Wilson: Grizzled, resilient Dawgs repeat the three-peat
The Okotoks Dawgs won their third consecutive Western Canadian Baseball League championship on Saturday night. Photo: Ian Wilson, Western Canadian Baseball League
*This article was originally published on the Western Canadian Baseball League website on August 17. You can read it here.
August 18, 2024
By Ian Wilson
Western Canadian Baseball League
These are no Greyhounds.
And they won’t win any ribbons at the Westminster Dog Show.
No, this breed is more of a junkyard dog or an older canine tasked with guard duty on the porch – a bit surly, fairly grizzled and totally committed to protecting the house. Not quite as unhinged as Cujo, but definitely carrying the reputation of “The Beast” from the classic baseball movie The Sandlot.
These are your 2024 Okotoks Dawgs, winners of a third consecutive Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) championship. They have achieved their mission of repeating the three-peat, a goal the team first accomplished when they won three straight Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy plaques from 2007 to 2009. This time, the Dawgs claimed their eighth league championship in much different fashion than their most recent titles.
This was not a team that went wire-to-wire from Opening Day to the last day of the playoffs, swatting away opponents with ease. The Dawgs faced real adversity and had to defeat the best challengers they’d seen in some time.
It wasn’t an easy road to a WCBL championship for the Okotoks Dawgs in 2024. All three of their playoff series went the distance. Photo: Ian Wilson, Western Canadian Baseball League.
Memories of 2019 come to mind. That summer, the 40-15 Okotoks Dawgs finished second in the WCBL regular-season standings to the Regina Red Sox (41-15) and faced stiff competition in the postseason. The Edmonton Prospects took the Dawgs the distance in the opening round of those playoffs and the Lethbridge Bulls made them work even harder in the second round. That best-of-three series also went the maximum three games and the Dawgs won both of their games against the Bulls by just one run. The championship final was a sweep for Okotoks over Regina, but the second and deciding game was a rollercoaster 8-6 triumph.
When the league returned to its regularly scheduled programming, following the seasons impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dawgs were relentless.
They set what was then a record for wins in a regular season by going 43-13 in 2022 and in the opening round of the postseason they laid waste to the Brooks Bombers by a combined score of 28-8 over two games. A lower scoring sweep against the Sylvan Lake Gulls followed and the Dawgs opened their championship series against the Moose Jaw Miller Express with a lopsided 12-3 win. The Millers made a series of it, winning Game 2 by a 3-1 score before losing 4-1 in the final game at Seaman Stadium, but the Dawgs were in the driver’s seat and never trailed in Game 3. The result was a sixth WCBL title.
Okotoks continued to flex last summer. The Dawgs finished first in the WCBL and were the only team to reach the 40-win mark.
During the 2023 playoffs, they swept the Fort McMurray Giants in the first round.
When they faced the Sylvan Lake Gulls for West Division bragging rights in a series that was expected to be hotly contested, Okotoks delivered another sweep with a 10-5 victory at home and a knockout 7-1 win at Gulls Field. It was an impressive display that had the Dawgs entering the championship series against the Medicine Hat Mavericks with a perfect 4-0 record. Once again, Okotoks looked to be in control when they opened the finals with an 8-0 win. The Mavs did not go gently into the night, taking Game 2 at Athletic Park and forcing a Game 3 at Seaman Stadium. The Dawgs jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first half of that deciding game, only to see the Mavs strike back with five runs in the top of the sixth inning. Undaunted, the Dawgs put up six runs in the bottom of that inning and cruised to a 13-5 trophy-clinching win and a seventh ‘ship.
A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER
The Okotoks Dawgs returned to Seaman Stadium in May of 2024 with one goal in mind: repeat the three-peat.
Other WCBL teams have won back-to-back championships, but the Dawgs were the only squad that managed to capture a three-peat, a feat they achieved in the late 2000s. Swift Current put together a trio of consecutive titles from 1996 through 1998, however, that was as a team in the Saskatchewan Major Baseball League (SMBL), which was a predecessor to the WCBL that had not embraced Alberta teams like the league has over the last quarter century.
