Posts in Sandlots
Wilson: WCBL to showcase teams to young talent during Road to Okotoks

“Budding baseball talent will cross paths with all that the Western Canadian Baseball League has to offer in southern Alberta next year.

The meeting of the WCBL and the top young ball players from across Canada will take place thanks to The Road to Okotoks, a national championship tournament set to happen at the Seaman Stadium Complex from July 14-19 in 2026.

The Baseball Canada event will feature 16 amateur academy teams - with rosters of players who are 19 years old or younger - competing against each other for the right to hoist the Morneau Cup, a trophy named after Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Justin Morneau.”

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SandlotsIan WilsonComment
Wilson: Morneau appreciates team-first focus of Road to Okotoks national championship

“He’s a Canadian baseball legend and a former National League batting champ, but Justin Morneau did a double take when he was asked to be the face of an exciting new national championship tournament.

Greg Hamilton – Baseball Canada’s director of national teams and head coach of the Junior National Team – approached the two-time Silver Slugger Award winner to see if he would lend his name to the top prize being handed out at The Road to Okotoks event.

“My first thought is, did Larry Walker turn it down?” said Morneau in downplaying his own impressive career and giving a nod to fellow British Columbian Walker, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.”

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SandlotsIan WilsonComment
Shushkewich: Duncan top Canadian in 2026 MLB draft rankings

“Left-hander Sean Duncan is one of the busiest high school players in Canada.

Between playing for the Langley Blaze, the Brewers, the Junior National Team, and in various tournaments and showcases on both sides of the border, Duncan (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) is always toeing the rubber, and it seems that the MLB Draft community is taking notice.

This past weekend, MLB Pipeline released its Top 100 Draft prospects for the 2026 MLB draft, and Duncan found himself being the top-ranked Canadian at #77. “

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McFarland: Determined Birdsall preparing to start pro career in Boston

“When Braidy Birdsall puts her mind to something, nothing is getting in her way.

Even when facing injuries, she’s the first to pick herself back up and get motivated to overcome the obstacle.

It’s a mindset that has served her well as an athlete, first in martial arts karate before moving onto baseball, a sport which she is all-in on as a player, coach and umpire.

Now, Birdsall is on the cusp of playing on the biggest stage after being selected by Boston in the fifth round of the new Women’s Pro Baseball League draft.”

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McFarland: Baseball Alberta celebrates 2025 award winners

“It was a record-setting year for Baseball Alberta and the organization is expecting even bigger things in 2026.

The number of players registered this past year not only rose above pre-pandemic levels for the first time, but president Jon Oko says it has hit a milestone of 18,868 – the most ever.

The provincial body also saw the most teams take part ever (332), as well as increases in the number of coaches (547) and certified umpires (1,403) from the previous year.

It was cause for celebration as Baseball Alberta hosted its annual general meeting and awards in Edmonton on Nov. 22, where some of the best performances from around the province were recognized.”

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SandlotsJoe McFarlandComment
Gallagher: Intercounty Baseball League goes for name exchange: IBL becomes CBL

“Can a name change do anything for the league formerly known as the Intercounty Baseball League?

As first alluded to in a Bloomberg story from a few years ago, the truth was finally confirmed in a news release issued this morning that the Canadian Baseball League is the new moniker for an organization that operated under the old shingle for more than 106 years as the country's most recognizable league for late-aged teenagers and adults.”

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