— Foundation Donations — Go to our permanent endowment fund which provides sustainable revenue into perpetuity for MBHOF. The fund is administered by the Winnipeg Foundation in partnership with the Morden and Area Foundation. Every dollar gifted to this fund will be stretched on a pro-rated basis by the Manitoba Heritage Trust Endowment Fund. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… — Patron Donations — Go to our Annual Patron Donor Fund. It is a fund used for the annual operation of the MBHOF. The annual operating costs include general maintenance, upgrades, and expansion of programs and facilities. Patron Level is achieved by individuals who donate at least $50 and corporations or organizations that donate at least $100.
Every person who attends our induction banquet will receive a complimentary Souvenir Program. The Program will include information on the Hall of Fame, bios of individuals and teams to be inducted, and advertisements. The advertisements are essentially congratulatory messages to one or more inductees. Inductees are always happy to see them.
If your company or organization wants to submit an advertisement /congratulatory message for this year’s Program, please contact Director Morris Mott before April 15, 2023. His email address is mott@brandonu.ca. The cost for ads is $600.00 for a full page, $300.00 for a half page, $150.00 for a quarter page, and $100.00 for a business card size. Specific dimensions for each size will be provided. The ads can be in colour and may be submitted electronically as an attachment to an email.
The Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is proud to announce the inductees for 2025. They will be inducted at the annual induction banquet on June 14, 2025 @ the Morden Access Event Centre.
The inductees include outstanding players, builders, and teams who have left their legacy both on and off the baseball field.
On the evening of June 14, 2025, the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame will host its 27th annual induction banquet at the Access Events Centre in Morden. Tickets for the event can be purchased through the Hall of Fame’s website, www.mbhof.ca. Click on Banquet and follow the instructions.
Today the Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the names of individuals, teams, and groups that will be inducted or otherwise honoured at the June 14 banquet.
INDIVIDUAL INDUCTEES:
CLARK ANDRES (1980- ), ROBLIN.
He grew up in the Roblin district and became a good hockey player but an exceptional baseball player. He was a strong right-handed pitcher and an outstanding left-handed hitter. In 1995 he led the Parkland AAA Bantams to a provincial championship and a national tournament. He played in the Manitoba Junior Baseball League with Winnipeg South Chiefs and Pembina Valley Orioles. He went on to a brilliant three-year college career (2000-2002) in North Dakota with Bottineau State and Mayville State. He was named to three All-Conference teams and two All-American teams, and in 2002 he was chosen by the Canadian Baseball Network for the All-Canadian College team. He then played seven years in the Manitoba Senior League with Brandon Cloverleafs and Birtle Blue Jays. He was part of the Hall of Fame 2013 Birtle team. He was a six-time MSBL All Star with a career batting average of .402 and a career ERA of 2.94. Back injuries shortened his impressive career. He is still involved in baseball as a coach of minor and high school teams.
LINDSEY DAHL (1978- ), WINNIPEG, and MATTHEW DAHL (1978- ), WINNIPEG
Lindsey Dahl and Matthew Dahl are twins who grew up in Portage la Prairie. Both excelled in baseball as youngsters. Lindsey became an outstanding catcher. Matthew developed into a top pitcher and infielder. Both were dangerous left-handed hitters. They played together on many provincial championship teams in youth categories in Portage, Junior in Carman, and Senior with Elmwood. They were part of Manitoba’s representatives at many Western Canada or National Championships. Both were on Team Manitoba at the 1997 Canada Summer Games. Both made all-star teams in the different leagues in which they played. In the Manitoba Junior League from 1997 through 1999 they were true superstars. Each of them won a batting championship and when Lindsey won his, he also took the triple crown. Each of them were named to all-star teams. Each was named a Most Valuable Player, Matt in 1997 and Lindsey in 1999. In Senior ball, they were part of the powerful Elmwood Giants teams of 2000-05, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, and went to three Western Canada Championships and won two of them. In addition, Lindsey was part of the 1996 Team Manitoba for the Blue Jays Cup and in 2000, was on the opening day roster of the Winnipeg Goldeyes.
CLAYTON DREGER (1960- ), WINNIPEG.
The Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame does not have a separate media category. If it did, Clayton Dreger would be in it. For four decades, he has been baseball’s most important media advocate in southern Manitoba. He grew up in Morris playing baseball and other sports. As a young man, he got his start in radio with Radio Southern Manitoba in 1985, and he has never left. He covered all major sports and some minor ones, and in the summers, he emphasized the sport of baseball. Over the years, Clayton reported on hundreds of baseball events, all the way back to the MSBL and the Redboinne Senior League starting in 1985. Across all the Golden West stations, he promoted the game with information about schedules, results, tournaments, and personalities. He has been the master of ceremonies (MC) of the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame banquet on 22 occasions. He has also been MC of the Baseball Manitoba Awards night every year since 2013. When there is a story to be told, Clayton is there to get the interview. After a long and successful career, Clayton will be retiring from Sports Journalism in January of 2025.
SCOTT KELMAN (1981- ), WINNIPEG.
Scott Kelman was a terrific athlete when young. In baseball, from 1992 to 2016 he played with St. James A’s in Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget, Junior, and Senior categories, but missed several years because of hockey commitments or hockey injuries. His baseball resume is incredible. He was Manitoba’s Pee Wee Bantam Player of the Year in 1996, Midget Player of the Year in 1997. He was part of Team Manitoba at the Blue Jays Cup in 1997 and 1998. He made Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp in 1998. In 2001 he was part of Manitoba’s team at the Canada Summer Games. He was MVP of the Manitoba Junior League in 2001, MVP of the Winnipeg Senior League in 2011, and batting champion of the Winnipeg Senior League in both 2007 and 2011. He did all this while maintaining a major junior and professional hockey career.
FRED MATSUBARA (1967- ), WINNIPEG.
Fred Matsubara had a short but brilliant pitching career. He was a right-hander with a terrific curveball. He became prominent as a Midget player with provincial champion Southdale in 1984. Then in Junior, he played four straight years (1985-88) in the Western Canada Championships. In three of those years, he was part of his own St. Boniface club, and in the fourth, he was a pick-up for Elmwood. In two of the Western tournaments, he was named Most Valuable Pitcher. From 1987 through 1990 he played college ball at Mayville State in North Dakota and had 23 wins and 4 losses. He was named to All-Conference teams twice. In his early 20s, he pitched in Senior ball for the strong St. Boniface teams that were inducted in 2007 into our Hall of Fame, and also pitched for Elmwood as a pickup the 1989 National Championship Tournament. In 1990, he made Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team and competed in a World Championship. After the 1991 season he left competitive baseball because of injuries.
JACK SCOTT (1955—-), WINNIPEG.
In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, Jack Scott was a high-level catcher at all age levels from Little Canadian to Senior. His nomination to this Hall of Fame is unreservedly supported by many top pitchers he caught over the years, including Doug Freeth, John Melnick, Don Maskiw, Gerry Falk. He was a member of a Little Canadian team that went to a Canadian championship, and part of one PONY league, one 18U league, and two Junior league teams that went to Western Canada championships. When he was just out of Junior, he served as the Manitoba Junior League Commissioner for three seasons. During the same years, he coached the St. Boniface Legionaires Junior club. Then he played Senior from 1982 through 1985 with St. Boniface in the Red Boine League. In other sports, he played hockey, volleyball, and especially football for the St. Vital Mustangs and the University of Manitoba Bisons. He coached Mustangs football for eight years (he is in the Mustangs Hall of Fame). He also coached softball for ten years when his daughters were active in the sport.
RYAN SCOTT (1968- ), Irishtown, New Brunswick.
Ryan played minor ball in Minnedosa. In 1985 joined Hamiota in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League, and he was on the strong Hamiota teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s that were inducted in 2012 into the Hall of Fame. He played for Team Manitoba at the Western Canada Summer Games in 1987 and again at the Canada Summer Games in 1989. In 1990 he was part of Team Manitoba at the Western Canada Senior Championship and was batting champ and a tournament all-star. He played college ball for four years in the USA. In 1990 he was on a Mayville State team that is in the college’s Hall of Fame, and in 1991 he was an NAIA All-American Scholar Athlete. He joined the McAuley Blazers in 1993 and was the MSBLs MVP, batting champion, and first-team all-star center fielder. He went to Neepawa Farmers for the years 1994-97, a very good team inducted in 2017 into the Hall of Fame. From 1998 through 2000 he was with the Brandon Cloverleafs. By the 1990s he was coaching as well as playing. He was an assistant coach for Team Manitoba at the 1995 Canadian Youth tournament and at the 1997 Canada Summer Games in Brandon.