Claiming a second three-peat was uncharted territory.
With such a lofty goal in mind, the Dawgs enlisted the help of some familiar faces.
On the pitching staff were veterans Graham Brunner, Brody Forno, Cade Herrmann, Ryan McFarland, Garrett Maloney, Greg Ross, Seth Thompson, Brock Townsend, Quinn Tocheniuk and Gavin Wuschke.
Returning batters included big names like Caleb Lumbard, Logan Grant, Nash Crowell, Connor Crowson, Brendan Luther, Aidan Rose, Ricardo Sanchez and Tucker Zdunich. The Erics – infielder Eric Machej and outfielder Eric Hartman, major contributors in the 2023 WCBL final against the Mavs – played in the early part of the season, and Alejandro Cazorla joined the team late in the summer.
The Dawgs really were putting the band back together.
Of course, some new additions to the roster were also needed.
Infielder Jarrett Burney had a .441 batting average, 36 runs and 12 stolen bases in his 35 regular season games, while Dawson Santana had a team-best 27 walks and a dozen swiped bags.
On the bump, Zane Morrison (38 Ks, 3.20 ERA, 33 2/3 innings); Chase Tucker (3-1, 2.70 ERA, 21 Ks, 26 2/3 innings); Aaron Hammer (3-2, one save, 22 Ks, 24 innings); and closer Ashton Luera (6 saves, 1.47 ERA, 47 Ks, 24 1/3 innings) brought new energy to the team.
HOT START
The Dawgs began the campaign like they ended the 2023 season.
An eight-game win streak pushed them to the top of the WCBL standings. They went 18-3 from there and continued to rack up wins in the early stages of the season.
By July, challengers to the supremacy of the Dawgs emerged.
The Regina Red Sox were playing great baseball and led the East Division standings.
In the West, the Sylvan Lake Gulls were building momentum.
The Lake Boys, the biggest rival of the Dawgs, were getting stellar seasons from hard-hitting outfielder Cooper Ciesielski, utility man Matty Fung, as well as speedy infielders Gavin Roy and Marques Abulhosn.
The arms on the Gulls – typically a strong suit of Sylvan Lake – were also suppressing runs in impressive fashion. Finbar O’Brien (3-1, 53 Ks, 2.17 ERA, 37 1/3 innings); Kyle Froehlich (4-2, 47 Ks, 1.91 ERA, 42 1/3 innings); Josh Tucker (3-0, 38 Ks, 1.51 ERA, 35 2/3 innings); James Brock (3-1, 35 Ks, 2.75 ERA, two saves, 36 innings); and Hunter Jones (3-0, 33 Ks, 3.53 ERA, 43 1/3 innings) all contributed to an historic season for the team.
By the end of the regular season, not only had the Gulls usurped the Dawgs as the first overall team in the WCBL, they also broke the single-season record for wins. In putting together a 44-12 campaign, Sylvan Lake eclipsed the 43-win season of Okotoks from 2022.
VETERAN PRESENCE
The Dawgs led the league in runs batted in (RBI) and walks in 2024, while their pitchers piled up more strikeouts than any other WCBL team. Defensively, the fielders on the Dawgs recorded the fewest errors of any club.
It was the long-time members of the Dawgs who led the way.
Infielders Crowson (.383 batting average, 45 runs, 55 RBIs, 9 HR, 45 games); Luther (.368 batting average, 41 runs, 29 RBIs, 37 games); Sanchez (.320 batting average, 24 runs, 28 games); and Crowell (.301 batting average, 30 runs, 28 RBIs, 8 HR, 33 games) turned in their usual dependable at bats.
In the outfield, Grant (.306 batting average, 39 runs, 32 RBIs, 15 steals, 41 games) and Zdunich (.286 batting average, 34 RBIs, 7 HR, 39 games) were equally reliable.
