A call out to a Husky led to the finding of the top Dawg in 2015.
“Our pitching coach Andrew Maki with the Northern Illinois Huskies was friends with (former Dawgs manager) Brett Thomas and he mentioned to me about Okotoks, Canada,” said Dawgs 2015 MVP Brian Sisler. “I had barely heard of Alberta - I had to look it up in a map.”
Sisler got to know Okotoks well and became a fan favourite after hitting .346, with 28 RBI and three dingers. Sisler will be one of the recipients at the ninth annual Dawgs banquet and awards night Jan. 30 at the Foothills Centennial Centre.
He admitted he hasn’t hit that well at NIU, but last summer the tiny baseball looked as large as the basketballs at his billets’ home.
“Sometimes the ball is just a little bit bigger,” Sisler said. “I was confident at the plate, but baseball is a very humbling sport.
“You can be hot sometimes, but it doesn’t take much to go on a cold streak either.”
His defensive numbers were also impressive, despite the fact the Huskies shortstop was moved to second base for the Dawgs because smooth-fielding veteran Ellis Kelly had cemented the no. 6 position.
“I was going to play wherever – if they put me in leftfield I would have done it,” Sisler said.
“I would have been happy to do it.”
The American won’t ever forget his first Canada Day. The Dawgs’ won 7-1 over Moose Jaw and Sisler went four-for-five in a filled-to-brim Seaman Stadium.
“It was a hit parade for us if I remember,” he said. “That was a really cool day. Everyone in the clubhouse was excited, my parents were there and my grandmother was there.
“I think we smoked them too.”
He said another highlight was a ninth-inning solo shot he hit in Edmonton to give the Dawgs a 1-0 victory in June.
The low-point was when they were eliminated by the Medicine Hat Mavericks in the opening round of the Western Major Baseball League playoffs in front of the Seaman Stadium faithful.
“That was a tough day,” Sisler said. “You’re saying goodbye to some friendships you made over the summer.”
Although, Sisler had success on the field, it was the relationships he made with teammates and the Okotoks community that he will most treasure from his summer in Big Rock Country.
“I still keep in touch with some of my teammates and anytime you make good friends and make connections, it’s a blessing and a privilege,” Sisler said.
One of the closest relationships he made was with his billet family. He called Amron and Lana Gwilliam down to Earth people. In fact the Gwilliams will visit the Sislers’ home later this year.
Although Sisler enjoyed his summer in Okotoks, a thing called life will likely prevent him from returning to Seaman Stadium in June.
“I have no plans to play next summer, unless, God willing, I get drafted,” said Sisler, a finance major at NIU. “If not, it’s time to enter the real world. I’m hoping to get in with a big bank somewhere.”
Sisler won’t make the Dawgs banquet as the Huskies will be preparing for the upcoming Mid America Conference baseball season.
The other recipients at the Dawgs banquet are: Rookie of the Year - Daniel Fredrickson, OF; True Grit Award - Kellen Marruffo, DH/1B; and Pitcher of the Year - Dylan Nelson.
Also at the banquet, the Dawgs will induct builders Darryl ‘Doc’ Seaman and former Okotoks mayor Bill McAlpine into the Dawgs Hall of Fame.
The guest speaker at the banquet is Sportsnet Blue Jays analyst Gregg Zaun. He is a former catcher with the Jays and was a member of the world champion Florida Marlins in 1997.
For ticket information to the banquet go to www.dawgsbaseball.ca or call 403-262-DAWG (3294).
