They essentially grew up together.
From Tourmaline Field in Okotoks to the buses getting them to tournaments, Ayden Makarus and Logan Grant were Dawgs Academy teammates long before they went their separate ways in college.
They both forged their own paths in the game and, in a wild turn of events, they ended up on the same team again with Bellevue University this past spring before becoming rivals during the Western Canadian Baseball League season.
When Makarus’ Sylvan Lake Gulls knocked off Grant’s Okotoks Dawgs in the West Division Final in August, the two friends met at home plate with an embrace and exchange that you could tell meant the world to them.
In that moment, it was a reminder of the good of the game, but also how close the baseball community is in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and across Canada.
As we reflected on the year that was, that interaction between Makarus and Grant also made us grateful for getting to tell the stories of baseball in Western Canada, and how special it has been to watch each individual journey unfold.
Some are just beginning, some are coming to an end, and others are in the middle of their own unique path.
All are special in their own way, with a handful sticking out to us as integral to the way we will remember 2025.
1. DOING IT FOR JESSE
This year’s WCBL playoffs felt like they were on another level.
From Carter Beck’s walk-off grand slam to the Sylvan Lake Gulls finally getting the monkey known as the Okotoks Dawgs off their back, there was no shortage of storylines throughout.
You could tell it meant a lot to everyone on the team, including head coach Rye Pothakos, who finally tasted victory for the first time in his lengthy career around the summer circuit.
From the tragic death of Jesse Lubiniecki just before the season started to the team facing some unexpected turnover midseason to upsetting Medicine Hat, Saskatoon and Sylvan Lake to win it all, you could see and feel what it meant to the whole team.
If there’s one moment that stands out from the post-series celebration, it had to be as Ian and I were leaving Gulls Stadium.
We could see someone bouncing through the stands with the Harry Hallis Trophy near the visitor’s dugout and wondered who it could be.
Smiling from ear-to-ear, it was long-time Red Sox pitcher and Regina native Zander Oudie-Senger, who agreed to do a quick interview, where he opened up about the entire experience and what it meant to be bringing the trophy home.
It was an emotional moment and one that will be engrained in our memories for a long time to come.
2. GETTING THE CALL
Speaking of full-circle moments, the 2019 WCBL season might have been the first where the two of us really made a point of covering the league championship.
That season’s Playoff MVP and Top Canadian was an Okotoks Dawgs outfielder named Tristan Peters, who everyone knew had a good chance of going pro.
Fast-forward a couple of years and the Winkler, Manitoba native was drafted in the seventh round by the Milwaukee Brewers after a great season at Southern Illinois University.
Peters endured a lot, including a couple of trades, to finally get the call-up to the big leagues in 2025 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Much like Erik Sabrowski a season earlier, it felt like it was only a matter of time for the young outfielder, who was in the midst of a great season with the Triple-A Durham Bulls.
Having covered the WCBL over the last eight years, we’ve taken a lot of pride in being able to showcase “the journey” for these young athletes to show future generations that there is a legitimate path from Alberta and Saskatchewan to bigger things in the game.
We’ve been lucky enough to chat with Tristan a few times over the years and couldn’t have been happier to see him fulfill a dream and hopefully open the door to even more time in the bigs in 2026.
3. A NEW DREAM TO CHASE
Rewind the tape to 2019 again and Okotoks was hosting the Baseball Canada Women’s Open National Championships.
While he was out covering the event, Ian brought his daughter for a couple of games and, after one of the games, she was allowed to run along the warning track.
Ian has a great picture of this all unfolding while one of the teams is meeting in the outfield.
Six years later, some of those athletes taking part in that tournament were realizing their own dreams as draft picks in the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League draft.
Madison Willan, Alli Schroeder, Raine Padgham, Claire Eccles and Emily Baxter were among the 20 Canadian selected who were part of that six-team tournament.
And in chatting with Willan as well as Fort McMurray’s Sydney Barry and Saskatchewan’s Braidy Birdsall and Addie Ziebart, you can’t help but be completely ecstatic for the opportunity they have in front of them heading into 2026.
