Baseball and Softball Academy

Philosophy

• The academic and Baseball staff is committed to Long Term Development of the student athlete as well as creating a positive environment for learning.
• The Baseball Academy gives individuals the opportunity to enhance baseball skills, develop positive routines while balancing academic studies.

General Fees Breakdown

• Annual Fee - $3,000 ($1,500 deposit and 3 monthly installments of $500)
• Additional Fees may be required to attend competitions/trips.  These are optional but encouraged.

Baseball & Softball Academy Features

• Professional Full-time Instructors
• Apparel Package - Approx. $300 value
• Baseball or Softball Specific Fitness Plan
• Facility Rentals
• Transportation to Any Required Facilities

Weekly Structure

• Athletes participate in baseball or softball practice as part of their daily school schedule.
• 3-4 instructional practices per week
• 1 Fitness Centre instruction class with Strength & Conditioning Coach
• Bi-Weekly Class of Physical Education or Sport Performance Class
• Optional Extra Work Available 1-2 Days per Week After School Hours

• Registration Timeline and Forms
• Registration Handbook

Head Coach/Director - Brad Wolansky

Brad Wolansky, FX Director and Coach, grew up playing minor baseball in St. Albert, AB where he developed with the St. Albert Cardinals.

He moved on to play collegiately at Peru State College in Nebraska for 4 years where he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education with a Minor in Coaching.

He spent one year as a student assistant coach at Peru State College before returning back to the Edmonton area.

Brad is currently the head coach of the St. Albert 15U AAA Cardinals and the Men's Senior AAA St. Albert Tigers. Previous to arriving at St. FX, he spent 13 years working at Baseball Alberta as a Program & Communications Coordinator. 

He has been a coach at the 15U, 18U and Senior AAA levels and was an assistant coach for the Women's Open Division Team Alberta that won a Baseball Canada National Championship in 2014.

Contact Coach Wolansky · bradley.wolansky@ecsd.net · (780) 218-3659

Assistant Coach - Ryan Marples

Ryan Marples played his youth baseball under St. Albert Minor Ball where he was a part of 7 Provincial Championship teams with the Cardinals. He was able to excel both at the plate as a hitter and on the mound throughout his career.

Ryan played his college baseball at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky for 2 years before moving back to St. Albert. He also coaches with the St. Albert Dev off-season program as well as an assistant with the St. Albert 15U AAA Cardinals during the summer.

Still young in his coaching career, Ryan brings great energy to the game and will make a great addition to the FX coaching staff.

Assistant Coach - Tom Leathem

Tom grew up playing baseball in St. Albert from the time he was 11 up to the age of 18. During those years, Tom played on the 15u and 18u AAA teams where he won 2 provincial championships and competed at the national level representing team Alberta. 

Following his career as a Cardinal, Tom took a year to play on the St. Albert AAA Men’s team where he met and played with Coach Wolansky. Tom then went on to attend Marshalltown CC in Iowa and play on the varsity baseball team for 2 years as a pitcher.  He then transferred to Morningside University in Sioux City Iowa and played another 2 years on their varsity baseball team. 

During these 4 years, Tom’s summers consisted of coaching alongside Coach Wolansky in St. Albert with the 15u AAA team and continues to do so. Tom graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in legal studies. He now plans to attend law school while coaching baseball. 

Lead Teacher/Agility & Speed Coach - Francesca Fritz

Ms. Fritz will be responsible for the grade book as well as any in class assignments as part of the curriculum.  She will also help provide training in the area of agility and speed training for the players.

Ms. Fritz is a graduate of the University of Alberta where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Bachelor of Education. She played varsity soccer at Grant MacEwan University and has been active in both soccer, and track and field her entire life. Miss Fritz has also competed on the national and  international stage in Bodybuilding, and has a strong working knowledge of strength, conditioning, and nutrition. Ms. Fritz has been teaching with EPSB & ECSD since 2013, and has also taught abroad in Germany and China. She is passionate about physical education and academics, and loves that she can be a part of the FX community to foster this same passion in her students.

Strength & Conditioning Coach - Karissa Anderson

Karissa Anderson, FX Strength and Conditioning Coach, graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Kinesiology and major in Sport Performance.

She has experience working with a wide variety of athletes in differing roles all related to improving athletic performance. 

Karissa has worked with the University of Alberta Pandas Volleyball for three seasons as an Athletic Trainer / Kinesiologist. Additionally, she worked in a similar role with the Edmonton Prospects and Alberta Winter Games with Hockey Alberta. Her primary responsibility in these positions were sport injury management, prevention and rehabilitation. 

Before she accepted the role at St. FX as the Athletic Trainer, she worked at a high-performance training center in Edmonton as a Performance Coach / Head Kinesiologist. In this role, Karissa worked with a wide scope of professional athletes and sport teams including organizations such as NHL, CFL, and USport.

How many hours per week does an academy student spend training?