The pitching staff shared the load and put up solid numbers as a result. Maloney went 5-1 with a 2.65 ERA and 39 strikeouts in his 37-plus innings, while Wuschke was 5-0 with a 1.42 ERA over 19 regular-season innings. Brunner, the longest-tenured Dawg, went 4-0 with a 3.17 ERA and 33 Ks in 34 innings. The southpaw from Sherwood Park was the Opening Day starter and the first pitcher to take the mound for the West Division at the All-Star Game. Forno also racked up 40 Ks and registered a 3.03 ERA in 32-plus innings. The Dawgs had 11 pitchers who registered three wins or more during the season.
PUSHED IN THE POSTSEASON
When the playoffs got under way in early August, the Dawgs found themselves in somewhat unfamiliar territory.
Their 42-14 record put them one win shy of the record they set in 2022, but it was two victories short of the Gulls, who had just set the new standard for wins in a season.
As a result, the Dawgs were the No. 2 seed in the West Division. That set up a matchup against the Lethbridge Bulls (36-20), who quietly had a strong season. Their record would’ve put them in second place in the East Division, instead they entered the playoffs as a third seed.
Okotoks started the playoffs in typical fashion, defeating Lethbridge by a 7-4 score. Brunner had nine strikeouts over five-plus innings, while Zdunich and Crowell homered to secure the victory. A hard-fought Game 2 went the Bulls way in a 5-4 triumph for Lethbridge at Spitz Stadium.
The third instalment of the series at Seaman Stadium was a classic that featured multiple pitching duels. Jimmy Boulanger went four innings for the Bulls, giving up two runs, while Townsend allowed two scores over 6 1/3 innings. The game was tied 3-3 after eight innings and headed for extras. From there, it was bullpen magic from two-way player Jack Kalisky (4 innings, zero runs, three strikeouts) and Luera (5 1/3 innings, zero runs, nine strikeouts). In the bottom of the 13th inning, Sanchez came to the plate. With pinch runner Leo Griffin on third base, the native of Mexico City punched a bunt down the first base line that scored Griffin and delivered a walk-off win for the ages.
“I was cool to just keep on going,” said Luera, who recorded the win for the Dawgs.
“I think I had one more inning, so I was ready to ride or die for that game. It was a do or die situation, it was win or go home, so I wanted to win. Whatever it took.”
STILL HERE
After surviving the Bulls, the Dawgs had a date with the Sylvan Lake Gulls, setting up a series between the top two teams in the WCBL.
This was the third straight postseason meeting between the two franchises, but the first time that Okotoks entered the matchup as an underdog.
The first game saw the Gulls jump out to a 3-0 lead by the fourth inning thanks to solo shots from Fung, Ciesielski and Elijha Hammill. The Dawgs rallied with a pair of runs in the seventh inning and then tied the game in the eighth frame when Grant stole home. Abulhosn walked it off with a two-run blast over the right-field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning.
That put the Dawgs on the defensive in the series and in must-win mode the rest of the way.
Things were getting uncomfortable. This wasn’t a team relying on the big home run or a key strikeout anymore. The small things became bigger.
Base runners who typically wouldn’t look to steal, put their heads down and headed for second base, hoping to test the arms of opposing catchers in big moments. Catcher Caleb Lumbard, who entered the 2024 postseason with three stolen bases in 115 WCBL games, registered two steals in his seven playoff games.
Runners were also looking to tag up at every opportunity. If there was a play at the plate, the runner on first might bolt for second base.
Turning double plays at the right time became even more of a necessity. Middle infielders Luther and Sanchez were dancing around second base and sending would-be scorers to the dugout with regularity.
The outfield defence, not always something that gets the most attention, became noticeable.
“We just don’t want to drop the ball,” said Grant, a player accustomed to suiting up as a catcher but who could be found roaming around centre field for the Dawgs this season.
“The ball is hit and I just want to go and get it, I don’t care where.”
It sound obvious, but there were several times during the playoffs where outfielders didn’t just go and get it.
Back to Seaman Stadium on Aug. 12, where the Dawgs needed all hands on deck for Game 2 against the Lake Boys. The starting pitchers did their jobs. Brunner allowed two earned runs through four innings and O’Brien gave up the same number of scores in his six innings on the mound.
