Kalam Paull

  • Provincial title winner with Elmwood Giants Midget Team
  • Bronze medal winner with the 1989 Manitoba Youth Team
  • Participated with Team Canada 18 and under in 1990
  • Manitoba Junior League Champion in 1990, while receiving an MJBL all star award, and the Top RH Pitcher
  • 1990 Manitoba Senior Baseball Player of the Year
  • Attended Itasca Community College 1991-1992
  • Named Junior College Athletic Association All-Region ⅩⅢ Pitcher, and set the school record for lowest ERA
  • Attended the National Baseball Institute in Vancouver, BC 1993
  • Played with the Moose Jaw Millers in 1993 and 1994, and won Saskatchewan Major Baseball League Provincial AAA Championship
  • 1994-1995 played Division 1 baseball at Illinois State University
  • All-Conference pitcher for Valley City State University 1996
  • 1997-2002 played professional baseball in the Northern League
  • Member of 2000 Senior Team Canada
  • Pitched in Colombian Professional Baseball League 2001-2002

Andrew Halpenny

  • Began his baseball career with Selkirk Minor ball
  • Played with Team Manitoba in 1989 at the National Youth Select Tournament where they earned bronze
  • Selected as all-star catcher for the National Youth Select Tournament in 1989
  • Represented Canada in the World Junior Championships in Trois Rivers, Quebec in 1989
  • 1989 Manitoba Baseball Player of the Year
  • 1989 Interlake Athlete of the Year
  • Finalist for the Manitoba Athlete of the Year award
  • In 1990, Andrew participated for Team Manitoba, and placed third
  • Andrew represented Team Canada at the World Junior Championships in Havana, Cuba during 1990 as they placed 3rd
  • Received a baseball scholarship to the National Baseball Institute in Vancouver, BC
  • Signed by the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1994 where he played three years with the team
  • Opened Western Canada’s first indoor baseball and softball teaching facility, where he has helped 117 high school athletes fulfill their dream of playing in a university program

 

Blaine Fortin

  • Outstanding player at several positions as he started his baseball career with Lundar Minor Baseball. He moved on to play for the Interlake Orioles, Legion 141, and the Teulon Cardinals
  • Drafted in the 6th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1995
  • Played minor league baseball for the Blue Jay’s affiliates in Dunedin, St. Catherine’s and Medicine Hat
  • Put up a solid .329 batting average while playing in Medicine Hat
  • Played for Team Manitoba, and Team Canada
  • MBA Youth Athlete of the Year in 1994
  • Canadian Player of the Year in 1994
  • Manitoba Junior Baseball batting average title in 1994
  • Manitoba Youth Athlete of the Year in 1995
  • Chosen to play on Team Canada for the World Championships in Brandon, Manitoba where he put up a .346 tournament batting average
  • Played in the 1997 season for the Winnipeg Goldeyes
  • Served as president of Interlake Minor Baseball association for four years
  • Member of the Baseball MB Grassroots and Competition committee
  • Career fielding percentage of .993 as a catcher

Bob Senff

Bob Senff was a Winnipegger who moved to Virden in 1971 and in 1980 began to umpire. Over the next thirty years he was a highly respected umpire in Western Manitoba. He worked primarily in the MSBL, but for two years also handled games in the Prairie League of Professional Baseball. He also regularly umpired in other leagues like at Western Canadians, Manitoba Regionals or Provincials, and at National tournaments including the first Women’s National tournament held in St. James. Senff served in administrative positions such as assignor of umpires for Senior leagues, Umpire-in-Chief of the MSBL, and member of the Disciplinary Committee of Baseball Manitoba. He especially remembers umpiring a Senior game in which his two sons played against each other and singing both the Canadian and American National Anthems before umpiring Prairie League games.