JIM WHITE (1956- ), NEEPAWA.
Jim White was a dominant player with Neepawa teams in intermediate ball in the mid-1970s. Neepawa Cubs joined the Manitoba Senior Baseball League in 1974. Later they became the Farmers, and in the 1980s and 1990s Jim White was one of their top players. He was a consistent .300 hitter who was in the top ten in League hitting eight different times. In his 17 years in the MSBL he was named to 13 all-star teams. Over the years, he played wherever needed on the diamond. He could play an impressive shortstop, but he was primarily a catcher and a unique one in that he threw left-handed. He was the main catcher on the strong Neepawa Farmers teams of 1993-97, who were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017. After playing, he coached the Neepawa Cubs and the Neepawa Farmers, and he also coached Senior hockey in Neepawa.
TEAM INDUCTEES
SENIOR CLUB TEAM CATEGORY
BRANDON CARDINALS 2012-18
The Brandon Cardinals were formed in 2009 as an expansion team in the Brandon Senior AA League. By 2012 the Cardinals were a top team, and they remain a top team to this day. In the seven seasons from 2012 through 2018 they won the league’s pennant six times and the league championship (including playoffs) five times. In no season did the team lose more than seven games. They won the Clearwater Canada Day tournament in 2012 and 2013. During those two years they enjoyed a 46-game consecutive win streak. In 2012 they won the provincial AA championship, and by 2018 there were four additional years in which they advanced to the semi-final round at the provincial tournament.
MINOR CLUB TEAM CATEGORY
CROCUS PLAINS PLAINSMEN 2003-06
The Crocus Plains baseball program began in 1998 when organized high school baseball in Manitoba was in its infancy. In that year the team was not strong, but it was invited to be the host team from Brandon at the provincial high school championship. Early in the 2000s, coach Rick DeGagne and assistant Darren Hardy were able to recruit good players who had played for several years in Brandon Minor Baseball. By 2003, Crocus had a solid team, and from 2003 through 2006 they won three of four provincial championships. They lost in the final in the fourth year. In the year 2005 the team was undefeated and won both the provincial championship and the championship of the newly-formed Prairie West High School League. Three players were part of all four 2003-06 teams—Eric Truscott, Brent Perrin, and Brock DeGagne. Provincial all-star players over the years were Matt De Gagne, Keith VanWallegham, Zack McMillan, Carson McMillan, Kirk Graham, Eric Truscott, Brent Perrin.
SPECIAL TEAM CATEGORY
MANITOBA’S 1985 CANADA SUMMER GAMES TEAM
The Manitoba team at the 1985 Canada Summer Games brought home the silver medal. Four Manitoba teams have won silver at a Canada Summer Games. No team has won gold. This team was coached by Al Robertson, Ray Mutcheson, and Mike Labossiere. The players were from the Manitoba Junior League and several Senior leagues including the AAA Red Boine Senior League and the AAA Manitoba Senior League. They lost their opening game to Ontario, then won three straight over P.E.I., Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland. This meant they finished second in their pool. They crossed over and beat Nova Scotia in a semi-final, then faced Ontario in the final. In the ninth inning, Manitoba may have scored the winning run on a very close play at home plate. The call went against them. In the extra inning, Ontario scored to take gold.
SPECIAL GROUP
THE CLAYTONS OF KALEIDA/MANITOU/SNOWFLAKE
Stewart Clayton was a farmer from south of Manitou. He played Senior ball from his mid-teens until his early 50s. He was a line-drive hitter who played third base and pitched. He was a player/coach of the Kaleida Ks 1974-78, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011. All three of his sons were also part of that team.
