By Jonathan Hodgson

Canadian Baseball Network

They don’t usually garner the same headlines or tout the same accolades that some programs boast, but largely under the radar, the baseball program at Alberta’s Medicine Hat High School is doing a very effective job of giving local talent an opportunity to play competitive baseball while being able to stay at home for their high school education.

The Medicine Hat High School (MHHS) Baseball Institute is entering their fourth year of operations while playing in the Southern Alberta High School Baseball League (SAHSBL). Making the Provincial Championship in 3 out of the last 4 years, they have also become the first true high school team from Canada to travel to the United States to compete in the Mingo Bay Classic and San Diego Lions tournaments.

Last year, the school competed in the 2018 Mingo Bay Classic in South Carolina, and this year, the team will be competing in the San Diego Lions Tournament.

“It’s certainly a proud feeling knowing that we’re doing something that no other true high school team has done before,” said MHHS head coach Lyall Foran (Delta, BC).

A former member of the Junior National Team in 2003, Foran became the school’s head coach in 2013, prior to launching the MHHS Baseball Institute in 2016.

“I grew up in British Columbia playing in the British Columbia Premier Baseball League and we travelled to Arizona on a couple of occasions, so it’s not a new thing for a Canadian baseball program to be going down to the States, but it is for a team like ours,” Foran said.

Foran acknowledged that it is a regular occurrence for Canadian baseball programs such as BCPBL teams or the highly successful baseball academies operating in the prairies, to travel south of the border to play top competition in US-based tournaments. The factor that distinguishes the MHHS baseball program, he said, is that it is a traditional varsity high school team, affiliated directly and solely with Medicine Hat High School, and does not recruit players outside of Medicine Hat.

Growing up, Foran played in such tournaments as the Arizona Fall Classic and the Perfect Game World Series in Florida, and says his motivation is to try to give the next generation of ball players some of the same opportunities that he was afforded.

“While we are a new and smaller program compared to other academies that go down to elite tournaments, it’s nice that we have been able to find situations where we can be competitive and provide exposure for our students,” Foran said.

A 2007 alumnus of Norfolk State University (NCAA Div. 1), Foran explained how some connections helped land his team a spot in the Mingo Bay Classic.

“While I was at Norfolk State, one of my side jobs was giving baseball lessons,” he began. “I was able to stay in touch with one of my former students that played in the Mingo Bay Classic with his high school team. From his experiences I knew that it would be a great opportunity so I inquired about Canadian teams being eligible and they were very welcoming. To my surprise, we were the first Canadian team to ever participate in the tournament.”

After returning from Mingo Bay Classic last year, Foran began to explore further options to register the team in other tournaments in the United States.

“One of the first tournaments I found out about was the San Diego Lions Tournament, which is the oldest and largest high school baseball tournament in America,” Foran recalled.

The Mohawks program is entering their fourth season as the Medicine Hat High School Baseball Institute in 2019.

The Institute essentially gives students who are members of the baseball team, a once-a-year opportunity to sign up for a semester-long class where they train and work on their baseball fundamentals for two class periods per day, under the guidance of Foran and other local coaches.

Aiding baseball training capabilities is a $45M renovation to the school’s facilities that were completed in the fall of 2018.

“We have a world class gym, indoor and outdoor batting cage as well as a baseball facility that includes an infield and pitching mounds all on campus. We’re pretty fortunate in what we’re able to offer our students to ensure that they have a great experience,” Foran said.

“My main objective is to provide a great experience for training and traveling while playing a high level of competition for kids in the Medicine Hat area,” Foran said.

A 2003 Atlanta Braves draft pick, Foran had a diverse college baseball experience, beginning at Western Nebraska Community College (2003-2005) and Tusculum College (2005-2006; NCAA Div. 2), before finishing at Norfolk State. His introduction to Medicine Hat came as a member of the Medicine Hat Mavericks of the summer-collegiate Western Major Baseball League in 2006-07, which is now known as the Western Canadian Baseball League.

“I had amazing opportunities to compete and play at a high level of baseball and also travel and see some great places,” Foran said. “It really provided me with life lessons that I want my players to have as well. Our focus is to provide players with regular training opportunities, so that kids can get what they need in order to achieve and move on to the next level.”

MHHS has a rich tradition of sending baseball players onto the next level and since Foran’s arrival, he has continued by sending players on to Okanagan College (CCBC), as well as Colby Community College in Kansas.

As his squad begins gearing up for the 2019 season, which begins in April, Foran reflected on the success that the MHHS program has achieved to this point, and what the focus is heading into the future.

“It’s really about continuing to build our program each year. I have been blessed to coach some tremendous young men and they have laid the foundation for where this program can go. But more than baseball, I want these young men to realize that they are capable of achieving great things. My hope is that while being a Mohawk, they learn the lessons they need to reach all of their lives goals,” he said.