Harold “Chuck” Lindsay

Harold “Chuck” Lindsay was unique in that he excelled as a pitcher in both baseball and softball. Prior to the Second World War, he pitched baseball for his hometown Hamiota, as well as for Reston, Virden, and Belleview. During the War, he pitched fastball for an excellent Hamiota team and then, after he enlisted, he threw for baseball and fastball teams in the places he was stationed, such as, Calgary, Alberta, or New Brunswick. In fact, in the Maritimes, Lindsay was the voted best pitcher to ever play both baseball and softball. After the War, he pitched baseball primarily, especially for Hamiota but also for tournament teams or a selected teams such as the one chosen for a Virden game against “Satchel” Paige and his Touring All Stars. His given name Harold was seldom used. Everyone knew him as the two-sport chucker, Chuck Lindsay.

Randy Robertson

From Hamiota, Randy Robertson was a top minor-age player. He was on teams that won provincial championships at Beaver, Bantam, and Midget levels. His Souris team won a silver medal at Western Canadians in 1979 and Robertson was the all star catcher. As a Midget in 1982, he was selected to attend an elite development camp in Edmonton. In 1984, Robertson was selected to attend a try-out for the Team Canada Youth Team. In the MSBL, his career lasted only from 1984 through to 1989, but his lifetime average was .352 and his 25 stolen bases in one season set a League record never to be matched. He was part of a Hamiota Red Sox team that won three MSBL pennants and one championship. In Hamiota, Robertson coached minor ball from 1985 through 1988 and he also ran a camp for elite young players.

Jon Robbins

Jon Robbins was from Winnipeg and early in the 21st century he was one of Manitoba’s dominant right-handed hurlers. In Junior ball, in 2001, he helped pitch the Carillon Juniors representing Manitoba to the gold medal at Western Canadians. The next year at Junior Nationals held in Newfoundland, Robbins was named the tournament’s top right-hander and led Manitoba to a bronze medal. In 2003, he moved to Senior ball and was selected Rookie of the Year in the Winnipeg Senior league. Robbins played nine years in this league. He led the St. James Athletics to two league titles. Robbins was also named an all star four times and was selected twice as the league’s top pitcher.

Dean McBride

A native of Gladstone, McBride played 24 seasons of highly competitive Senior AAA baseball in Manitoba. He played 22 seasons in the MSBL, 11 with the Neepawa Farmers and 11 with the Brandon Cloverleafs. He also played two seasons with the Elmwood Giants of the Red Boine League. In the MSBL, McBride had a lifetime batting average of .371. He was Rookie of the Year in 1988, batting champion in 1990, and play-off MVP in 1997. He was a 15 time all star and was selected to the League’s 40th anniversary all time all star team. In his short stay in the Red Boine League, McBride was a batting champion, a home run leader, and an MVP. He played on Manitoba’s 1989 Canada Summer Games team and competed for Manitoba in ten Senior National tournaments.

Armin Gitzel

Armin Gitzel was an outstanding pitcher, outfielder, infielder, hitter, and base runner. He was a key force on the Miami team that won six consecutive Provincial championships from 1952 through to 1957. He continued his Senior playing career in the South Central Border League with the Carman Cardinals through 1961 and then with Graysville’s league championship teams of 1962 and 1963. A highlight for Gitzel was leading Carman to a league championship against Plum Coulee in 1957. In the final game he struck out 15 batters and also smashed a long home run. For many years he was prominent in the tournaments in rural communities such as Fannystelle, St. Claude, Treherne, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Carman, and Morden.

Greg Cameron

Greg Cameron achieved early success in baseball when he was a member of the Souris Little League team that won the 1961 Manitoba championship. As a Juvenile in 1967, Cameron captained the team from Souris that won the Western Canadian title. The next year he joined the Souris Senior Cardinals and the team won the MSBL pennant. He went on to play a total of 12 more years of Senior ball with Souris and Riverside. He played in four Canadian Senior AAA championships. After retiring, Cameron turned to coaching minor ball in Boissevain. In 1994, he co-coached the Oil Dome Pee Wee All Stars to a Manitoba title. This earned them a trip to Nationals in North Bay, Ontario. Cameron has also convened several provincial championship tournaments in Boissivain and currently acts as announcer and scorekeeper for the Senior Boissevain Centennials.