Wilf Clayton was a catcher for Kaleida and Manitou teams for 33 years. He coached minor ball for 13 years and his teams won provincial championships at 15U and 18U levels. He was President of the Border Baseball League for 11 seasons.
Randy Clayton was primarily a middle infielder. He played for Kaleida Ks, for Souris in the Manitoba Senior League, and for the 1977 Canada Summer Games team that won a silver medal. He attended Mayville State College 1977-81 and was part of three Conference championship teams. Since 1981, he has lived in Hinckley, Minnesota, and has been a successful baseball coach there.
Greg Clayton played 33 years of Senior ball for Kaleida and Manitou. He was part of nine provincial championship teams and went to the Western Canada championship eight times. He has been a player/coach of the Manitou Braves, coach with Patti Hacault in the Pembina Hills AAA program, coach or manager of the Pembina Valley Orioles Junior team, and even an umpire intermittently for 20 years.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
ALTONA BASEBALL BUILDERS
Altona now has one of the most attractive baseball parks in the province. This is Access Field, which in 2024, hosted 74 baseball games. It is the home of the Altona Bison Senior team, the Altona Junior Bison team, the Altona U18 AA team, the W.C. Miller Aces High School team, and for some games, the South Central U18 AAA team. From 2008 to the present, the Altona Baseball Builders, known locally as the Field of Dreams Committee, carried out all of the fundraising and much of the construction work for this beautiful ballpark. Over the course of a decade and a half they invested more than a million dollars in the field. They levelled the property, and, especially for the infield, they brought in drain tile, topsoil, pea gravel, and red clay. They constructed concrete dugouts, a backstop, fences, grandstands, foul poles, an umpires’ dressing room, and a media booth. They arranged for electricity to the park which meant lights could be installed. They ran a water line to the facility which made washrooms possible and field maintenance much more efficient. Hats off to this dedicated group of volunteers.
HONOURARY LIFE MEMBERS
BILL KIRKUP, SOURIS
Bill Kirkup was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000 as recognition for his volunteer baseball efforts for Souris, for southwestern Manitoba, and for the Manitoba Senior Baseball League. He became a director of the Hall of Fame in 2011. He remains a director to this day. He served for many years on our Merchandise Committee. More recently he has been a key member of the Selection Committee, and he has contributed his unrivaled knowledge of players and teams from southwestern Manitoba. He is known for his good humour and also for reminders to directors of the financial consequences of all decisions.
AL ROBERTSON, HAMIOTA
Al Robertson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000 as a player/builder. Al, his wife Lorna, and sons Jeff and Randy, were one of the main reasons Hamiota could claim it was the Baseball Capital of Manitoba. His work on behalf of the Hall of Fame is now recognized in this Honourary Life Membership. Al was an original director of the Hall of Fame, and he remained a director until 2022. He and wife Lorna worked annually at our banquet ticket desk. They still do this even though Al has stepped aside as a director. Al was also a key member of our Selection Committee. His knowledge of contributions made to baseball by people from all over the province have been crucial to this Committee’s credibility.
MURRAY ZUK, SOURIS
Murray was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999 as a player/builder. He will now become an Honourary Life Member. He was an original director, and he is still a director. At our banquets, he has been our volunteer photographer. He has also been the only Chairman our Nomination and Selection Committees have ever had. His Nominations Committee has found replacements for retiring directors or officers. His duties as Chair of the Selection Committee have been particularly important because he has received hundreds of nominations, circulated copies of nominations to directors, and then co-ordinated our efforts to select inductees. This has required countless hours of volunteer labour as well as impressive organizational skills.
After a long-playing career in baseball that finally ended this summer, Darrick Jones prizes the intangibles he accrued on the diamond over everything else. The 44-year-old Baldur resident, who played the game for decades in national events, at an American college, in the pro ranks and for many years with his hometown Regals, said the relationships he built are what matters.
“The championships and all that stuff are great, but it’s the friendships and the people you meet and the places you get to go,” Jones said. “I’ve been all across Canada and in a number of states and met I don’t know how many dozen or hundred teammates along the way.
“I walk through many doors every day for work, and you’d be surprised how many people I run into who I played with or against over the years. It’s a great way to have conversations and reminisce. It’s definitely the people and relationships I’m most grateful for.”
