The numbers don’t tell the whole story but they are revealing.
As we went through the 2025 baseball season, we didn’t really realize just how many stories we were writing.
Then at the end of the year, we saw the numbers.
With Saskatchewan Dugout Stories, we wrote 136,853 words in 101 stories, while Alberta Dugout Stories saw 201,337 words in 154 articles.
Yes, there was some crossover with stories being featured on both sites, but it still speaks to how many stories were worth telling in 2025.
The numbers (including how many people visit our sites) continue to grow and we suspect the same is going to hold true in 2026 as we have more major events happening, more athletes doing big things, and more grassroots organizations doing incredible work.
With all of that in mind, we thought we would start the new year as we always do: with a list of some of the big stories we’ll be following as the snow makes way for green grass, chalk lines and the sweet sounds of baseball.
NO. 1 … THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Before first pitch of the 2026 Major League Baseball season is thrown, we’ll be treated to the best the planet has to offer with the first World Baseball Classic since 2023.
All eyes in our country will obviously be on Baseball Canada, who won’t be in the usual stacked division trying to fight with the U.S. and Mexico to get into the top-two and a place in the playoffs. However, it won’t be an easy road as they will be in Pool A with Colombia, Cuba, Panama and Puerto Rico.
The 2023 edition featured plenty of young talent, especially at the plate, while the pitching was more veteran-laden. The question heading into 2026 has been who will take over from those who have since retired. Will Michael Soroka be cleared to suit up this time around? Will Erik Sabrowski get the opportunity to wear the maple leaf? What about Adam Macko, Tristan Peters, Garrett Hawkins, Matt Lloyd and a few others who are on the rise in the minors and could play roles? The provisional rosters were submitted Dec. 3, with the final 30-man rosters due Feb. 3. Stay tuned…
NO. 2 … THE ROAD TO THE PROS
To be honest, we could probably do “six storylines to watch” just based out of professional baseball. Calgarian Michael Soroka has found a new home with the Arizona Diamondbacks after splitting last year between the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs. Edmonton’s Erik Sabrowski figures to have an increased role in the Cleveland Guardians’ bullpen. Dawgs Academy and Okotoks Dawgs grad Tristan Peters made his MLB debut in 2025 with the Tampa Bay Rays and has been traded to the Chicago White Sox, while fellow Dawgs alum Jacob Melton also debuted with the Houston Astros before being moved to Tampa. And that’s just the news from the bigs.
In the minors, the biggest story of 2025 was probably how well Innisfail’s Nathan Flewelling did in his first full year of professional baseball. The newly 19-year-old St. Joseph Academy and Sylvan Lake Gulls product’s offensive numbers weren’t overly staggering (.229 batting average with six homers and 49 RBI), but many onlookers are noticing how hard he’s hitting the ball and the raw talent he has. Flewelling is being lauded as one of the prospects to watch across Major League Baseball. Add him to an increasingly growing list of Western Canadians like Garrett Hawkins, Matt Lloyd, Matt Wilkinson, Adam Macko, and Avery Owusu-Asiedu who could potentially make some moves in 2026.
NO. 3 … CHANGES IN THE ‘CC’
Two big headlines came out of this offseason in the Canadian College Baseball Conference as they got ready for the 2026 season. The first was expansion to the University of British Columbia as their junior varsity squad will join the spring circuit. Branded as UBC (University Baseball Club), the team will be coached by Devery Van De Keere, becoming the ninth squad in the ‘CC’ and sixth in B.C., which also features Prairie Baseball Academy, the University of Calgary Dinos and Edmonton Collegiate Hawks.
The second big piece of news surrounds the regular season and playoff formats. The season will now be four games longer, starting on March 20, while the playoffs will only include the top six teams. Because of the longer regular season schedule, the CCBC World Series will vacate its usual May Long Weekend spot and will be held May 22-25 in Lethbridge.
NO. 4 … SUMMER NIGHTS IN THE WCBL
The Western Canadian Baseball League is once again coming off a year full of crazy storylines. From a regular season where it felt like any team could beat any other team on any given night to a playoff run that featured all kinds of twists and turns, it was a summer to remember in all 12 communities.
When the dust settled, it was the Regina Red Sox who came away as champions, dethroning the Sylvan Lake Gulls, who had gotten a monkey off their own backs by knocking out the three-time defending champion Okotoks Dawgs. Meantime, the Sox edged out the Saskatoon Berries, who were coming off a record-setting regular season with 46 wins.
As we look ahead to 2026, we’ll obviously be watching all the big storylines of the season as they unfold, with special attention to the summer circuit moving the All-Star Game to Saskatoon and any potential announcement about a location and date for the Rural Roots Classic.
NO. 5 … THE ROAD TO OKOTOKS
This one has been a long time coming as Baseball Canada identified an “academy national championship” in its 2023 strategic plan.
At the end of 2025, the big announcement came as Okotoks will host the Morneau Cup from July 14-19. Not only will that happen, but regional qualifying games will be held in eight locations at the end of May.
It’s an opportunity to see some of the best teams from across the country take part in a best-on-best tournament, which also opens the door to see some of the talent likely heading to the Baseball Canada Junior National Team as well as the Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase.
NO. 6 … BLAZING A TRAIL IN THE WPBL
We’ve had this one circled on our calendars for a while as well.
The feeling started to get real in the late fall when the Women’s Pro Baseball League held its inaugural draft with Alberta’s Madison Willan and Sydney Barry and Saskatchewan’s Braidy Birdsall and Addie Ziebart being selected. A total of 20 Canadians were picked in the six rounds.
The real work now begins for those selected as they get themselves ready for training camp. The season is set to start Aug. 1 with 30 regular season games between the four teams, all at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Admittedly, we’re kind of cheating here, just like we did last year.
We know 2026 will be chalk full of big news to talk about, including different events and organizations looking to make their mark on the game. Here are a handful of other items we think will be worth watching over the next 12 months:
- The “Blue Jays Bump” – We’ve written an entire editorial on this already, but local associations are getting ready for what will likely be a jump in interest after the Toronto Blue Jays went to the World Series. The playoff runs of 2015-2016, in some cases, reportedly saw registration jump upwards of 30 per cent. A run to game seven of the championship? We shall see.
- The Edmonton Riverhawks – They have quietly ascended up towards the top of the attendance marks in summer collegiate baseball in North America, right alongside the Okotoks Dawgs in terms of total numbers. Add in a lengthy playoff run in 2025, and the Riverhawks are proving to be a powerhouse in the provincial capital.
- Championships Galore – While we won’t have the Canada Summer Games in 2026, the traditional roster of Baseball Canada national championships will soldier on and both our provinces will figure prominently as hosts. Saskatoon will host the 19U Women’s tournament while Fort McMurray gets the 18U Men’s championship. And don’t forget: Little League Canada tends to have a championship or two hosted here as well.
We can’t wait to get things going in 2026 and are excited to have you along for the ride. What stories or events are you looking forward to the most? What other stories will you be keeping tabs on? Let us know in the comments below or on our social media posts!
Tales of Baseball 