Academy training that is sport specific such as “on-ice” or on the field is typically 3-4 times per week. Fridays are usually reserved for the teaching of Sport Performance outcomes or cross training to meet the outcomes related to the Physical Education program. 1-2 days a week the students are either in the Sport Center, Gym, Fitness Center or classroom. For a sample training schedule, for more specific details, please refer directly to each academy website or speak with the Director.

If the student is in the academy, does she/he still have time to take all the core curriculum prerequisites required to enter university?

Depending on the program that the student is interested in and how many prerequisite courses are required, a schedule is organized so that all courses can be accommodated within a three year plan.  If a student will require all three Sciences and as well as Math 30-1 and Math 31, it is important that they start “fast-tracking” early by taking 20 level courses in their grade ten year and one diploma level course in grade 11.  We do our best to accommodate all requests.

On a few occasions, the block(s) which host the academy conflict with a particular course that a student wants, e.g. English AP offered at the same time as block 3 for an academy.  If scheduling presents conflicts, we sit with the student and parent(s) one on one and work to rebuild their schedule.

On occasion, if it is possible to move their academy section to make room for a course that is scheduled at the same time, we will do so with the permission of the Director.  Students who have a full schedule and are not able to fit everything that they have requested often choose to focus on completing one course over summer school.

What credits do they get for academy, and are they valid for university or college admission?

Students earn 5 credits for Physical Education and 5 credits for Sport Performance. SP courses consist of 5 CTS modules and students earn one credit for each. To earn a high school diploma, 10 CTS credits are required. SP fulfills those criteria. As all of our students are required to take Religion and CALM, these courses are offered to academy students in class first, providing there is room in their timetable. If not, they can take these courses independently in modules or online.

How is the development program different from the competitive program in terms of hours?

Currently, each academy is open to athletes of all levels of ability. One of the goals of Academy programs is to improve skill proficiency for the novice athlete as well as the elite. Soccer in particular is offering a developmental program for students who are passionate about the sport and seek improvement with basic skills. Often, the competitive programs offer practice or training sessions beyond school hours, e.g., baseball hitting practice after school and 6:30am fitness center workouts. Please contact the Director personally for specifics relevant to their program

How does a player transition from the developmental to the competitive program?

Typically, students in grade ten who are new to the academy and new to high school have plenty of adjustments to make juggling athletics and academic responsibilities. Over time, student athletes develop at their own pace and eventually move up into a more competitive environment.

A grade twelve student who has been participating in an academy for the previous two years would likely join an advanced group in their third year. Having said that, all of our athletes develop at various rates with different goals and skill sets. A young player may arrive in grade ten and have experience training outside of the school with a provincial or national program.

Each Director is responsible for assessing and determining the best placement for the applicant. Many of the academies require reference letters and detailed information disclosing their current level of play, coach, position and team. All of this information is considered in assigning them a section in which the Director feels they would be most successful in both physically and emotionally.

How do students get to and from training that occurs off-campus during school hours?

Students are transported on one of our two FX school buses. We have two full time drivers who take care of drop off and pick up to every venue. These costs are included in their fees.

What if the player is injured - do they move into the 'regular' program or stay in the academy?

Depending on the severity of the injury, we would prefer that a student remain in the academy if at all possible. If the injury is minor, students are welcome to join in and participate at their comfort level. As an alternate activity, injured athletes may request time in the Learning Center to do homework or study or report to the fitness center to take part in a regiment which is specifically designed to enable the athlete to return to play, e.g., stretching, upper body strength routines, etc. If the student has suffered a major setback they may choose to withdraw from the academy at that time. They would lose their deposit however the remainder of their fees would be pro-rated on a monthly basis. If withdrawal is evident, doing so during a semester break allows us the opportunity to register them in other courses. If withdrawal is necessary mid-semester, students can sign up for online courses and earn credits to replace those that are lost.

How are applicants chosen if the program is over-subscribed? Do out of area applicants receive equal consideration as in-area applicants?

Many of our students are from out of area and all applicants would have equal opportunity. If the program is over-subscribed we will screen our applicants and choose student athletes who have a history of good attendance, citizenship, and work hard to earn marks that they are capable of. The academy programs are inclusive in nature so all levels of play are welcome. Depending on the academy and space available in the various sections, a student may be chosen with consideration given to their skill proficiency.

Is there a certain number of spaces reserved/allotted for girls? Do the boys and girls train together?

Decisions to combine genders in an academy section can be based on ability levels and/or numbers. If there are enough females or males to create a section for each, that is our preference.

Can you be in the academy and still take AP classes? Is that a problem/difficult?

Where possible, we will work with a student’s schedule to accommodate all requests. If an AP course conflicts with an academy section, we either move the student to another section or they register in the course that is closest to the AP stream and the following year, move into AP. The flexibility of moving in and out of the AP courses from year to year is helpful.

Click on the links to view PDFs

Resources

2025-26 Baseball Academy Budget

2024-25 Baseball Academy Fee report