FARM SYSTEM
The path to the baseball field started on the family farm 40 years ago. Jones said his parents Gordon and Lauren encouraged him to try the sport, a seed that rapidly took root.
“I would take a broken broomstick and would smash rocks around for a while,” said Jones, who has a younger sister, Donalee. “I always just thought that was just a cool way to spend time, whether it was that or throwing the tennis ball off the back of the house. Baseball and I just clicked.”
The second part of the equation was the support of his folks, who unselfishly drove him wherever he needed, which was key for a farm kid.
In the youngest age groups, there were enough local kids for Baldur teams, with some players from nearby Belmont occasionally supplementing their ranks. In their early teenage years, they also combined with Cartwright at times.
Gerry Janz coached Jones as a youngster and later when he played with the Regals. He remembers Jones’ first game, which was in Cartwright in an era when a coach pitched to their own team.
“He came to bat and I lobbed one in to him and he lined it past my right ear,” Janz said. “It was a missile. I came into the bench after our bat was done and I said to Rob Ramage who was helping me coach ‘I think that kid is going to be a pretty good hitter.’ “Yes he was. He was a great hitter.”
He also turned into a great catcher. The team also included Janz’s son Jesse, who played centre-field and pitcher Nathan Ramage, who played second base when he wasn’t on the mound. That meant they were always solid up the middle.
It was a talented trio that would last from minor ball to senior ball.
“I don’t know if it was because I had a strong arm or was one of those guys who is high energy so they’re trying to rein it in, but I just found I wanted to be involved in the game and involved in the play, and there’s no better place for it than catcher,” Jones said. “Every ball that’s pitched, you’re right in the middle of it. You get to see the game from a different perspective. Everybody else is looking into the plate and you have everything in front of you and you can be a bit of a director of traffic.
“I found it a lot more enjoyable to be back there.”
Janz said there is a simpler reason why Jones ended up behind the plate. It was because Ramage threw so hard.
“Jonesy was the only one at that age who could handle him,” Janz said. “He was always mad at me because I would never let him pitch. I said ‘Jonesy, I pitched and I caught and by the time I was late 20s I couldn’t throw anymore because you wreck your arm. We’re not going to wreck that cannon you have.’” Janz agreed to take a coaching course at one point so he could help manage a regional team going to provincials, and at the clinic the game was broken down for the baseball veteran in a new way. He took that knowledge back to his young team, and discovered they were eager to learn too.
“They were like sponges and sucked it up,” Janz said. “Jonesy learned quick, and he’s a sharp guy. He picked up on stuff like that. It’s so much easier to do something when you know what to do.”
Jones was picked up by teams for big events when he was younger and soon made his first trips to nationals and westerns, eventually earning a spot on Team Manitoba for the first time at 15. Janz wasn’t surprised by his success, in part due to Jones’ live arm.
“At a very young age, a guy would just take off from first and trot down to second,” Janz said. “Nobody was ever thrown out. The look on their faces when Ramage was standing there with the ball and they’re four steps off the bag, it was amazing. ‘How the hell did he get that?’” Jones looked up to older players such as Travis and Mike Johnson, Doug Roeges and Darcy Dearsley when he was a little guy, and later joined them on the Regals when he began playing senior baseball at 14 in 1994 as the team struggled to find players. That was another education for the teenager.
“It was kind of the group you wanted to belong to,” Jones said. “We had lots of fun, and they were always good to the younger guys, not only myself, but all the guys that I started with.”
Mike Johnson, who is Jones’ brother- in-law and the editor and publisher of the Baldur Gazette, said it was apparent he was a special player. Johnson pitched, so he worked closely with Jones.
“Right from the get-go you could see he had catching skills I hadn’t seen before, at our level anyhow,” Johnson said.
Jones was also successful outside baseball.
He played hockey growing up as well, including at the under-18 AAA level with the Pembina Valley Hawks, where he won a championship in 1997 and fell in the final to the Southwest Cougars in 1998.
NEXT STEP
When Jones was in high school, he began to look at baseball colleges in North Dakota, but didn’t necessarily want to follow the same path as everyone else. His provincial teammate Jared Froese was recruited by the Graceland University Yellowjackets and let Jones know about the team’s pressing need for a catcher.
