“Before every one of his starts, you will see Reece Hemmerling grab a pendant around his neck, look up at the sky and say four words.

“I love you, Dad.”

It’s a new pre-game ritual for the Beaumont, Alberta product, after his father passed away in November.

The pendant matches a tattoo that Hemmerling had etched on his arm, featuring an anchor that represents how his dad, Troy, was the anchor of the family, and a grey ribbon representing Glioblastoma Cancer awareness.”

“Looking back on his baseball journey, Jason Serafinchon believes he wouldn’t be where he is now had it not been for the decision to lose weight – a lot of weight.

A self-admitted “little fat kid” growing up, the Spruce Grove product remembers hitting whiffle balls off his mom and watching his dad play slo-pitch.

But it wasn’t until he decided to go to AHP Academy in nearby St. Albert to help his pursuit of collegiate baseball that he knew something would have to change.

Serafinchon dedicated all of his spare time to the gym and eating right, getting stronger and losing 80 pounds in the process.”

“Justin Breen isn’t taking a moment on the baseball field for granted.

It would have been easy for the Fort McMurray native to pack it all in after a trio of knee surgeries before he turned 18.

Instead, he used it as motivation to take his game to the next level with collegiate stops at Bossier Parish Community College and Arkansas Tech University before landing at Southwestern Oklahoma State University for the 2023-2024 season.”