By Justin Sibbet
In the 1980s, Lethbridge, Alta., was home to several dominant slo-pitch and softball teams that went on to win national titles.
That success launched a generational love of the games in southern Alberta for both recreational athletes and more competitive players.
鈥淔or those that don鈥檛 know, the legacy of slo-pitch in Lethbridge and southern Alberta goes back almost 50 years and I don鈥檛 know that everyone realizes how successful the city has been in the past, going back to the 鈥80s, but also to present day,鈥 said Kevin Chubb, former coach and manager for the Lethbridge Dodgers and Alberta Cardinals.
That 1980s dominance wasn鈥檛 a fluke, either, as multiple Lethbridge-based teams were victorious at the national level.
鈥淟ethbridge actually won four championships in a row between the Schwartz Angels, Great West and the Super Sam鈥檚 teams. In 1989, the women鈥檚 teams got in the mix and they also won two national championships in 1989 and 1991. That was the women鈥檚 Lethbridge Val Matteotti鈥檚 Suntana鈥檚,鈥 said Chubb.
While a smaller city like Lethbridge winning so many titles across Canada may be a bit surprising, Chubb says it鈥檚 actually quite easy to explain.
鈥淏aseball. Almost every elite slo-pitch player has a baseball background and when you look at Lethbridge and southern Alberta, you鈥檝e got the Vauxhall Baseball Academy, the Prairie Baseball Academy, you have Lethbridge Little Leagues, you have other academies, you have American Legion, you鈥檝e got Bulls Baseball.
鈥淭here are others that I鈥檓 not even including鈥 I can not stress that enough that our success in the past has been because of baseball players giving slo-pitch a chance.鈥
The sport is huge in Lethbridge as of 2025, with dozens of teams spread across multiple leagues competing in the sport every summer evening.
鈥淲e have 11 diamonds down here (in Softball Valley) and they鈥檙e full every night. We usually get about 250 people down here,鈥 said Hank Stoffer, facility manager at Lethbridge鈥檚 Softball Valley.
He says the level of play in slo-pitch tournaments like the 2025 Men鈥檚 and Women鈥檚 Softball Alberta Provincial Championships, which will be hosted at Softball Valley this weekend, is better than most people expect.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be some of the best ball you鈥檙e going to see. The winners of these will get to go play for the Canadian Championships and that鈥檚 a pretty high-level softball鈥. There鈥檚 the recreational aspect of slo-pitch that鈥檚 played down here, but there鈥檚 also some very, very high level that鈥檚 here that people should come watch. I think they鈥檇 be suitably impressed,鈥 said Stoffer.
Off the field, events like the 2018 Canadian Slo-Pitch Championships, also hosted in Lethbridge, are major money-makers for the city.
鈥淚n 2018, it was estimated that we brought in $3.5 million when we hosted the national championship here for that week. So, an event like (the provincial championships) could probably look to be $250,000-$300,000 throughout the city, in the restaurants, in the hotels, general spending.鈥
The tournament runs from July 11-13 and, on the men鈥檚 side, features eight teams. These include Evolution Sports Cardinals, Hype, Gators, AEG Evolution Sports Trappers, Cruisin Auto Astros, Wasted Potential, Faded and The Valley.
Meanwhile, 10 teams will compete on the women鈥檚 side. These include the Valley Vixens, Black Widows, Aftermath, Squad, Calahoo Erins, Two Guys Pizza Aces, Animal Kingdom, Laces, Evolution Sports Carnage and Vengeance.
Both Chubb and Stoffer say they are eager to see the sport continue to grow, but that often means baseball players need to truly give the sport a chance. They say this tournament and the exposure it provides for the sport could help more athletes take part in the next step of the everlasting legacy of slo-pitch in Lethbridge.