The Jones family drove down to Lamoni, Iowa — located near Kansas City, about 520 kilometres straight south of Minneapolis — and met with the coach and toured the facilities. “I don’t know why, but it just felt right to go down there,” Jones said of the community of about 2,000, which is pronounced Le-MOAN-i. It was his first time off the farm, but it was a comfortable fit after the inevitable challenges that follow everyone who leaves home. As it turned out, he eventually ended up as roommates with a pitcher from Wisconsin named Jay Steffen.
“Just having a guy from a similar background as me — he was a farm kid from Wisconsin and I was a farm kid from Manitoba — we hit it off,” Jones said. “That made it a lot easier to go through the process. It was a bit of a culture shock but the Midwest isn’t a heckuva lot different than rural Manitoba in a way.”
That two buddies lived together for the rest of their collegiate careers, and Steffen came up to Baldur after they graduated and pitched for the Regals in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League for a summer.
Recruiting the catcher from smalltown Manitoba quickly proved to be a godsend for the Yellowjackets, who played a fall-ball season, worked out all winter and had a second season starting in February.
Jones spent four seasons with Graceland from 1999 to 2002, batting .388 with 24 home runs and 131 RBI in 160 games over his NAIA baseball career. With a .471 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of .647, he earned all-conference honours and was named a second-team All-American in his final year.
Behind the plate, he finished his career with a .983 fielding percentage, with 790 putouts and 140 assists.
Jones said it was a Division 2 level of ball, with some strong teams and guys who throwing in the high 80s, but it reminded him of the guys he played against in Manitoba.
“Playing senior ball up here definitely gives you the background or confidence that the stuff you’re going to see down there isn’t a heckuva lot different,” said Jones, noting he was hitting against guys like Vinnie Eastman, Ryan Boguski, Jeff Wiebe and Shane Moffatt in the MSBL. “If you can battle with them, it definitely increases your confidence when you go down south.”
In fact, his college career was so outstanding that he was enshrined in Graceland’s Hall of Fame in 2012.
“Honestly it was just nice to get back down there,” Jones said. “I hadn’t been since I graduated so it would be 10 years at that point. It was a nice experience. It was cool to show the boys where I played. They were pretty young, but it was a nice honour.”
LEFT: Winnipeg Goldeyes catcher Darrick Jones throws to first after tagging out St. Paul Saints runner Justin Hall on Sept. 6, 2003. (Winnipeg Free Press file) RIGHT: Darrick Jones connects with the ball for the Morden Mohawks in front of Hamiota Red Sox catcher Joben Smith in their 2-1 victory over the Hamiota Red Sox on Aug. 12, 2018 to capture the senior AA provincial baseball championship in Neepawa. Jones was picked up by the Mohawks for the event. (Perry Bergson/The Brandon Sun)
PRO BASEBALL
After his senior year, he went to an open tryout with about 70 other players looking to launch pro careers but it didn’t lead to anything.
Jones returned home with a business degree and was running the grocery store in Baldur for the Johnson brothers. Naturally, Jones was also playing with the Regals when he received a call from the Winnipeg Goldeyes, who were in the Northern League at the time. They had an injured catcher, so Jones joined them for a weekend series at home.
He saw action in the Sunday game after the score got a little lopsided, giving Jones his first taste of pro ball.
“It wasn’t necessarily high on my radar at that point,” Jones said. “With the Goldeyes being local, it was one of those things that was ‘That would be kind of cool to give it a shot.’” After his weekend in 2002, the Goldeyes asked if he would return the next spring for tryouts, and he earned a roster spot in 2003.
“That was a time I’ll never forget for sure,” said Jones, who took a leave from the grocery store. “Winnipeg as a rule is very strong but we were at the top of the Northern League for quite a while with sellout crowds, and being from Manitoba, you ran into people you knew all the time.”
Since the Northern League was a stepping stone for players making their way up — and some who were headed in the other direction — the talent was terrific.
Since Jones caught, he had an opportunity to handle a level of pitching he had never encountered before. Denny Wagner was near the tail end of his career.
