It's good to be back! The 2026 season of ADS: The Podcast gets underway in a big way with a trio of fantastic guests. We hear from Steve Hildebrand of the Saskatoon Berries as the team has unveiled plans for an addition to NexGen Patch at Cairns Field. Then Dawgs Academy and Okotoks Dawgs alum Eric Hartman stops by to chat about his first full season of pro baseball in the Atlanta Braves system. And we wrap things up with Toronto Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman as he gets ready to head west for fundraiser event stops in Weyburn and Swift Current.

5:16 - Steve Hildebrand

14:33 - Eric Hartman

30:17 - Tyler Heineman

If you thought 2025 was a busy year for baseball in our provinces with all kinds of highlights, we have no doubt that 2026 will be even better. With a wide array of storylines to follow, from the grassroots to the big leagues, we are excited to announce that our coverage on the show will begin with the 2026 season premiere on January 22. So make sure to hit subscribe or like the show on your app so you don't miss a moment of the action. And, as always, a tip of the cap to all of our official supporters for helping tell the game's stories in Alberta and Saskatchewan. We can't wait to see you around the diamond soon!

It's finally here! Thank you for your patience as Joe battled through a sickness recently, which led to a delay in the final episode of the 2025 season. He catches us up on all the news from the past couple of weeks (including some personal news courtesy of Baseball Canada) then Ian Wilson stops by for a recap of the recent WCBL annual general meeting. We also hear from league president Kevin Kvame before we get into our highlights of 2025 and a short look-ahead to 2026.

He’s a man who really needs no introduction. Justin Morneau is a former MLB MVP, All-Star, Silver Slugger, Batting Champ and more. The New Westminster, B.C. native had an 18-year pro career, which included a stop with the Edmonton Trappers in 2002. Most recently, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame legend was made the namesake of the new Morneau Cup, the academy national championship through Baseball Canada, which is playing out in “THE ROAD TO OKOTOKS” which comes to a head in July 2026. Always gracious with his time, Morneau stopped by for a chat about his journey, the power of giving back and what excites him the most about seeing the best face the best in Okotoks next summer.

It was a packed house at the Wyndham Edmonton Hotel and Conference Centre, as the best of the year were celebrated. From players and coaches to volunteers and organizations, it was great to hear of all the successes of 2025 and look ahead to what 2026 had in store. We have a full rundown of the festivities and list of award winners here. On the show this week, you will hear from Women's Player of the Year Julianna Scott (Calgary), Baseball Alberta Elite League Player of the Year Carter Moffat (St. Albert), 18U 'AAA' Player of the Year Aubrey Stender (Calgary), and Baseball Alberta president Jon Oko.

1:56 - Julianna Scott

10:56 - Carter Moffat

14:21 - Aubrey Stender

18:55 - Jon Oko

It was an historic week as the Women's Pro Baseball League held its first-ever draft to start putting rosters together for its inaugural season. A total of 120 players were selected including some of the biggest names in the game like Kelsie Whitmore and Ayami Soto. 20 Canadians had their names called, including Edmonton's Madison Willan, Fort McMurray's Sydney Barry, and Saskatoon's Braidy Birdsall and Addie Ziebart. In this special edition of the show, we hear from all four about their draft-day experience and what they look forward to the most as they look towards starting their professional baseball careers.

2:02 - Madison Willan

9:30 - Sydney Barry

18:14 - Braidy Birdsall

32:23 - Addie Ziebart

What a year it’s been for all three of our guests this week. Dawgs Academy hurler Josh Mills (Leduc) played for Alberta at the Canada Summer Games, the Canadian Futures Showcase and most recently suited up with the Baseball Canada Junior National Team. Baseball Sask Female Player of the Year Taylor Schueller (Saskatoon) also went to the Canada Games as well as repped Saskatchewan at the 19U Women’s Nationals and the Women’s Nationals before joining the Baseball Canada Women’s National Team. And Dawgs Academy alum Dane Tofteland (Grande Prairie) thought his baseball career was finished after a great year with the Rocky Mountain Vibes, only to get a message to try out for Banana Ball, which landed him a draft selection by the Loco Beach Coconuts.

4:12 - Josh Mills

18:59 - Taylor Schueller

31:30 - Dane Tofteland

After unfortunately missing this year's special Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Induction Ceremony, we circled back to bring you some conversations with the baseball people recognized. Last week, we chatted with executive director Tracey Kinsella and the families of inductees Reno Lizzi and Mel Kowalchuk. This week, we sit down with inductees Orv Franchuk and Dr. Randy Gregg to talk about their journeys in baseball and what it meant to be recognized with this year's class.

4:20 - Orv Franchuk

30:12 - Randy Gregg