Okotoks baseball is again making its mark at the MLB Draft.
Okotokian Jack Lines was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 12th round, 366th overall, of the 2024 MLB Draft on July 16.
Lines, a standout Okotoks Dawgs Academy infielder, made headlines during the 2021 WCBL season when he played the summer for Dawgs Black as a 15-year-old and posted 12 runs, seven RBI and a .276 batting average in 19 games.
The slick infielder, a Florida State commit, played the past season with the Florida-based TNXL Academy.
Congratulations to outfielder Micah McDowell on being drafted by the @Marlins!
— The WCBL (@wcbleague) July 16, 2024
The Nova Scotian was excellent in the WCBL as a member of the @Okotoks_Dawgs in 2022.
That year he batted .378 with 36 runs, 34 RBI and 27 stolen bases over 41 games. https://t.co/F3xkHtS1H8
Micah McDowell, another name familiar to Okotoks fans as a key cog in the Dawgs' 2022 WCBL championship season and as a star alumni through the Dawgs Academy, was selected in the 17th round by the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.
McDowell, an outfielder with the Oregon State Beavers from Nova Scotia, hit .382 with six home runs and 33 RBI during the 2024 season.
Congrats to Eric Hartman as he goes in the 20th round to the @Braves! 👊
— Baseball Alberta (@BaseballAlberta) July 16, 2024
Eric won 2019 13U AAA POTY honours with @StAlbertBSB and later developed with the @DawgsAcademy! He also played for @TeamAlbertaBSB last year at the @baseballcanada Cup! #ABProud • @MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/MseAkSOebG
Dawgs Academy standout Eric Hartman, a recent graduate of Holy Trinity Academy where he was a volleyball star, was then selected in the 20th round by the Atlanta Braves. Hartman, a University of Michigan commit, has played in six games this summer for the WCBL Dawgs and was a massive contributor during last summer's playoff run culminating in the 2023 championship.
Earlier in the draft, former Dawgs pitcher Sam Stuhr heard his name called by the Oakland A’s in the fifth-round, 137th overall.
The University of Portland hurler played in 10 games with Okotoks, including during the memorable three-game championship series victory over the Moose Jaw Miller Express.
The Dawgs connections continued in the 14th round.
Oregon State’s Mason Guerra, a member of the WCBL Dawgs’ championship squad in 2022, was selected by the Atlanta Braves 431st overall.
Congratulations to @masonguerra09 on being selected by the @Braves!
— The WCBL (@wcbleague) July 16, 2024
Guerra played in the WCBL for the @Okotoks_Dawgs in 2022.
That summer, he appeared in 15 games and collected 10 RBI and 14 runs scored. https://t.co/mLax7KjD6Z
New Mexico State's Titus Dumitru, a WCBL All-Star during the 2023 season with the Dawgs in which he had 30 RBI in 34 games, went to the Braves with their 16th round selection.
Vic Domingo, a teammate of Dumitru on the 2023 Dawgs, went to the San Diego Padres in the 19th round. Domingo pitched in 11 games last summer, posting 30 strikeouts in 15.1 innings.
The first overall pick in the draft also came from Oregon State with the Cleveland Guardians plucking Travis Bazzana.
Bazzana, Guerra and McDowell were in Okotoks last fall as Oregon State held its fall camp at Seaman Stadium.
Also last week, the Toronto Blue Jays announced the signing of Dawgs pitcher Jay Schueler, as a non-drafted free agent. Schueler, a Southeastern University hurler, has not seen action with Okotoks this summer due to injury.
