“I can’t believe I’m in baseball heaven in Okotoks.”
When former Minnesota Twins legend and Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Justin Morneau says something like that, you stand up and take notice.
He had everyone in Seaman Stadium hanging on his every word after that point as he addressed the crowd at the closing ceremonies of the tournament bearing his name, the inaugural Morneau Cup.
Morneau was equally impressed with the hospitality shown by the Okotoks Dawgs during the five-day event, and the level of competition shown by each of the 16 teams taking part.
In short: it was exactly what he had in mind when Baseball Canada first called him about the potential of a 19U academy national championship.
The former Major League Baseball MVP, All-Star and Silver Slugger isn’t the only one singing the praises of the tournament. And now that they have proof of concept, everyone involved is now talking about what they can do for encore in 2027 and beyond.
RESPECT FROM RIVALS
Even the Dawgs’ rival programs in Alberta couldn’t help but tip their caps to the Dawgs and Baseball Canada for what they were able to be a part of.
“I’ve been around the Dawgs organization for 20 years and I knew they were going to run a very professional, exceptionally well-run tournament,” Vauxhall Academy head coach Les McTavish told Canadian Baseball Network. “They’ve exceeded our expectations. They do everything right. It’s first class and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
AHP Academy Renegades head coach Taylor Burns echoed those sentiments, saying it’s exciting to see the tournament continue to grow and give players across the country a chance to compete on a national stage.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the Okotoks Dawgs organization and Baseball Canada for the level of effort they put into making this event a great experience for the kids,” Burns said. “They went above and beyond.”
One of the best parts, according to Sylvan Lake Gulls Prep head coach Josh Zanolli, was being able to see how they stacked up against other programs in Canada.
“We don’t get to play the Ontario teams ever – we hear about them,” he said. “But, until you get to see them with your own eyes and play against them, same with the B.C. teams, we get to see where we’re at and where we need to get to.”
The cool part, at least to me, is that we’ve all heard about the Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase, the numerous Prep Baseball events, or even Best of the West. Here on the prairies, The Road to Okotoks gave us an opportunity to see this talent up-close-and-personal instead of living vicariously through other parts of Canada and North America.
CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL
It was more than just baseball people who were impressed with what they were witnessing throughout The Road to Okotoks and the Morneau Cup.
As I was making my way around the concourse following the first Home Run Derby, I had a great conversation with a family from Ontario.
They were over the moon about the entire experience, from the hospitality and fields to the competition and even camaraderie being built between players and teams as they faced each other for the first time.
To me, it says a lot when visitors and families are made to feel like they’re home for a few days. As someone who has always viewed sports as “fans and family first,” by creating a memorable experience, you’re going to have them singing your praises and make others want to see it for themselves.
It didn’t hurt that Mother Nature decided to give us a reprieve from the wet weather we saw in Alberta in June to bring hot – dare I say “almost too warm” – conditions for nearly the entire tournament.
While that’s not something you can control, the controllables were certainly executed with a level of precision you would expect out of an event that was into its 10th year, not necessarily its first.
A FEW POTENTIAL ADJUSTMENTS
In speaking with those organizing the inaugural Morneau Cup, the sentiment I was feeling was, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Just like any other event, there are always things to work on or refine to make even better for next time around.
One that comes to mind is how the playoff seedings were determined, as Pool B saw four teams at 2-2 after the round robin.
Team Saskatchewan ended up being the odd team out despite sporting the best run differential of the four teams. They were obviously disappointed and frustrated with how it all played out.
My understanding is that it came down to how they performed against teams within their pool, but then that calls into question why have the fourth round-robin game.
One idea to potentially remedy that would be to have the top teams from each pool advance to the quarterfinals, then have all other teams put into a “common pool” to determine who moves on with 1v8, 2v7, 3v6 and 4v5 in the play-in round.
I know there are arguments to be made against each idea. As one person told me, no solution is 100 percent bulletproof. But if there are changes that can be made to make things clearer or better understood, then that’s what the next 12 months will bring.
Another item that will likely be bandied about is how to create more corporate and community sponsorship opportunities. Whether it’s on the field or in the stands to commercial advertising space on what was an exceptional broadcast product from HN Live, any additional income will help put on an even stronger tournament and lessen some of the costs incurred by teams.
MORE THE MERRIER
When looking ahead to 2027 and beyond, one aspect that is already under discussion is getting as many teams as possible to take part in the Regional Qualifiers.
Several programs – including the Toronto Mets, Fieldhouse Pirates and Academie Baseball Canada (ABC) – opted out of the tournament for various reasons.
After seeing how this year’s Morneau Cup played out, it’s hard to believe any of those teams would continue sitting on the sidelines going forward.
“Obviously the more interest that comes in, we have to create more qualifying events for that,” Baseball Canada CEO Jason Dickson said during a media day before play began. “On the positive side, some of the teams that may not be here this year have already committed to coming next year.”
I don’t see the tournament growing beyond its current 16-team format, but Dickson says it would be ideal to see anywhere between 35-50 teams vying for the right to get to Okotoks in five years.
However, I do wonder if the success of the inaugural Road to Okotoks opens doors for a younger tournament – perhaps a 15U or 16U event – as several programs across the country have started junior academy programs. Making a move like that would also help mitigate concerns that the 19U tournament doesn’t do enough to showcase players looking to take their talents to colleges.
That’s the beauty of the inaugural Morneau Cup: it’s a starting point for bigger conversations.
How does Baseball Canada get more teams involved? How does it tie into existing goals and aspirations for national teams? How do you get more buy-in from provincial baseball organizations?
As I always say: success breeds success. A tip of the cap to the Dawgs and Baseball Canada on making the first Road to Okotoks a smashing success. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2027.
READ MORE: Dawgs Capture Morneau Cup
READ MORE: On The Road with … Greg Hamilton
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