McFarland: WCBL returns to its rural roots
The Western Canadian Baseball League will hold its first Rural Roots Game in 2025. Photo: Alberta Dugout Stories
*This article was originally published on Alberta Dugout Stories on November 6, 2024. You can read it here.
November 8, 2024
By Joe McFarland
Alberta Dugout Stories
Heading into the off-season, it was difficult to imagine how the Western Canadian Baseball League was going to top its incredible 2024.
During the regular season, it felt like every team had the chance to beat every other team on any given night.
The competition took it up a level during the playoffs, leading to five of the seven series going the full three games, capped off with Connor Crowson’s storybook walk-off home run to clinch the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy for the Okotoks Dawgs.
All the while, it was being done in front of record-setting crowds across the league and a growing number of fans watching online broadcasts.
So, what could they possibly do for an encore?
They may have found it by adding one more special date to the 2025 regular season schedule: the first-ever WCBL Rural Roots Game.
MAKING THE CONNECTION
The year 2025 will mark the 30th anniversary of the first Alberta-based team to win a WCBL title.
The Oyen Pronghorns knocked off the Swift Current Indians in the final of what was then known as the Saskatchewan Major Baseball League (SMBL), which became the Western Major Baseball League in 2002, then landed on the current WCBL brand ahead of the 2019 season.
Featuring future Sylvan Lake Gulls owner Graham Schetzle and Lethbridge Bulls coach Todd Hubka, the Pronghorns were in just their third year of existence when they claimed the championship.
Previously, Oyen had seen future Brooks Bombers president and general manager Jason Wandler also suit up for the team (both he and Schetzle were league all-stars in 1994).
With the anniversary and those connections in mind, it makes perfect sense for the Bulls and Gulls to do battle at Doug Lehman Field in Oyen on June 8, 2025.
There is also an opportunity to highlight the current baseball scene in the community, which features Badlands Academy, who has a former Medicine Hat Mavericks star in Nolan Rattai serving as its head coach.
Oh, and by the way, the mayor of Oyen is none other than former WCBL president and long-time baseball builder Doug Jones.
THE FIRST OF MANY?
The WCBL Rural Roots Game also has the chance to grow into an annual affair, should the league find success in Oyen.
Think of it as the league’s traveling version of Major League Baseball’s Field of Dreams Game or the NHL’s Heritage Classic.
With former teams like the Eston Ramblers, Hazlet Elks, Kindersley Royals and Unity Cardinals, the circuit has no shortage of options heading into 2026 and beyond.
As talk of expansion continues, could this be a way to test the markets of places like Airdrie, Grande Prairie, North Battleford, Lloydminster, Prince Albert or Brandon?
Maybe options start opening up to find some scenic spots to play like the Rocky Mountains in Banff or Canmore or the river valley in Drumheller (which has a fascinating baseball history as a community).
Or maybe a game could be hosted in communities like Holdfast or Maskwacis, where the Jays Care Foundation Field of Dreams program has helped rejuvenate their local ballparks.
They could still coin games in those markets as WCBL Rural Roots Games, with the focus being on how players from those communities are now starring in the league.
REMEMBERING YESTERYEAR
The Western Canadian Baseball League has a rich history in Alberta and Saskatchewan dating back to 1931.
While the communities and team names have changed over time, it’s important for the league to showcase where it’s been and how it has ended up where it is today.
As a full-time baseball fan and part-time history buff, it’s hard not to get excited about the opportunity to shed some light on the league’s journey.
I’m looking forward to seeing how the plans all come together in the next few months, and I have certainly circled the date on my calendar already, knowing I will be making the trek out for what promises to be a special day in the community of 924.
Bringing the league back to Oyen, even for a weekend, allows those in the community to celebrate the 1995 Saskatchewan Major Baseball League championship.
It will also show them how good the game is today.