Okotoks Dawgs -- Mills, Rogers, Thierman -- to become Cougars
LHP Josh Mills (Leduc, Alta.) is one of three Okotoks Dawgs headed to the University of Houston Cougars.
November 7, 2025
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Could it be possible that Antonine Jean works that quickly?
Is the former University of Houston Cougar that much of a door opener?
We doubt it, but Jean (Montreal, Que.) was named the 26th annual Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Year earlier this week.
And in our first updating of our Letters intent page we have three recruits headed to Houston.
We doubt Jean had anything to do with 100% of the Cougars northern interest but the promising left-hander was there for two seasons and this spring was the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year, the first reliever to win the award.
Houston is not a usual destination for Canucks, but RP Jesse Crain (Toronto, Ont.) pitched with Houston in 2002 and INF Hyung Cho (Scarbrough, Ont.) was a Cougar from 2001-03 before signing with the Seattle Mariners. Crain went on to pitch 10 years in the majors with the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox.
The Cougars were interested in INF Scott Thorman (Cambridge, Ont.) in 2000, but he chose the South Carolina Gamecocks and then the Atlanta Braves made him the first Canadian high-school position player to go in the opening round.
Joining former Blue Jays RHP Woody Williams, the pitching coach of the Cougars in the future will be:
_ LHP Josh Mills (Leduc, Alta.) of the Junior National Team and Okotoks Dawgs, where he learned under pitching coach Jeff Duda.
Dawgs RHP AJ Rogers (Dartmouth, NS)
_ RHP AJ Rogers (Dartmouth, NS) of the Okotoks Dawgs.
And the third member of the trio will also be working closely with pitching coach Williams:
_ C Taye Thierman (Calgary, Alta.) of the Junior National Team and the Okotoks Dawgs.
Already with Houston this fall is former Vauxhall Jets C Colin Fisher (Ottawa, Ont.)