OKOTOKS, AB — Three current Dawgs Academy players recently committed to top NCAA Division I baseball programs, adding to a legacy of Dawgs graduating to the highest levels of college baseball. Ethan Renaud committed to Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, North Carolina), Brooks Froese to Kansas State University (Manhattan, Kansas) and Dallas Tanaka to Pepperdine University (Malibu, California). (See player details below.)

The commitments add to the Dawgs tradition of graduating players to leading NCAA Division I programs, including in the past few years:

- Kayden Armitage - Indiana University

- Taye Thierman, Josh Mills, AJ Rogers - Coastal Carolina University

- Will Labonte, LC Larouche, Leo Cote, Matthew Tran, Austin Collins, Xander Guedes – University of Portland

- Tim Piasentin, Max Poirier - University of Miami

- Jack Bello, Max Hartman – Washington State University

- Declan Spooner - St. John’s University

- Jerome Pare, Brandon Paez, Adam Beamin – North Dakota State University

- Eric Machej – Illinois State University

The college track record comes while Dawgs continue to enjoy success in the professional ranks. This past year former Dawg, Tristan Peters was an MLB All-Star with the Chicago White Sox, Matt “Tugboat” Williamson made his Major League debut with the San Francisco Giants, and Eric Hartman was named the #1 prospect of the Atlanta Braves. Former Dawgs, Andrew Kittredge (Baltimore Orioles) and Kody Funderburk (Minnesota Twins) also had solid seasons in Major League Baseball. Original Dawg and former NY Mets and Milwaukee Brewers closing pitcher, now Brewers Pitching Coordinator, Jim Henderson, is on the brink of a World Series appearance as Milwaukee seeks to knock off the 2-time MLB Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

Ethan Renaud — Wake Forest University

Born and raised in Okotoks, Ethan Renaud has committed to Wake Forest University, a top ranked NCAA program. Renaud has been a Dawg since age 12 years old when he joined the Dawgs 13U team. This past season, he was a key member of the Dawgs 18U Black team when the club captured the inaugural Road to Okotoks National Championship.

Brooks Froese — Kansas State University

A newcomer to the Dawgs Academy, Brooks Froese has accepted a scholarship to the nationally recognized, Wildcats of Kansas State University. Originally from Red Deer, Alberta, Froese looked to take the next step in his baseball career by joining the Dawgs Academy this past fall. An outstanding middle infielder, Froese is projected to be an impact player on the Dawgs 18U Black as the club vies to repeat as Road to Okotoks National Champions.

Dallas Tanaka — Pepperdine University

Dallas Tanaka has accepted a scholarship to NCAA, Division 1, Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Tanaka is an Okotoks native who joined the Dawgs Academy program as an 11-year-old. He enjoyed success on the Dawgs 13U and 15U teams before taking a huge step forward this past fall with the Dawgs 18U Black where he attracted the attention of several college programs. Dallas’ dad, Kevin Tanaka, was a collegiate player with Hawaii Pacific and continues to be a coach in the Dawgs Academy.