Instrumental figures in the storied history of the Dawgs have been called to the hall.
Long-time directors Jim Wildeman, Jim Amy and Pablo Forno, along with the three-peat Dawgs teams from 2007-09 and the original Core 4(+14) Dawgs form the induction class of 2022 for the Okotoks Dawgs Hall of Fame.
“At some point you just have to recognize your most valuable volunteers,” said Dawgs managing director John Ircandia. “Because as a non-profit we rely on that. The passion that made Seaman Stadium and the Dawgs happen was fuelled by volunteers, it’s not fuelled by money.
“These guys are representative of that vision, but the baseball side is important too.”
Enter two of the most important Dawgs teams in the organization’s storied history, the team that set the tone and established a winning culture in Okotoks and the team that put Dawgs baseball on the map.
“We built the stadium and finished building on opening day and we reeled off three straight championships with basically the same core group of players,” Ircandia said of the three-peat. “After the first three years people started to think we have to win every year because that team was so significant to establishing what we are to a new community.”
The original Dawgs youth team, a group that featured the likes of Jim Henderson, Emerson Frostad, Vince and Matt Ircandia, Tanner Osberg and James Avery was especially impactful as well.
“The donors, myself, that all came about because of the initial group and the success they had,” Ircandia said. “They put the Dawgs on the map in a huge way and it’s hard to even imagine now much success that group had.”
The trio of individual inductees all made their mark, and continue to, in unique ways.
Wildeman, a volunteer for 17 years and counting, was integral to the team getting a foothold in a new community when the Dawgs made the switch from Calgary to Okotoks as a local director and ear on the ground in the community.
“Initially we were some Calgary guys building a good baseball stadium and driving down there every day,” Ircandia said.
“He really symbolized some of that enthusiasm over the course of that winter as we were building the stadium in the community. He really became a pivot person in the community and he really talked up the Dawgs.
“He was really proud of Okotoks and how this was a sports town and this was the missing thing.”
Forno became involved with the Dawgs when the team was still in Calgary and had aspirations of getting into the sports merchandise business.
Forno, who had three sons play for the Dawgs including current relief pitcher Brody, became so integral to the organization that the team’s general store was built into the design of Seaman Stadium with him in mind.
“It became so fundamental to who we were and our brand,” Ircandia said. “When we moved to Okotoks and built Seaman Stadium he was so keen and became so integral to the whole thing that he moved his family (to Okotoks).”
The owner of Grand Slam Sports has worn many hats for the Dawgs from operations manager, to coach, recruiter and operator of the team’s general store.
“He’s really done it all,” Ircandia said. “And this is in recognition of his 20 years of volunteerism and partnering with the Dawgs.”
Fellow-inductee Amy has similarly taken on many roles off the field for the team, with time spent as operations manager, concession manager and VP of food and beverage.
“He’s still the guy who’s instrumental in setting the products we sell, setting the pricing,” Ircandia said. “And communicating with the various suppliers, he’s critical in that sense and lends a lot of expertise to that.”
The cancer survivor has also played a big role in the team’s annual Father’s Day Game fundraising initiative with the Prostate Cancer Centre.
“We just though it was time to recognize 20-plus years of volunteerism by him,” Ircandia said.
“All three of them were really important pieces of the puzzle.”
Tough sledding
On the diamond, it was a tough weekend for the Dawgs (14-5) in the long anticipated return home.
The Moose Jaw Miller Express pulled off the two-game sweep over Okotoks on June 18-19.
The front end of the set saw the visitors win 10-7 on the strength of four and five run innings in the fourth and fifth, respectively. Alejandro Cazorla led the Dawgs with a three-run home run, the outfielder’s first of the season.
Okotoks then fell 8-3 in the Father’s Day Game in front of a massive crowd of 5,048 at Seaman Stadium.
Southpaw hurler Matt Wilkinson made his first start since joining the team off his JUCO World Series championship with the Central Arizona Vaqueros earlier in the month.
The hard-throwing lefty allowed five runs on eight hits over five innings while Okotoks struggled at the plate, leaving ten players on base in the ‘nooner.
Upcoming fixtures
Coming off an extended road trip, the Dawgs will enjoy home cooking for most of the upcoming week with five consecutive matches at Seaman Stadium from June 22-26 featuring the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, Sylvan Lake Gulls and Edmonton Prospects.
The June 24 game versus Sylvan Lake will be a special one as the Dawgs will welcome their one-millionth fan through the gates of Seaman Stadium since the friendly confines opened its doors.
The Canada Day homestand follows from June 30-July 2, the first of two are against Edmonton with gates opening at 4 p.m. on July 1 for live music, face painting for kids of all ages, mascot photo ops along with a post-game fireworks extravaganza.
The July 2 match will also feature a Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville Tribute Band.
For more information go to dawgsbaseball.ca.
