The Okotoks Dawgs now have another reason to brag.

Their founding and managing director, John Ircandia, was recently ranked as Canada's 14th most influential person in baseball by the Canadian Baseball Network (CBN).

This is an annual ranking of a "who's who" in baseball, and includes Major League team owners, players, executives, coaches, broadcasters, and scouts, with Toronto Blue Jay star Vladimar Guererro being ranked at number 12 on the list.

Over the years, Ircandia has been involved with various aspects of baseball, including being a player, coach, manager, executive, general manager, and managing director.

Along with a few others, Ircandia also started the Dawgs way back in 1996.

While it was Ircandia that made the list, he said that this also speaks volumes about the Dawgs.

"It feels great, actually. I mean, there's so many executives and coaches and baseball players in Major League baseball, that to be ranked as high as number 14, I think is really a testament to the success of the Dawgs," explains Ircandia. "And the respect that the Canadian Baseball Network has for all the work the Dawgs do in amateur baseball."

On top of Ircandia's acheivements, the college level Dawgs won back-to-back championships in the Western Canadian Baseball League.

There have also been several former members of the Dawgs who have made it to the big leagues, including Kody Funderburk of the Minnesota Twins, Andrew Kittredge of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Alejo Lopez of the Cincinnati Reds.

Not only have the Dawgs influenced future major leaguers, but the big leagues have also influenced the Dawgs.

The Dawg's Assistant Pitching coach is the former relief pitcher for the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers Jim Henderson.

And he isn't alone.

Ircandia says that several former Dawgs went on to the big leagues, but then returned to Okotoks to rejoin their old team in a non-playing capacity.

While placing high on the most influential list is a big honour, Ircandia isn't the only reason why the Dawgs are bragging.

Not only has the 18U Dawgs been ranked as the third top youth team in North America, but Seaman Stadium was named the "Best Ballpark in Summer College Baseball in North America" by the Ballpark Digest.

"The facilities are first rate. We built, basically, $25 million worth of state-of-the-art baseball facilities in Okotoks. It's like a major league spring training area," says Ircandia. "So, the facilities attract a lot of baseball people that want to be part of that, because they open so many doors in terms of the development opportunities for young players."

With over 4500 fans per game, and over 150,000 fans per season, Seaman Stadium was also the third top draw in all of summer college baseball, according to Ballpark Digest.

During the current offseason, they are adding an 80-foot ribbon videoboard and are addressing the swelling crowds they have been seeing, they are adding a new seating section, and expanding the patios and field level suites.

"If you love baseball, what we offer in the Dawgs is about as good as gets. Both from our facilities standpoint, community engagement standpoint, and attracting top players in the country, both at the high school level and at the college level. It's a sweet gig for a baseball person," explains Ircandia.

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