“He threw a sinker like I had never seen before,” Jones said. “He was one of those guys who would almost break your thumb if you’re not careful. That was an experience, and then catching the likes of Donnie Smith, who is from Winnipeg, he had as nasty a slider from the right side as I’ve ever caught before, and George Sherrill is probably the name people might recognize from back then.
“He ended up getting picked up by Seattle and was in the majors with Seattle and Baltimore as an all-star relief pitcher. They were definitely a class above.”
Jones appeared in 34 games that season, hitting .232 with 10 RBI and a .589 on-base percentage. After the season, Jones sat down with then-manager Hal Lanier trying to get a commitment on playing time for the next season.
“If I’m coming back, it would be worth continuing to make peanuts if you’re going to try to get me in once a week at the very least,” Jones said. “He said he would make no promises and let me know, but he found another catcher. He called me back three or four days later and his position hadn’t changed and my position hadn’t changed and that was the end of it.
“It was a little bittersweet. I don’t know if I wish I had done it differently but when you’re making $300 a month with student loans, it’s a consideration. It was a great experience and I probably would have liked to continue it. If the financial situation had been slightly better or they would have got me in here or there, it probably would have continued.
“But there are no sour grapes at all from my end.”
Johnson, who was back home watching, said it as an impressive accomplishment.
“I don’t know if we ever thought Canadian kids would get a shot,” Johnson said. “He had the drive and put a lot of time in and it paid off for him.”
BACK HOME
The Regals played in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League for years — the boost of the young trio of Jones, Janz and Ramage gave them the talent to compete — but when their numbers dropped the team disbanded after the 2002 season. Jones suited up with the Killarney Lakers in the MSBL from 2003 to 2006, but when the Regals returned to Baldur in 2007, so did he.
He came back to a powerhouse. The team’s incredible run of success included winning six Border West Senior AA Baseball League titles from 2007 to 2012, earning the provincial crown from 2008 to 2011 and capturing the Western Canada championship in Alberta in 2009. They were so dominant that in 2015, the 2007-12 Regals were added to the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame.
“It was totally shocking we got inducted at that point because we still felt like, and I guess in a way we were, still in our prime,” Jones said. “It was one of those things that when we got the call, the guys were generally speaking still around so it was like an extra celebration of what we had accomplished. Lots of us continued to play and still had some success after that, but any time you get to be honoured like that is absolutely fantastic.”
They went on to win the western Canadian championship again in 2016.
Jones was named the top player in the province in 2009, and Janz was selected as the high performance coach of the year.
Baldur’s recipe for success included strong pitching, solid defence and offensive depth from the top of the lineup to the bottom, something that didn’t change even as some of the faces did over the years. But a big part of the equation was Jones.
Johnson remembers throwing to the perennial all-star Moffatt and deciding Jones had called the wrong pitch.
“I shook him off,” Johnson said. “I never, ever shook him off and I did that time and Shane hit it about 420 feet. That was he was so good at as well, was calling a game. When you pitched to him, you didn’t have to worry about calling the game or anyone stealing bases.”
Jones said his baseball career wouldn’t have been possible without the support of his wife Debbie, his high-school sweetheart who he married in 2006. They have two children, 17-year-old Lachlan and 15-year-old Spencer.
Jones played a bit in the summer of 2023 — and even had the chance to catch Lachlan and throw to him in a game — but decided this summer it was time to bring his illustrious playing career to an end. Not surprisingly, he balanced the greater good in his decision as a new group of youngsters joined the team.
“I don’t want to be the guy taking reps from guys who deserve the chance I had when I was young,” Jones said. “I thought ‘You know what, I like helping and I like still being part of it, but for me when we have so many young guys who are keen on coming, I wasn’t going to stand in their way.’” He co-coached the team with Drew Janz instead.
Needless to say, his legacy in the sport is complete.
“I’ve been around baseball all my life and never in Manitoba did I see a better catcher,” Janz said. “He had all the tools. He could block, he went soft and the ball never bounced off him, it just dropped. I caught myself and you go rigid when that 58-foot curveball came in. It bounces off you and goes anywhere, but he goes soft and blocks it. “He had a cannon for an arm and everybody loved to pitch to him. They could throw that curveball in the dirt and know he was going to block it and get the strike three call. He was just a beauty.”
