each team – do you have a favourite ball cap or jersey that you like?
A: I thought the music and announcing was great at all the ballparks and seeing some of the inter-innings competitions and promotions was a blast. Overall, my favourite experience was in Saskatoon seeing Berries-mania with the new team and getting my picture with Barry the mascot.
For snacks the Berries premium sundae was my favourite, although the Gulls sundae and Moose Jaw’s funnel fries were solid runner ups. Okotoks definitely had the best drink selection and the best beer batter luck came in Weyburn.
I really like the look of the Berries and 57’s uniforms, as well as the more classic look that Fort Mac and Moose Jaw have. The Miller Express have the coolest hat design.
Q: What did you think of the quality of the ballparks, as well as the calibre of the baseball in the WCBL?
A: It was interesting to see the variety of the ballparks. Overall the Alberta ones had a more modern feel while Saskatchewan’s were more of an old timey atmosphere. MacDonald Island Park in Fort McMurray is a great spot to hit up a driving range and go for a hot tub then just walk across the parking lot to go watch a game at Legacy Dodge Field. Moose Jaw’s Ross Wells Park is very historic and has great views of the old trees in the surrounding neighbourhood behind the outfield. I also really loved the view of the hills at Athletic Park in Med Hat.
The quality of the baseball was superb and I was specifically impressed with the defence. I saw countless memorable plays throughout the games like the Brooks’ first baseman doing the splits to make an out, the Red Sox’s left fielder making consecutive Kevin Pillar-esque grabs and seeing home runs at the smaller Elks Field in Brooks. It was reasonably priced tickets for high-value entertainment, which was part of the inspiration to see all the teams.
Q: Were there any ballparks or teams or experiences that surprised you on your trip?
A: The fan atmosphere was great at so many parks. The most surprising or memorable game and experience might’ve been in Weyburn where my friend John and I tried Canada’s only KFC all-you-can-eat buffet, which was phenomenal. Then we watched the Beavers game where they were down in the bottom of the 9th and came back to win 4-3 in extras in the 11th inning to beat the Mavs. The Beavers 50/50 vendor also did the most epic last call for tickets to the crowd. Just a fantastic night of entertaining baseball.
Q: What’s next for baseball adventures for you? How will you top this?!
A: I’ll always remember this epic whirlwind tour of the WCBL but if you look at a map of the majors, minors, indy ball, collegiate leagues, collegiate summer leagues and international leagues your head can really spin at how much baseball is out there. I just love taking the summer to enjoy weaving as many games from these different leagues together as I can. This August I’m planning to see some teams in the southwest U.S. and California … baseball really offers endless adventures for road trips.
Q: You have documented some of your journey on social media. Tell us where we can find you?
A: Absolutely. Follow my X/Twitter at @BeisbolOdysseys where I’m documenting these travels. Thanks. Answering all these questions was a great way to reflect on the whole experience over the last couple months!
Tales of Baseball 