Three outstanding Alberta Athletes were recognized today by the Edmonton International Baseball Foundation. 

Brandon Strocki, 18, of Stony Plain, and Daniel Jackson, 18, of Elnora received $2,000 E.I.B.F. -Ron Hayter Scholarships in recognition of their scholastic achievements and athletic prowess.

Nineteen year-old Kristen Meyer, of Edmonton, received the $2,000 Millie Warwick McAuley/Betty Carveth Dunn Bursary.  The award is named in honor of two Edmontonians who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League which operated during the Second World War.

Ms. Dunn, a member of the Canadian and American Baseball Halls of Fame and a Special Ambassador with the E.I.B.F., made the presentation to Ms. Meyer, a talented pitcher and infielder who competed on the Team Alberta Women’s team last season, when it won the silver medal in Quebec.

Strocki played with the Stony Plain Midget AA Royals last season and will be playing with the Parkland White Sox this season in the North-Central Alberta Baseball League.

As a catcher and left fielder, he was a key factor in the Royals’ provincial Tier 4 championship victory last season.

Strocki is enrolled at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Education and Recreation where he has embarked on a five-year program to obtain a combined degree in Education and Physical Education.

Interestingly, he also has been umpiring for six years and is expected to earn his Level 4 National Umpiring Certification this year.

Jackson, an all-around player, was unable to attend because he is completing his first year of post-secondary studies at Minot State University in North Dakota.  He is on the President’s Honor List and also an outfielder with the Minot State Beavers. The award was accepted by his father, Lloyd Jackson.

Since 2000, Jackson has accumulated a rack of gold medals, helping Red Deer Dick’s Auto and Truck Mosquitoes to a provincial title in 2000, Team Alberta Bantams to the 2004 National championship; Red Deer Sportsworld AA Midget, provincial title, and Team Alberta, Western Canada championship, in 2006.

He also was a member of Team Alberta in the 2007 Midget AAA Canadian championships.

Ms. Meyer, currently a member of the Edmonton Warriors Midget team, has been playing baseball competitively since she was nine.  She was on Team Alberta when it won the pee wee silver medal in 2003, and helped Alberta capture the gold in the 2004 Bantam girls national championship. It was gold again in 2006, playing in the provincial midget finals.

“The E.I.B.F. applauds these outstanding athletes for their excellence both on and off the field”, said E.I.B.F. Chairman Ron Hayter.  “They are a credit to the community and to the sport of baseball.”