July 15, 2021

By John Ircandia

Okotoks Dawgs

OKOTOKS, ALTA. - The last month has been very exciting for the Okotoks Dawgs.

The province of Alberta has managed to curb COVID-19 and fully reopen with little-to-no restrictions, the WCBL season is well underway featuring two Dawgs teams, Okotoks Dawgs Black and Okotoks Dawgs Red and the cherry on top of it all... the Dawgs have current academy athletes and alumni making waves in the amateur and professional baseball ranks.

Former standout Dawgs pitcher, Andrew Kittredge, was named to the 2021 American League All-star game roster. Alejo Lopez, former Dawgs Academy and WCBL standout middle infielder, made his Major League Baseball debut with the Cincinnati Reds. Tristan Peters, a Dawgs Academy product, 2019 WCBL Rookie of the Year and 2019 WCBL Playoff MVP, was selected 207th overall in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Kittredge, a WCBL All-star and now MLB All-star, has been lights out for the Tampa Bay Rays. In 32 appearances, including four starts, spanning 43 innings, he is 6-1 with a 1.47 ERA. He has 43 strikeouts and a miniscule 0.86 WHIP.

Alejo Lopez, former standout Dawgs Academy and WCBL middle infielder, was called up by the Cincinnati Reds on June 28 and is batting .313 and has scored three runs in 16 major league at bats.

Tristan Peters, Dawgs Academy graduate, WCBL Rookie of the Year and WCBL Playoff MVP, was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers after an outstanding year with the Southern Illinois University Salukis. Peters swung the bat well for the Salukis all season, slashing .355/.548/1.011 while collecting 77 hits, including 20 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 55 RBIs.

Furthermore, the Okotoks Dawgs Academy has managed to place 20 different athletes since the Fall of 2020 for an opportunity to play college baseball, including 13 different athletes at the NCAA Division 1 level. Among the 20 different athletes placed at colleges across North America, players have netted over $1.8 million in athletic scholarships.

Schools that Dawgs have committed to include, but are not limited to, University of Tennessee, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, University of Washington, Washington State University, Stetson University, and Cal State University Bakersfield.

Dawgs athletes, both past and present, having success at the next level is something everyone in the Dawgs organization, our fans and our community take pride in.