Red Deer Riggers look to make some noise at 2026 Men’s National Championships

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

“That’s the whole goal is to get to nationals, and we had a really good season last year. We were lucky enough to get out there this summer,” Chatwood said.

Less than last year

Red Deer building permit values reach $16 million in July

12h ago

No injuries

Red Deer Emergency Services investigating fire at apartment building on 49 Avenue

15h ago

eyes to the sky

ENDED: Funnel clouds possible Tuesday afternoon around central Alberta

16h ago

The Riggers will begin the tournament by taking on Saskatchewan on Thursday, Aug. 20, followed by New Brunswick on the morning of Friday, Aug. 21 and Ontario in the afternoon.

The Riggers will then close out tournament play with the first game of the day on Saturday, Aug. 22 against British Columbia before the quarterfinals later in the evening.

The semifinals will take place on Sunday, Aug. 23, before the bronze medal game at 4 p.m. and the gold medal at 7 p.m. local time.

Chatwood said most of the players on last year’s roster will be on the team again when they head to nationals.

They will also have a few new additions to ensure they put the strongest team on the field, including a few from the Calgary Rockies, Calgary Diamondbacks, and St. Albert Tigers. Sylvan Lake Gulls pitcher Reece Hemmerling and infielder Cleary Simpson will also join.

“We did a pretty good job of picking up spots where we were short, and it’s a pretty good team we’ve got going,” he said.

“It’s a really hard tournament to win. You have the best teams in the country, but I’m pretty excited about our team. I think we have a pretty good shot if we go out there and play the baseball we know how to do.”

This season, the Riggers fell just short of the Sunburst League playoffs near the end of July with a 10-8 record. Despite that, Chatwood felt his team had a productive season, which came with plenty of ups and downs.

Since then, the Riggers took some time off to ensure they’re fresh before they began practicing ahead of nationals.

They also had to fundraise to travel to New Brunswick for nationals. He explained it costs the team approximately $50,000 to go to the tournament because of flights, hotels, and other expenses.

In addition, Red Deer is also fundraising to host the 2029 Men’s National Baseball Championships at Great Chief Park. They had most recently hosted the same tournament in 2023.

The Riggers are still looking for financial help. If interested, reach out to any of the players or through the Riggers social media accounts.