The Okotoks Dawgs’ first South American ballplayer is starting to warm to southern Alberta after a cold trip up from the United States.

“When I was driving here I couldn’t believe how cold it was because it is summertime — there’s snow in the summer time?” Dawgs third basemen Alejandro Gonzalez said on Friday. “But I like the town, the people and the players.

Yorkton Cardinal shortstop Nic Lindsay can't corral the ball while Okotoks Dawg Justin Ritchhart slides hard into second base during the Dawgs' 13-1 win over the Cardinals on June 19 at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks. John Barlow/OWW

“It’s not that bad right now, but in Venezuela it’s always 80(degrees).”

Gonzalez, 23, grew up practically with a glove on one hand and a bat in the other in his native Venezuela.

“When you are a kid in Venezuela, you just want to play baseball,” Gonzalez said. “The dream of everybody is to play baseball. Even my mom, it is baseball, baseball, baseball.”

Venezuela has produced an abundance of quality players such as Omar Vizquel, Bobby Abreu, Andres (the Big Cat) Galarraga, and pitchers Armando Galarraga and Felix Hernandez, with whom Gonzalez played Little League.

“He is unbelievable, good guy, great pitcher and he’s even a good hitter,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said he was hoping to follow in their footsteps, but his mother had different ideas on how her son would use his talents.

“I was trying to get signed (to a professional team) and when I didn’t, my mom wanted me to get a degree,” Gonzalez said. “So we went to all these school tryouts and one college from New York said we want you to go here, and I did.”

Gonzalez came to Okotoks via Peru State in Nebraska, where Dawgs coach Trevor Varley was coaching and present Dawg Andre Kinder is a teammate.

He attended Genesee College in west New York before transferring to Peru State last fall.

Gonzalez admitted there was culture shock in going from Venezuela to New York State.

“It was really hard my first semester,” Gonzalez said. “I passed like two classes because the language was really hard. Even on the field, it was hard to understand what the coach was saying. I got used to it.”

Varley used a different language to sell the Dawgs’ program to Kinder and Gonzalez.

“I only got to spend the fall with them before I moved up here to work full-time,” Varley said. “I thought they both had the talent to help us. All I had to do was turn on the computer, give these guys the virtual tour of the organization and the stadium and they fell in love with Okotoks.”

He said Gonzalez is a “player who likes to get after it. He wants to succeed every time he’s at the plate, and wants to make every play on defence… He tries to hit the ball as hard as he can every swing…. He holds himself to a very high standard.”

Dawgs fans got a look at Gonzalez’s fielding skills when he hustled to make a diving snare on a foul ball in Okotoks’ home opener.

As for hitting, Gonzalez admitted he does try to hit ropes.

“I consider myself a line-drive hitter,” Gonzalez said. “If I could be like any player, it would be Manny Ramirez. He is more of a power hitter. When I go up there, I’m looking for a fastball that I can hit hard.”

Gonzalez has one dinger this season, which came against the Moose Jaw Miller Express in the opening series.

Not only has he been impressed with the community, Gonzalez has been impressed with the facilities in Okotoks.

He said he can’t believe youths in Okotoks and southern Alberta have the chance to play in a facility like Seaman Stadium.

“Playing here is like playing in Yankee Stadium,” Gonzalez said. “For all these kids to play on a field like this, to me it’s unbelievable.”

A cool Foster

He might not have the most heat on the Dawgs’ pitching staff, but Danny Britton-Foster is Okotoks’ hottest pitcher.

The right-handed pitcher improved his record to 3-0 when he blanked the Edmonton Prospects for six innings in the Dawgs’ 4-0 victory in Edmonton Sunday night.

Britton-Foster allowed only five hits and struck out three. David D’Errico then came in and closed the door with three innings of shutout relief.

Jeff Harkensee went three for five in the victory to raise his batting average to an impressive .432.

The Dawgs won all three games over the weekend by taking advantage of the road-weary Yorkton Cardinals.

Not only did the Cardinals have to drive 200 kilometres out of their way to get to Okotoks for Friday night’s game because flooding closed Highway 1 east of Medicine Hat, they then had to watch the Dawgs drive in a lot of runs.

The Dawgs trounced the bus-weary Redbirds 15-4 in front of 2,000 fans on Friday.

The Dawgs hit the long ball with Harkensee hitting his second homer of the year, Alex Voros hit his first and Drew Pettit his team-high third of the season.

David Otterman earned the victory on the mound.

The Dawgs took it to the Cards again Saturday night in Okotoks with a 13-1 victory. Voros went three for five with two RBIs and his second homer of the year.

Desmond Sullivan got the win to improve his record to 2-0.

The horrific weather and flooding in Medicine Hat postponed the Dawgs’ Monday night game agains the Mavericks.

The Dawgs played the Bulls in Lethbridge Tuesday night.

Results were too late for the Wheel’s publication deadline.

Okotoks sits in first place in the Western Major Baseball League’s West Division with a 10-4 record.

The Dawgs will have plenty of homecooking this week as they play six consecutive games at the friendly confines of Seaman Stadium starting tonight (July 23) when the Saskatoon Yellowjackets come to town for a 7:05 p.m. tilt.

The two teams will square off again on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. in Okotoks.

The always powerful Swift Current Indians pay Seaman Stadium visit on Friday and Saturday. Both games are at 7:05 p.m.

The Dawgs close off the weekend with a Sunday afternoon game against the Lethbridge Bulls at 2:05 p.m.

The Bulls and the Dawgs meet again on Tuesday, June 29 at Seaman Stadium at 7:05 p.m.

For ticket information call 262-3294 (DAWG).

bcampbell@okotoks.greatwest.ca

Okotoks Dawgs hurler Desmond Sullivan throws a strike in their 13-1 victory over the Yorkton Cardinals Saturday at Seaman Stadium.