McFarland: Liske’s two-homer game not his first

Sylvan Lake Gulls Prep infielder Dayne Liske (Drayton, Alta.) had a two-home run game for Team Royal at the Canadian Futures Showcase on Saturday. He also has a triple and two singles in the tournament. Photo: Michael Wang, UBC

*This article was originally published on Alberta Dugout Stories. You can read it here.

September 20, 2026

By Joe McFarland

Alberta Dugout Stories

He was left almost speechless.

Dayne Liske couldn’t believe what just transpired and even his Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase teammates were wide-eyed.

With his Team Royal down 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Drayton Valley, Alta., native parked an offering from Team Navy’s Larson Accardo over the right field fence for a game-tying solo home run.

An inning later, Liske hit almost the same spot for a two-run shot in what turned into a 10-5 victory.

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound infielder had already been putting together a solid week of baseball with a triple in Royal’s first game and two singles in the third game.

But this was something else.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Liske said. “I just try to have fun and relax in the box.”

Interestingly, it isn’t the first time the slugger has gone yard twice in the same game this season, as he accomplished the feat in the Morneau Cup final in Okotoks back in July.

He attributes his success to keeping the game as simple as he can.

“I just try to stay relaxed, honestly, like not thinking too much of it, just trying to go there and play my game and just play baseball, really,” Liske said.

While surrounded by some highly regarded teammates like Jalen Jacob and Mikey Batiste, the St. Joseph Academy and Gulls Prep product is making a name for himself at the showcase with his swing and signature smile.

He’s clearly having fun and soaking in the moments as much as he can before coming back home to work towards his next stop in a year’s time: Southwest Tennessee Community College.

“I’m hoping to get quicker, maybe slim down a bit and move better,” Liske said, adding he’s grateful for the opportunity to be in his second Canadian Futures Showcase.

And maybe a few more big moments before the tournament is done, as Team Royal will play for the Canadian Futures Showcase Championship against Team New Blue.

DAILY RUNDOWN

As mentioned, Liske was the storyline in Saturday’s opening game. He hit two of the game’s four home runs, with the other two being supplied by Team Navy’s Jake Madill and Hunter Bartha. Saskatoon’s Keaton Lejan made his Canadian Futures Showcase debut for Royal in the contest, getting the start and allowing one run on a hit and two walks while striking out five in three innings of work.

Offence was at a premium in the second game with Black edging Red 3-2. Noah Stanley’s two-run double was the difference in the game, while the Red combination of Josh Daloise (Edmonton/Vauxhall Academy) and Nate Hallihan (Dawgs Academy) tossed four scoreless innings of relief in what was a defensive stalemate.

The bats came alive again in the mid-day matchup between Grey and Navy. Both teams showed balanced attacks and took advantage of errors and walks with Grey coming out on top 10-9. Mac Warawa (Calgary/Webber Academy) went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI for Grey while Riley Wolbeck (Leduc/Dawgs Academy) slugged a two-run double for Navy.

Ray Zweep went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs while Zach MacDonald (Lacombe/Webber Academy) picked up two hits and two RBIs as New Blue finished out the round-robin undefeated with a 9-5 win over Black. Daril Rodriguez (Red Deer/Gulls Prep) had a hit, RBI and two stolen bases in a losing effort.

And the offence kept rolling into Saturday’s nightcap as Red hammered Grey 10-3. William Nolet went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs while Zachary Lepine and Nathan Bailey (Edmonton/AHP Academy) also drove in two.

SUNDAY’S ACTION

The 2026 Canadian Futures Showcase comes to a close on Sunday, starting with the Home Run Derby at 9 a.m. P.T. The eight players who will compete for the championship belt have been named, including reigning champion Daril Rodriguez. He is the lone Albertan to make it into the final six, which will also include:

Gabriel Lehouillier

Jalen Jacob

Theo Lima

Gino De Santis

Mikey Batiste

Then the attention will turn to the championship game at 11 a.m. P.T. between Team New Blue and Team Royal.