He earned the nickname of “Mayor of Moose Jaw” and became one of the most popular players to ever put on a Miller Express uniform.
After wrapping up his final season of playing in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) last summer, Nebraska-born Nate Mensik took time to chat about his time playing in Canada and look ahead to what’s next for him in baseball.
Mensik played for the Moose Jaw Miller Express from 2022 through 2024 and the Saskatchewan community became his home away from home as he settled in for his summers in the WCBL.
Named team MVP in 2022 and voted Fan Favourite in 2023 and 2024, Mensik and his family left an imprint on the hearts of many Moose Javians. The outfielder was known for his big grin and positive attitude around Ross Wells Park, which made him a popular player amongst fans of all ages. He collected 33 home runs and a .305 batting average while helping lead the Miller Express to WCBL championship appearances in 2022 and 2024.
During a recent phone chat, Mensik looked back at his time in “Canada’s Most Notorious City” and discussed his baseball journey. Here’s what he had to say in this question-and-answer session:
How did you get into baseball in the first place?
I got involved with baseball as a kid from watching my brother play when I was really, really young. So I started actually trying to play with him when I was four years old and then they finally let me onto the field when I was four and he was eight years old playing baseball. I did not do very well but I was good at running so they let me run the bases. (The other kids were) absolutely supportive, they were all for it. We were a small town so anybody that could play was welcome to. I was a pitcher and a catcher. I loved pitching, that was my favourite thing to do.
What is one memory from your experience in Moose Jaw that you have never shared before?
There was one memory where there was a rain delay in Moose Jaw. It was my first year and Tristan Seitz was one that recruited us heavily. He was a Regina guy that played in Moose Jaw and we were just messing around in the dugout and he put on all the catcher’s gear and we started to turn on some music and he was being our DJ. That was a good memory, that was a fun one.
Your family was well known around Ross Wells Park. They could be seen around the ballpark supporting you and the Miller Express. How did having your family follow you to Canada impact your performance?
I absolutely loved it. I thought that it was great for them to be able to experience that same thing that I was able to experience. I’m glad … it meant the world to me that they got to. It’s a long way away so it was cool that they got to come and support to feel that whole atmosphere and they absolutely fell in love with it, too. It was a good experience for all of us to be a part of that. Little Archie got to come too. He still talks about Canada to this day.
How did it make you feel to be voted fan favourite amongst fans, not once but twice?
The best award. Honestly, it was one of my favourite ones to get because the fans are what make the game fun too. It’s the whole experience itself. Them being able to take time out of their day to come and watch an amazing game that we were able to put on for them is what it’s all about. Being able to watch kids and families come out and have a good evening, be able to talk to us after the game and stuff, too, it’s full circle. I just appreciated them being able to do that and to take time out of their days.
What is one hardship that you had throughout your baseball career and how did you work to overcome it?
I would say a hardship for me was failure, of course, because baseball is a game of failure. You have to be able to learn how to learn how failure happens in baseball. Over seventy percent of the time for most players, so you have to be able to learn how to control your mind and adapt to it. Some say you have to draw an “X” in the dirt and move on, or one that has really stuck with me is how goldfish have a ten to fifteen second memory so it’s easy for them to forget things really fast. I try to apply that into baseball. Whatever happens, happens, and then you just have to move on from it and try to be better on the next one because it is a game of failure, so you have to embrace that and understand that. If you beat yourself up from it, it’s not going to fix your problem in the end.
What is a lesson that baseball has taught you that you would share with younger, developing players?
The game is intended to be for fun, and that it is meant for kids. If you are waiting to play at a higher level or be on the best team or to do the best that you possibly can, it’s not about that. It’s about having fun and being out there with your friends, throwing the ball around and doing all that simple stuff. It’s not about the results but it’s about the action of being around people who have the same interest and the same intent as you and just enjoying that moment, not getting caught up in all that other stuff that comes with it, but actually the game itself. It’s not supposed to be stressful, it’s not supposed to bring you down or make you sad. It’s a game of fun.
What is one big goal that you have for the future and how are you working to achieve it?
I have the goal of wanting to play professional baseball.
I also have the goal of wanting to progress in that and to see where I can get with this sport because that has been a goal of mine since I was young. Then once my legs don’t work and my arm doesn’t swing anymore, hopefully I can still stay around the game and teach kids, coach it, manage it, whatever that may be. Find a way to continuously stay in the game and pursue that. That’s my future.
The Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers is the team that I will be playing with in the USPBL (United Shore Professional Baseball League). I’m looking forward to it, looking forward to playing baseball again.
The Beavers – who are based in Michigan – open their season in mid-May, while the Miller Express begin their WCBL campaign on the road with a game against the Medicine Hat Mavericks at Athletic Park on May 29th.
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