The Giants Story:
The Giants began as an idea in the Summer of 2008. After moving to Calgary and joining a poorly run and poorly performing FMBA baseball club for few seasons, friends and Co-workers Christian Damgaard and Mike Mudry decided that enough was enough and floated the idea of a new FMBA Franchise. The idea continued to be tossed around for over a year, through several possible team names, and through several former college teammates and minor baseball players a potential roster slowly took shape. The idea became a mission after a coincidental meeting with Jon Bourch and Sean Wilson, who were college buddies and teammates who had been casual partying/poker buddies with Christian back in Lethbridge. Once they were aboard, it was full steam ahead.
The Giants were represented by Christian Damgaard and Wayne Kostiuk at the 2009 FMBA Fall AGM with a full roster of 18 names with varying experience, and though there was some resistance, the Giants were eventually awarded a spot as the 13th FMBA Franchise in the Late Winter of 2010 for the upcoming season. Some within the league initially thought that a 13th franchise was too much for the league to sustain, but the choice to add the Giants proved to be the right one, as the Giants have become one of the most stable and consistently competitive teams in the league while several other franchises have folded and two have merged since that time. The Giants were instantly competitive in the FMBA, but battled the kinds of inconsistency and commitment issues that are expected of a first year team. Though success was inconsistent in year one, some key parts were in place, and it has been steady growth and improvement ever since. As more and more former college teammates, summer collegiate teammates and/or former college opponents moved to or returned to the Calgary area, the roster steadily improved.
Provincial Championships
2016 Baseball Alberta Senior AA Provincial Champions
2017 Baseball Alberta Senior AA Provincial Champions
Franchise Firsts
Regular Season
Giants Franchise First | Player | Date |
Offence | ||
Hit | Cam Marchuk | May 8, 2010 |
Single | Cam Marchuk | May 8, 2010 |
Double | Shelby Guthrie | May 8, 2010 |
Triple | Mike Mudry | July 11, 2010 |
Home Run | Sean Wilson | July 20, 2010 |
Grand Slam | Kenny Falconer | June 7, 2015 |
Run | Murray Paetz | May 8, 2010 |
RBI | Christian Damgaard | May 8, 2010 |
Stolen Base | Cam Marchuk | May 8, 2010 |
Walk | Joe Lerner | May 8, 2010 |
HBP (Batter) | Murray Paetz | May 8, 2010 |
Sacrifice | Steven Paetz | June 20, 2010 |
Multi-hit Game | Shelby Guthrie | May 8, 2010 |
3 Hit Game | Jon Boruch | May 22, 2010 |
4 Hit Game | Jon Boruch | May 22, 2010 |
5 Hit Game | Jon Boruch | May 22, 2010 |
2 Run Game | Wayne Kostiuk | May 8, 2010 |
3 Run Game | Christian Damgaard | May 22, 2010 |
4 Run Game | Jon Boruch | July 2, 2011 |
5 Run Game | Riki Enquist | June 16, 2018 |
2 RBI Game | Christian Damgaard | May 8, 2010 |
3 RBI Game | Jon Boruch | May 22, 2010 |
4 RBI Game | Scott Restoule | June 12, 2010 |
5, 6 & 7 RBI Game | Ryan Handley | June 25, 2010 |
Hit for the Cycle | Tyler Klippenstein | June 27, 2015 |
2 Double Game | Ryan Handley | June 25, 2010 |
3 Double Game | Brent Wandler | July 21, 2012 |
2 Home Run Game | Jon Boruch | July 27, 2013 |
Pitching | ||
Strikeout | Steven Paetz | May 8, 2010 |
Win | Mike Higgins | May 20, 2010 |
Save | Mike Higgins | May 25, 2010 |
Shutout | Steven Paetz | July 20, 2010 |
Complete Game | Sean Wilson | May 22, 2010 |
No Hitter | Desmond Sullivan | June 24, 2014 |
1-2-3 Inning | Cam Marchuk | May 8, 2010 |
3 Strikeout Inning | Steven Paetz | May 8, 2010 |
Strikeout the side | Scott Olsen | June 12, 2010 |
Start | Steven Paetz | May 8, 2010 |
Relief Appearance | Mike Higgins | May 8, 2010 |
Double Play | Sean Wilson | May 12, 2010 |
Pick Off | Steven Paetz | August 7, 2010 |
Defensive | ||
Put Out | Kostiuk-Marchuk (5-2) | May 10, 2010 |
Fly Ball Out | Christian Damgaard (F8) | May 10, 2010 |
Double Play | Paek-Boruch-Guthrie (4-6-3) | May 12, 2010 |
Outfield Assist | Scott Restoule (7-2) | May 12, 2010 |
Caught Stealing | Jon Boruch (2-6) | May 12, 2010 |
Playoff Firsts
Offence | Player | Date |
Hit | Tyler Warner | August 20, 2011 |
Single | Tyler Warner | August 20, 2011 |
Double | Brent Wandler | August 25, 2012 |
Triple | Alex Ponich | August 18, 2013 |
Home Run | Kern Watts | August 6, 2014 |
Run | Jon Boruch | August 21, 2011 |
RBI | Mike Mudry | August 25, 2012 |
HBP | Tyler Warner | August 20, 2011 |
Walk | Mike Mudry | August 20, 2011 |
Stolen Base | Tyler Warner | August 20, 2011 |
Sacrifice | Fraser Olsen | August 21, 2011 |
Multi-Hit Game | Tyler Warner | August 20, 2011 |
3 Hit Game | Christian Damgaard | August 21, 2011 |
4 Hit Game | Curtis Beaudoin | August 9, 2014 |
2 Double Game | Brent Wandler | August 17, 2013 |
2 Home Run Game | Curtis Beaudoin | July 31, 2017 |
Pitching | ||
Win | Desmond Sullivan | August 17, 2013 |
Strikeout | Fraser Olsen | August 20, 2011 |
Strikeout the side | Desmond Sullivan | August 17, 2013 |
1-2-3 Inning | Ryan Handley | August 21, 2011 |
3 Strikeout Inning | Ryan Handley | August 21, 2011 |
Start | Fraser Olsen | August 20, 2011 |
Complete Game | Fraser Olsen | August 25, 2012 |
Relief Appearance | Derek Temush | August 20, 2011 |
Double Play | Derek Temush | August 21, 2011 |
No Hitter | Desmond Sullivan | August 9, 2015 |
Defensive | ||
Put Out | S.Wilson-A.Jose (6-4) | August 20, 2011 |
Fly Ball Out | Michael Pohlod (F7) | August 20, 2011 |
Double Play | F.Olsen-Burrows (5-3) | August 21, 2011 |
Caught Stealing | Kyle Cooper (2-4) | August 25, 2012 |
Giants No-Hitters
Desmond Sullivan - June 24, 2014 Vs. Calgary Cardinals
Desmond Sullivan - August 9, 2015 Vs. Calgary Cardinals (playoffs)
Desmond Sullivan - May 14, 2018 Vs. Calgary Twins
Steven Latos & Matt Dobberthien - June 14, 2021 Vs. Calgary Twins
2016 AA Provincial Champion Roster
Back Row (L-R): Matt Bannister, Kenny Falconer, Curtis Beaudoin, Marc Wilson, Richard Smythe, Alex Ponich, Andrew Hutchings, Alex Havers, Fraser Olsen
Front Row (L-R): Trent Lyster, Desomond Sullivan, Mike Mudry, Christian Damgaard, Kern Watts, Justin Ganser, Drew Calanchie, Steven Latos