McFarland: Hemmerling making his late father proud at Barton

“Before every one of his starts, you will see Reece Hemmerling grab a pendant around his neck, look up at the sky and say four words.

“I love you, Dad.”

It’s a new pre-game ritual for the Beaumont, Alberta product, after his father passed away in November.

The pendant matches a tattoo that Hemmerling had etched on his arm, featuring an anchor that represents how his dad, Troy, was the anchor of the family, and a grey ribbon representing Glioblastoma Cancer awareness.”

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Shushkewich: From the backyard to Vauxhall to D1, brothers thriving in similar baseball paths

“Hailing from Abbotsford, B.C., Carlin and Cardel Dick are two of just over a 1,000 Canadian-born players who have decided to head to the United States to continue playing baseball at the post-secondary level.

The brothers make up 1.1% of those Canucks who are suiting up for a D1 program and represent 15% of those players suiting up in the United States who call Abbotsford home.

While the brothers are playing for different programs this season, their journey to postsecondary opportunities ran through the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball in Vauxhall, Alta.”

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McFarland: No ordinary Zoe, Women's National Team MVP also a softball star

“She filled up two passport pages in 2023, and if Zoe Hicks has anything to say about it, she wouldn’t mind doing it all again in 2024.

Representing both Softball Canada and Baseball Canada during the year, she often found herself flying from one event to the next with little rest in between.

Hicks wouldn’t have it any other way though, as her passion and energy around the diamond is evident when we sit down for a Zoom chat in December.

She had just received the news that she was named the Baseball Canada Women’s National Team Most Valuable Player in just her second season with the team.”

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