Induction 2025 - Team
Back Row: L to R : Harvey Heck (Head Coach), Bill Adams, Aaron Archer (Ardrossan pick-up),
Daryn Cooper,
Chad Soucy, Dan Major (Athabasca pick up), Brad Morrow, Randy Heck, Steven Pahl,
Regan Fuhrhop, Brian
Grinde (Assistant Coach)
Front Row: L to R: Dave Myndio, Mike Morris (Vulcan pick-up), Dan Buskas, Blair Grinde,
Mike Johnston,
Markel Reglin, Al Hlusiak, Shawn Brinkworth
First Age Group Baseball Team to be Inducted
The 1996
Doane Raymond Rockies are Wetaskiwin’s one and only age group baseball team to
win a Provincial AA title. These men
from Wetaskiwin and Millet were sixteen to eighteen years old when they won the
championship and now become the first age group baseball team to be inducted
into the Wetaskiwin and County Sports Hall of Fame. The only other baseball team inducted into
the WCSHF is the 1904 Wetaskiwin Men’s Baseball team that won a District of
Alberta NWT championship one hundred and twenty-one years ago (before Alberta
was a province).
Eight Years in the Making
Unlike
other Hall of Fame teams that have had sustained success, the Doane Raymond
Rockies greatness lasted one short summer in 1996. Despite the fleeting
success, this championship team was eight years in the making.
In 1987 there
were no baseball teams in the Wetaskiwin area as fastball reigned supreme. In 1988 the Millet minor baseball program was
started by Brian Pahl and Doug Bienert.
Some of the boys who would eventually play on the Doane Raymond Rockies
team started playing together on the youngest Millet team. Soon after
Wetaskiwin followed suit with a baseball association of their own and the
Wetaskiwin Knights of Columbus built two baseball diamonds. A few of the
fellows who would eventually play on the Rockies were on the Wetaskiwin U11
team. The two programs would run
parallel as rivals in the “A” division, often fielding strong squads, but were
never able to break through to win a championship.
Talented Rookies Join Battle-Tested Veteran AA Squad
In 1995
most of Millet’s top midget aged players would jump ship and join Wetaskiwin to
play for a AA team. The young team saw
some success, but ultimately fell short against strong squads from Leduc and
Westlock.
The 1996
squad was a different story as the last remaining talent from Millet joined a
now veteran, battle-tested AA squad.
With a new name, uniforms and a sponsor the team was ready to take the
next step. The 1996 team was a
combination of players from Millet and Wetaskiwin, some had played together on
teams; others on the roster were first year players. 1996 was their first year
together as a unified group.
The team entered the 1996 season
as one of the prohibitive Championship favourites along with Barrhead, Rocky
Mountain House, Sherwood Park and Red Deer.
The team had middling results early as coach Heck had to figure out how
all the parts fit together. Once that
got sorted out the team was off and running.
Formula for Success
The team boasted strong defence, led by Randy Heck at shortstop, and Dan
Buskas as catcher, along with some great outfielders (Regan Furhop, Blair Grinde,
Mike Johnston and Bill Adams) and infielders (Markel Reglin, Dave Myndio, Al
Hlusiak and Daryn Cooper), and a high-powered offence that loved the long ball,
with a few speedsters like Johnston and Grinde mixed in. On the mound the formula was simple: get five
or six innings out of hard throwing starters Shawn Brinkworth, Chad Soucy and
Brad Morrow, then hand the ball off to closer Steven Pahl, who was perfect all
year in save situations.
Number One Seed Dispatches Competition
This formula saw the squad run
off a 10-0 record through three provincial play down rounds to qualify for the
finals in Rocky Mountain House as the number one seed. After dispatching
Athabasca, the host team from Rocky Mountain House and North East Edmonton in
the round robin, the Rockies seemed to be on a collision course with their
rivals all year
and number two seed from Barrhead. Wetaskiwin did its part as they mercied Sherwood Park in the
semi-finals, but Barrhead was upset by the underdogs from Athabasca in their
semi-final. Athabasca continued their
hot play as
they quickly chased
Wetaskiwin ace Shawn Brinkworth and jumped out to an early lead. Chad Soucy came in on
short rest and held them in check and gave his team a chance to chip away,
and eventually take the lead. Soucy tired in the sixth and handed the ball off
to Pahl, who wriggled out of jams in the sixth and seventh, before
a great catch
in shallow right field from second baseman David Myndio sealed the deal and
capped off the 15-0 run with a championship. The provincial championship
qualified the team to compete in Westerns in Leduc where they were unsuccessful
in making the championship game.
Undefeated Team Takes Victory Lap
As soon as the trophy was lifted
and the victory lap finished, it was over. Most of the squad never played baseball
again although some players went on to play senior ball, AAA ball, and some
college ball. Coach Heck would have continued to coach, but his business career
moved him to Lethbridge. Millet Minor Ball would have a few more successful seasons before fizzling out at the
Provincial level, while Wetaskiwin minor ball would spend almost two decades in
the wilderness before enrollment would start creeping back up and the ability
to field teams at the competitive level would become a reality again.
Despite the short window of
their achievement this Wetaskiwin-Millet squad will always have that undefeated run in 1996 that put Wetaskiwn
baseball on the map and cement their claim as our only Provincial AA
Champions. We recognize their achievements by inducting the 1996 Doane Raymond Rockies Midget AA Baseball
Team into the Wetaskiwin & County Sports Hall of Fame. Congratulations to the team and their
coaches!
Members of the Team
