Betts: Programs praise Baseball Canada's first Road to Okotoks national championship

The Okotoks Dawgs Academy were excellent hosts for Baseball Canada’s first Road to Okotoks national championship that ended on Sunday. Photo: Scott Savard Photography

July 19, 2026

By Matt Betts 

Canadian Baseball Network 

When Baseball Canada announced the Road to Okotoks national championship in September of 2025, it created a buzz among high school programs from coast-to-coast. 

Ten months later, 16 of the top teams in Canada had fought their way through regional qualifiers to compete for the Morneau Cup at Seaman Stadium and Tourmaline Field in Okotoks, Alta. 

It was designed to be a best-on-best showcase of amateur teams, an event that had long been missing on the schedule. 

More than just a competitive environment, the tournament has proven to be a memorable experience in all aspects. 

Here’s what some of the programs are saying: 

Okotoks Dawgs head coach Jeff Duda 

“With our organization, all the volunteers, the Town of Okotoks, it’s gone off without a hitch. When we first found out about it, we had it circled on the calendar. There’s good showcase events out there, but you don’t really have that team aspect of it. I really hope it continues to grow and other organizations across the country attend those qualifiers and try to make a run at making it out here. I think it’s only going to benefit us as a country across the board.” 

Terriers head coach Ryan Pollard 

“I have nothing bad to say about this. It’s topnotch baseball, best teams around, it’s been so good. The event has been run right. I think it’s a great thing for Baseball Canada and all the teams around.” 

Sylvan Lake Gulls head coach Josh Zanolli 

“We don’t get to play the Ontario teams ever, we hear about them. But, until you get to see them with your owns eyes and play against them, same with the BC teams, we get to see where we’re at and where we need to get to.” 

Vauxhall Academy head coach Les McTavish 

“I’ve been around the Dawgs organization for 20 years, I knew they were going to run a very professional, exceptionally well run tournament. On our behalf at Vauxhall, they’ve exceeded our expectations. They do everything right. It’s first class, I’m proud to be a part of it.” 

Ontario Blue Jays head coach Connor Morro 

“It’s been awesome. A chance to have all the organizations that are here in one place, beautiful facility, weathers been great. Tourmaline Field and the stadium have been awesome for us. They do everything right here.” 

AHP Academy head coach Taylor Burns 

“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. They went above and beyond. It’s exciting to think this will hopefully be an annual event that players across the country will get to compete in every year.” 

Abbotsford Cardinals assistant coach Max Ishikawa

“The inaugural Road to Okotoks was an exciting and memorable experience for the Abbotsford Cardinals. From the BC qualifiers, to the Okotoks draft, all culminating the Morneau Cup, our players were challenged and had the great opportunity to compete against the best programs across Canada.

This experience allowed our players to represent BC on the national stage, and face some of the top talent from all over the country.”