With the scored tied 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, some usual suspects put on their capes. Luther hit a two-out double to right field and Sanchez, who was down to his final strike, slashed a triple to left field that scored his middle-infield mate.
While Sanchez and Luther were dragging the Dawgs towards victory, Luera – the extra-innings hero of Game 3 against Lethbridge – was devoted to preserving it. He came in for the ninth inning, struck out two batters, and picked up the save in the 3-2 win.
It was a tight contest and it set the table for an epic West Division final game at Gulls Field.
Sylvan Lake pounced early in Game 3, cashing in two runs in the first inning, but the game and the series turned in the fourth frame. Lumbard scored a run that inning before Sanchez came to the plate with two outs. He found himself down two strikes and then smacked a double that cleared the bases and gave the Dawgs the lead. It was a lead that Okotoks would not relinquish. They piled up eight runs and then tacked on another two runs in the fifth before settling in for a 10-4 win and a series victory.
“It’s a Yankees-Red Sox rivalry now and I think it’s going to be that way for a very long time,” said Luther after the series.
The standard operating procedure for the Dawgs meant heartbreak for the Gulls. To be the best, you’ve got to be the best and, while Sylvan Lake made strides, they weren’t ready to take that next step.
CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH
If two knock-down-drag-out series weren’t enough to test the Dawgs, how about an encore?
The Moose Jaw Miller Express provided just that with a rematch of the 2022 WCBL Championship Final, which also went the distance.
Game 1 of the series saw the Dawgs get off to an early lead by recording six runs in the second frame. Okotoks faced three Moose Jaw pitchers that inning – Takao Cookson, Drew Sorrentino and Cameron Dunn – and looked to have a stranglehold on the game. The Millers responded immediately, plating four runs in the top of the third inning thanks to strong at bats from Robert Estrada, Austin Gurney, Nate Mensik and Ryan Gouldin.
The bullpens of both clubs shut things down after that, with the Dawgs adding an insurance run in the seventh before sealing the deal on a 7-4 win.
When the action shifted to Ross Wells Park in Moose Jaw for the second game, Okotoks took control early yet again after leadoff hitters Luther and Sanchez came around to score in the first inning. A two-strike solo shot from Grant in the second inning extended the lead to 3-0. The Dawgs tacked on another pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning before the Miller Express came to life in the bottom of that inning thanks to a three-run homer from Gurney. Okotoks extended the gap to 7-3 midway through the eighth inning and looked as though they’d be hoisting the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy in short order. But Moose Jaw erupted for five runs in the bottom of the eighth when their batting lineup got to Townsend and Luera. The Millers were able to hold onto an 8-7 lead, recording the final outs on a 4-6-3 double play and pushing the title series to the limit.
Game 3 provided the final stage for the Dawgs and their historic season.
With Seaman Stadium serving as the Dawg Pound, and the home team seeking to avoid the fate of Old Yeller, the veteran players did what is generally expected of their breed: they won.
But, as was the case with the previous series, nothing came easy.
The Dawgs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first four innings while Brunner held the Millers at bay.
Moose Jaw clawed back in the fifth frame and a Nate Mensik two-run homer to centre tied the game.
Okotoks took the lead right back in the bottom of the fifth after Luther singled, stole second base and eventually came home on a sacrifice fly.
The Dawgs extended the lead to 5-3 in the seventh inning on a wild infield throwing error.
Those pesky Miller Express didn’t quit, however. They tripled in a run and then a wild pitch tied the game at 5-5 in the eight inning.
Cue the dramatics. Connor Crowson led off the bottom of the ninth and drove a 1-1 Takao Cookson offering out of the yard, sending the team and the fans into hysterics.
Crowson was named the WCBL Playoff MVP following his Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy clinching blast in front of 6,342 fans.
Turns out this old dog didn’t need new tricks. The old ones were working just fine, and they allowed Okotoks to repeat the three-peat.