STILL BUSY
One of his other hobbies is curling in the Air Greenway Super League at the Baldur Curling Club on a team that includes Jesse Janz, Scott Crayston and Cody Chatham.
When Baldur hosted the provincial men’s curling zones in 2020, Janz, his sons Jesse and Drew and Jones decided to throw together a team to have a local representative. Jones played lead, and the quartet ended up winning and earned a berth in provincials.
They didn’t last long, but that really wasn’t the point.
“That was a cool experience,” Jones said. When he isn’t involved in sports, Jones is simply one of those people who keeps things thriving with his countless hours dedicated to the community.
“He’s done everything you can do as a volunteer in our small town,” Janz said. “We’re lucky to have a lot of people in this small community who care about the place. It keeps our clubs going.”
Jones was on the executive of the fire department but has stepped back from that. He is still on the Rec Centre’s building committee, is president of Baldur Minor Baseball and has served as the AAA co-ordinator of the Pembina Hills Regional Baseball Association for more than a decade after also serving as president there.
Naturally he also ran the curling club for a couple of years.
“I’m actually doing a little less right now than I have been, which is kind of nice,” Jones said with a chuckle. “But I’m sure something else will come up.”
He said the urge to be involved comes from his parents and the men who coached him like Janz.
“It’s the sense of community,” Jones said. “Coming from a small town, you realize things don’t get done on their own and it takes volunteers … I don’t know if it’s your duty but I enjoy being part of it. I wanted to make things better for not only my kids but other kids in the area.”
Johnson said that cohort of Baldur residents has always stepped up.
“A lot of our young guys and young gals step up to the plate,” Johnson said. “He’s been one of them. His friends and age group follow suit, and he sets an example.”
Jones is now the district manager for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business after many years as a territory manager for Pratt’s Wholesale out of Winnipeg. He’s on the road a lot in his new job but enjoys his work and the chance to see people.
Janz said the key to Jones is simple: He’s exactly the person you want him to be, something he first displayed on the baseball diamond many years ago.
“He was a leader,” Janz said. “He was never boisterous or saying he was better than you guys. He was a great teammate. The guys just loved to be around him.” They still do.
LEFT: Baldur Regals catcher Darrick Jones was named co-MVP at the western Canadian senior AA baseball championship in Baldur in 2016. The Regals won 10-0. (Perry Bergson/Brandon Sun) RIGHT: Darrick Jones poses for a picture in 2005
Darrick Jones of Baldur throws a stone during the 2020 Viterra Championship at the Eric Coy Arena in Winnipeg.
It was another great day at the Neepawa Golf & Country Club. The weather started off on the cool side, but quickly became hot and humid. We had 56 golfers come out and scramble around the course. The winning score was 53 by team Peyton Lepla, 2nd place was the Brad Roth team with a score of 55. 2nd flight winner was Greg Cameron team- 60 and Darren Smith team – 61. 3rd flight winners was Jim Schmall team – 66 and Barry Hockin – 70.
We would like to thank all the golfers for coming out and supporting this fundraiser for Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. To all of the sponsors that contribute prizes and money to this tournament that make it a successful tournament every year. Thank you. A list of sponsors are below. Looking forward towards next year’s tournament in Neepawa August 2025.
Randy Robertson Baseball Manitoba Seafoot Family Girton Sales Dan Giesbrecht Gill & Schmall Agencies Toronto Blue Jays Winnipeg Blue Bombers True North Baseball Canada Portage Mutual Insurance Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Brandon Wheat Kings Canadian Baseball hall of Fame Neepawa Golf & Country club Minnedosa Golf & Country Club Morden Golf & Country Club Winkler Golf & Country Club Oak Island Golf course Reston Golf & Country club Gilbert Plains Golf & Country Club Don Schmall Sports Chek-Brandon Dynasty Minnewasta Golf Course Bridges Golf Course Norma Holmes-Hylife Envision Promotion-Kevin Booker Trans Canada Brewing Company Best Western -Morden
