Manitoba Baseball HOF welcomes illustrious crew

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This article was published 09/11/2022 (1096 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — Patti Hacault never dreamed of making it into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame, since just one female — the late Evelyn Moroz — had been inducted in the individual category.

But Hacault is a proud member of the Class of 2023, which will be officially inducted at a ceremony in Morden next summer.

“I was very surprised when I heard the news,” Hacault, who was born in Brandon and now lives south of Holland, said Tuesday. “I honestly didn’t think this is something that would ever happen. Baseball’s more of a men’s sport, but we’ve made a lot of inroads in girls’ baseball over the years and we’ve made a mark for ourselves.”

Hacault has played a huge role in the development of girls’ baseball in the province as she’s been a member of the Baseball Manitoba girls committee since 2012.

“I was at an event in Brandon and I remember one of the members of the Baseball Manitoba executive saying that they needed someone to spearhead things… otherwise girls baseball in this province would be dead in the water,” Hacault said. “I raised my hand and everything just started building from there.”

Those jobs allowed her to cross paths with many of the inductees, who were announced at press conferences in Brandon and Winnipeg. The 25th induction banquet will be held June 3, 2023.

Corey Billaney and Junior Brake of Boissevain, Jeff Bouchard and Keith Carrier of Winnipeg, Laurie Langrell of Warren, the late T.G. Smith of Steinbach and the late Todd Smith of Hamiota will be joining Hacault in the individual category.

“Girls love to play baseball. It’s a fun and tough game and you are able to develop a lot of skills,” she said. “The coaching that the girls get is some of, if not the best, in the entire province. I think there’s a really good future ahead, especially with girls baseball being a medal sport at the 2025 Canada Summer Games.”

In addition to her role with Baseball Manitoba, Hacault has coached teams in Holland, Treherne and Pembina Hills.

She’s served various executive positions in the Pembina Hills Minor Baseball League and was selected as Baseball Manitoba and Sport Manitoba’s volunteer of the year in 2011.

Billaney and Brake have been involved in the Boissevain scene for many years. They were teammates on the Boissevain Centennials side that won the provincial AA title in 1996 and are coaching the team today.

“To be inducted with one of my best friends is really awesome,” Billaney said. “I’ve caught a lot of balls from this guy over the years … he’s made it pretty easy on me.

“All of the teammates that we’ve played have played a huge part in what we’ve accomplished in our careers,” Brake added. “We wouldn’t have had any success if it wasn’t for them.”

Todd Smith, who died in 2019, is considered to be one of the best shortstops to ever play in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League and was also a member of the University of North Dakota squad that participated in the 1993 NCAA Division II national championship.

His father Bryan, who coached him through minor hockey and baseball, accepted the nomination.

“When I was coaching, kids would be looking all over the place when you would talk to them,” Bryan Smith said. “That wasn’t the case with Todd. He’d look at any of his coaches right in the eyes.”

Bouchard was a top catcher in the province during the 1980s, with his most memorable year coming in 1985 as he was named the MVP of the Manitoba Junior League for the St. Boniface Legionnaires Juniors and was Baseball Manitoba’s senior player of the year with the St. Boniface Native Sons.

He’s coached for the last two decades and was named Baseball Manitoba’s high performance coach of the year in 2015 and 2021.

Smith, who died in 1982, played a key role in the development of little-league baseball of Steinbach during the 1950s and 1960s.

Carriere was an all-star player as a pitcher and infielder for various teams in the province from the late 1980s to the 2000s.

In addition to being a top talent on the diamond in the ’50s and ’60s in Warren and Winnipeg, Langrell was also a member of the Winnipeg Braves team that won the 1959 Memorial Cup.

The newest inductees into the team category are the 2009-2013 Reston Rockets, the 2006-2015 Minnedosa Mavericks, the 1966 Hamiota Juvenile Royals and the 1953-56 Norwood Community Club Juvenile and Junior squads.

The Rockets were one of the top squads in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League, winning two league titles and attending a pair of national championships in that span.

The team will be honoured by the Winnipeg Goldeyes next year as the pro club will wear Reston’s uniforms for one of its home games.

“That’s going to be quite an evening,” Rockets coach Ross Tycoles said. “This group of guys spent a lot of time growing up together and they’ve stayed in touch over the years. A lot of them came from quite a distance to be here at the press conference and I expect a strong group to come for the induction ceremony.”

The Mavericks dominated the Santa Carla League from 2006 to 2015 as they won 10 straight titles, including a stretch from 2006 to 2011 where they went undefeated.

The Royals put together a Cinderella run on their way to capturing the 1966 Western Canadian juvenile championship with a convincing 13-2 win over the host Regina Maroons.

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The Norwood Community Club teams were an impressive force over a four-year span. They won the provincial juvenile title in 1953 and captured back-to-back junior district crowns in 1955 and 1956.

Gladwyn Scott, who died in August at the age of 90, will be enshrined as an honorary life member.. He received the award earlier this summer at his home in Carberry prior to his death.

“Gladwyn must have written up at least half of our nominations over the years,” HOF board member Morris Mott said. “He played such a huge role for the hall, especially in getting the inductees ready for what they might expect leading up to the ceremony.”

lpunkari@brandonsun.com

Twitter: @lpunkari