The Okotoks Dawgs 2023 season is well underway with 5 of the 6 academy teams playing games so far this year. Early on, the Dawgs have sent two teams to Arizona (18U Black & 13U), three teams to Langley (18U Black, 18U Red & 15U Black), two teams to Kelowna (18U Red & 16U) and have played host to visiting teams from Alberta at Tourmaline Field.

Check out the breakdown of each team so far in 2023.

DAWGS 18U Black
Record as of April 12: 13-4

Off to a hot start, the Dawgs 18U Black is 13-4 on the year. The first games of the year took place around the greater Phoenix area where the Dawgs took on several college programs including Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Gateway Community College and Ottawa University. The trip was a success, going 5-2 on the week including an 8-5 win against Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

Upon their return from Phoenix, they headed south on March 24th to take on PBA JV in a two game set, winning both games 15-2 and 10-5.

The following weekend, March 31-April 2, the Dawgs loaded up the bus to head to Langley, BC to attend the Langley Spring Ice Breaker Tournament. During pool play, the Dawgs went 3-1 with a convincing 11-1 win over the Delta Blue Jays, earning them a spot in the semi-finals. Ultimately, the Dawgs would lose a well-pitched game against the Abbotsford Cardinals by a score of 3-2.

Easter Weekend was the home opener for the 18U Black squad. Absolute Human Performance Academy made the trip down from Edmonton to play a three game set. The Dawgs would go on to sweep AHP, winning 1-0, 8-6 and 6-1.

Dawgs 18U Red
Record as of April 12: 4-7

Dawgs 18U Red started their season off with a trip to Lethbridge on March 23 to take on PBA JV. Game one saw the Dawgs win in a high-scoring affair 15-8 while dropping a more tightly contested game two by a score of 7-4.

The following weekend saw the 18U Red squad join 18U Black on the ride to Langley for the Langley Spring Ice Breaker Tournament. In pool play, the Dawgs struggled to avoid the big inning and ended up going 0-4 on the weekend. Losing to Parksville Royals 3-2, Abbotsford Cardinals 11-7, Langley Blaze 13-3 and Inside Pitch (Saskatchewan) 7-6.

Coming off the heels of a tough weekend in Langley, the 18U Red team headed west to Kelowna for the Kelowna Invitational Tournament. In pool play, the Dawgs went 2-1 with wins over Okanagan College JV 10-4 and ATHX Academy 9-2; their only pool play loss came against the Coquitlam Reds by a score of 5-4. In the semi-finals, the Dawgs took on the Victoria Mariners and won by a score of 4-0, earning a shot at the championship against the Okanagan A’s. Ultimately, the Dawgs came up short and lost 13-8 in the championship game.

All signs point towards the 18U Red squad quickly getting their feet under them and trending upwards.

Dawgs 16U
Record as of April 12: 1-3

The Dawgs 16U program has some of the best young talent from across the province, a group of players that the Dawgs coaching staff is very high on and we are very excited to see their development over the course of the season.

Opening weekend was the Kelowna Invitational Tournament where they joined the 18U Red squad in Kelowna. During pool play, the 16U squad went 1-2 with their sole win coming against the Regina Red Sox 18U Academy in convincing fashion, winning 12-4. Despite a 1-2 record, the 16U team was able to earn a spot in the playoffs as a wild card. In the semi-finals, the Dawgs ran up against the Okanagan A’s and would go on to lose 9-3.

The 16U home opener comes on Thursday, April 13 when they take on the Dawgs 18U Black at Tourmaline Field.

Dawgs 15U Black
Record as of April 12: 3-2

The Dawgs 15U Black just finished their opening weekend when they headed west to Langley, BC. What was supposed to be a 15U Spring Ice Breaker Tournament, the Dawgs ended up playing 5 exhibition games, with 4 of them against the Langley Blaze.

The Dawgs would split the four game set against the Blaze; losing game 1 8-7, winning game 2 9-7, winning game 3 10-8 and losing game 4 19-11. The fifth game on the weekend saw the Dawgs beat the Whalley Chiefs by a score of 11-9.

The Dawgs home opener is set for Wednesday, April 12 when they host the Webber Academy Wildcats at Tourmaline Field.

Dawgs 15U Red

The Dawgs 15U Red team is the only team to have not played any games yet in 2023. Their season opener is set to take place on Thursday, April 20 when they take on the Dawgs 13U at Conrad Field.

Dawgs 13U
Record as of April 12: 2-4

The Dawgs 13U team opened their season up down in the greater Phoenix area where they attended the Triple Crown Spring Championships. The tournament features teams from across the western United States and is always a great opportunity for our young Dawgs to “play up” against significantly tougher competition and often a year older. The Dawgs would go 2-1 in pool play and eventually lose in the semi-finals against the NorCal Prospects by a score of 6-3.

The Dawgs 13U look forward to this year’s Best of the West Premier Tournament May 5-7 in Kamloops, BC as they will take on top competition from across western Canada.