Host Joe McFarland chats with players, coaches, fans, volunteers and others involved in the sport in our province. While the focus is on their personal journeys, we also talk about some of the headlines and issues surrounding baseball in Alberta.
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Host Joe McFarland chats with players, coaches, fans, volunteers and others involved in the sport in our province. While the focus is on their personal journeys, we also talk about some of the headlines and issues surrounding baseball in Alberta.
Garrett Hawkins may have had one of the more unforgettable 2025 seasons of anyone out there. Fresh off Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for most of 2023 and all of 2024, we weren’t sure how he would bounce back. The Biggar, Saskatchewan native and Vauxhall Academy grad was out-of-this-world good, starting the year with San Diego’s High-A team in Fort Wayne, going 8-1 with eight saves and a 1.43 ERA in 32 relief appearances. That earned him a promotion to Double-A with San Antonio, where he continued to shred opposition bats, going 1-0 with two saves and a 1.69 ERA in 13 appearances. All told, the former Lethbridge Bull and Swift Current 57 had 80 strikeouts in 60 innings of work. Hawkins’ return earned him the Padres’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year, something he’s proud of, but wants even more heading into 2026, now that he’s defined his new role as a high-leverage reliever and source of inspiration for Western Canadian ball players. Could a big-league debut be in the cards for next summer?
Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast
Host Joe McFarland chats with players, coaches, fans, volunteers and others involved in the sport in our province. While the focus is on their personal journeys, we also talk about some of the headlines and issues surrounding baseball in Alberta.