They understand the gravity of the situation as they get to serve as inspirations for the next generation of baseball players, much like they did for those in attendance for the 2019 national tournament.
4. BACK TO THE WCBL’S ROOTS
I’ve let my opinion on this be known for a while now.
As someone with deep rural roots in Alberta and a love of history, I couldn’t have been more on-board with the idea of the WCBL’s inaugural Rural Roots Classic in Oyen.
It was also an opportunity for the league to celebrate its own history in the community, as the Pronghorns were the first Alberta contingent in the then-Saskatchewan Major Baseball League, taking home the championship in 1995.
To say the event exceeded even my wildest expectations would be an understatement, as the community was bought in and the play on the field between the Sylvan Lake Gulls and Lethbridge Bulls was outstanding.
But beyond all that, it was the reaction after the event that will stick in our memories.
Just seeing the look in the eyes of those around Oyen, including long-time mayor and baseball builder Doug Jones, was more than enough to show that the league is onto something special with this idea.
We’ll see where it goes in 2026, but the first edition in 2025 will certainly hold a special place in our hearts.
5. GOODBYE FOOTHILLS
Not to be a buzzkill but there was a major moment in 2025 that wasn’t all about the positive vibes.
Driving along Crowchild Trail in Calgary early in the year, we were shocked to see a trio of excavators set up in the infield at Foothills Stadium.
Maybe “shocked” is too strong of a word, as we knew the former home of the Calgary Cardinals, Expos, Cannons, Dawgs, Vipers and Dinos would eventually meet the wrecking ball.
It wasn’t a matter of “if” as much as it was a “when” and the “when” took a lot longer than many would have thought.
We found it difficult coming up with the right words to describe how this monolith for baseball in Calgary for decades had been allowed to become as dilapidated as it had become in recent years, so an interesting sense of relief came over us as the stands and concourse were finally taken down.
A tip of the cap to Russ Parker for the blood, sweat and tears that he poured into Foothills over the years to allow for Minor League Baseball to have a home in Calgary, and hopefully one day, the city will find a way to honour what we once had.
TOP FIVE MOST-VIEWED STORIES IN SASKATCHEWAN
- A Comeback Season to Remember – What a year it was for Garrett Hawkins. After undergoing Tommy John Surgery in 2023 and missing the entire next year, the Biggar native went on a tear in the San Diego Padres system, going 9-1 with 10 saves and a 1.50 ERA in 45 relief appearances split between High-A and Double-A.
- All in the Family – It was quite the moment in Weyburn over the summer for three generations of the Hansen family at a Beavers game. Grandfather/team president Garnet and father/Beavers alumni Tyrel watched on as the youngest family member, Eli, suited up for a game against Medicine Hat on Aug. 2.
- Rauck is Rollin’ – Talk about a dream situation for a life-long Blue Jays fan. Saskatoon’s Mitchell Rauckman capped off an incredible summer, which included guiding Baseball Sask to a bronze at the Canada Summer Games, by suiting up at the Canadian Futures Showcase.
- 2025 SDS All-College Team – The talent pipeline coming from Saskatchewan to the US college ranks continues to produce even more top-end talent and it was on full display in 2025. We take a look at some of the best performances at each position with our annual roster selection.
- Summer Games Trailblazers – It was a dream come true for girls across Canada wanting to showcase their skills on the national stage as female baseball was added to the Canada Summer Games. We previewed the event by chatting with coaches and players who were set to head to St. John’s.
TOP FIVE MOST-DOWNLOADED EPISODES OF ADS: THE PODCAST
- Episode #333 – WCBL East Division Season Preview Extravaganza
- Episode #345 – WCBL Playoff Preview, Jace Richarddson & Addie Ziebart
- Episode #354 – Tyler Hollick, Daril Rodriguez, Jayden Kane & Jaxon Smith Peterson
- Episode #328 – Brett Potter, Brendan Clelland & Ayden Makarus
- Episode #337 – Regina Red Sox Announcement + Simon Baker, Brandon Paez & Easton Kitura
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