January 3, 2004

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Okotoks Dawgs ace left-hander Graham Brunner will return to the club this summer.

The Dawgs made the announcement on Tuesday. He is the first player to have signed with the Dawgs this off-season.

Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) was named the Dawgs’ 2023 Pitcher of the Year, after going 3-2 with a 3.43 ERA in nine starts. He struck out 42 batters in 36 2/3 innings.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound left-hander was even better in the postseason when he went 2-0 and didn’t allow a run in 12 innings to help the Dawgs to another Western Canadian Baseball League championship.

For his efforts, Brunner was named to the Alberta Dugout Stories 2023 All-WCBL Team.

Brunner’s solid 2023 campaign came on the heels of his outstanding 2022 season that saw him go 7-0 with a 2.77 ERA in 10 games (nine starts). In 48 2/3 innings that season, he fanned 48 batters.

The 2023 season represented Brunner’s sixth with the Dawgs. The Alberta-born lefty debuted with the Dawgs as a 17-year-old in 2017.

In between his summers with the Dawgs, Brunner has also pitched in the U.S. college ranks for Crowder College, Illinois State and Emporia State.