Prairie Baseball Academy ready to swing into new season

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on August 24, 2022.

Herald File photo PBA Dawgs Aaron Charchuk takes a swing at a pitch during the Canadian College Baseball Conference World Series final against the Okanagan College Coyotes this past spring at Spitz Stadium.

Prairie Baseball Academy Dawgs are well into preparations for their fall season that will all begin on Sept. 5.

The fall season acts an opportunity to play for roster spots in the spring season.

Coach Todd Hubka said the recruiting never stops.

“It’s every day since the season’s over and it just keeps running,” he said.

“You know I’ve been in contact with Grade 11 kids working on next year’s roster. So the recruiting never stops. But I’m really excited about the kids we have coming in this year. I think we’ve got a good bunch of freshman that are going to push some sophomores for spots and competition is always a good thing at high-level sport. So just really looking forward to Sept. 5 and getting our next year going here.”

PBA lost a couple of kids due to graduation from last spring’s roster including local product Josh Kabayama to a Division II team in North Carolina.

“It’s going to be tough replace him,” said Hubka.

“But again the freshmen that we had on our team last year É and the guys on our junior varsity team and the new guys we have coming in, I think there’s some real good potential there for one of them to jump up and take Josh’s spot.”

Hubka believe the fall should be used by players to work on their mechanics for the spring and for the freshmen coming in to showcase what they’ve got and whether they fit on varsity or junior varsity.

“The fall is different than the spring,” he said.

“The spring is a lot more competitive. But kids that come in with the right attitude and work ethic, here they get after it practice and get in the weight room and bigger and stronger and prepare themselves for our season that starts in February after Christmas.”

The fall season will see teams from southern Alberta academics coming to Lloyd Nolan Yard every weekend and when October rolls around, the PBA Fall World Series will be hosted.

“It’s best part of fall for the coaching staff,” he said.

“It’s very competitive games where the kids actually draft their own teams and end up playing for a World Series at the end of October. As coaches, out of the fall, that’s basically where a lot of the varsity team is picked out of the World Series.”