It was another big year for Baseball Sask with more medals and increasing interest at the grassroots.
The provincial organization successfully navigated another typical prairie summer, including a few more rainouts and smoky days than they would have preferred.
It was an action-packed year for athletes, coaches, managers, umpires, volunteers and the many others involved in baseball, which was celebrated at the annual Baseball Sask awards banquet on Oct. 18.
“Looking back, I feel it was another very successful season for many of our programs,” executive director Mike Ramage told Saskatchewan Dugout Stories.
“We were able to maintain our strong membership numbers while seeing a record number of teams enter our provincial championship playoffs with 326 teams looking to capture one of our 40 titles.”
With strong performances in nationals and Western Canada Baseball Championships, he says things continue to look up for the game in the province.
TAYLOR MADE FOR SUCCESS
A point of pride for Baseball Sask in recent years has been the growth in the female game.
Ramage says their goal has been to be a major player in each of the four big events, achieving that with a silver medal and three fourth-place finishes in 2024.
They upped the ante this past summer with bronze medals at the 14U Girls at Westerns and the new 19U Nationals in Calgary, Alberta, as well as a fourth-place finish at the Women’s Open championships and fifth-place at Canada Summer Games, which replaced the annual 16U event.
A key piece to the success in recent years has been Taylor Schueller, who was named the 2025 Baseball Sask Female Player of the Year.
The Saskatoon native was a major contributor to the green-and-yellow in the Canada Summer Games, 19U Nationals and Women’s Nationals.
“Taylor’s impact extends beyond the diamond,” Ramage said. “She leads with humility, encourages teammates, and demonstrates a continual commitment to elevating expectations for both herself and her teammates.”
Schueller was also selected for the Baseball Canada Women’s National Team Development Camp, held in Cary, North Carolina earlier this month.
The Minor Female Player of the Year was Rylee Lenius of Saskatoon.
PRIDE IN THEIR PROVINCE
It was also a strong year for Baseball Sask on the male side of the game.
In particular, they captured a bronze medal at the Canada Summer Games, marking the third-straight podium finish at the competition.
Team Saskatchewan also captured bronze at the Senior Men’s event, which was hosted by the Regina Trappers.
The program also finished 5th at the 15U Ray Carter Cup and 7th at the 18U Nationals, while the Sask Five 15U ‘AAA’ Giants and Lumsden 15U ‘AA’ Cubs picked up silver medals at their respective Western Canada Baseball Championships.
The 2025 Male Player of the Year was Regina pitcher Kane Kaufmann.
The Martin Academy product had an outstanding season, picking up the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League Pitcher of the Year honours with 126 strikeouts in 55 innings of work with the Regina White Sox.
He followed that up with a trip to the Ray Carter Cup, where he struck out eight batters in his lone start – a 14-1 win over Alberta – earning the Player of the Game Award.
“I was surprised, honestly,” Kaufmann told Saskatchewan Dugout Stories. “I know there’s a lot of people who could have won this award – I was very proud of myself and happy to have my coach, Trevor Weir, nominate me so thanks to him for that.”
The Minor Male Player of the Year went to Lucas Lind of Moose Jaw.
THIS JUST-IN: EISWIRTH HONOURED
Among the special awards handed out during the ceremonies was for Builder of the Year.
For Ramage, he remembers Justin Eiswirth first as a player with the 13U ‘AAA’ Regina White Sox at the 1998 Baseball Canada Nationals in Summerside, P.E.I.
That young player then went through the Team Sask High Performance program, represented his province numerous times, then went onto a successful college career, including suiting up for his hometown Regina Red Sox.
Eiswirth is now a teacher and helped co-found the Martin Academy baseball program with Rob Cherepuschak, while staying involved in the Regina minor baseball community with the 13U ‘AAA’ White Sox and the Regina Dusters.
“Justin embodies what it means to be a pillar of the baseball community,” Ramage said. “His impact reaches far beyond wins and losses – it is seen in the countless athletes who continue to thrive under his guidance, both on the diamond and in life.”
Eiswirth says it was an honour to hear his name called, adding getting awards and recognitions isn’t what coaches do it for.
“I know there’s a lot of people in this province who are doing awesome work,” Eiswirth told us.
“Just coming from a baseball family and the things my dad has done in this city and my partner at Martin Academy (Cherepuschak) and the things he’s done for baseball in Saskatchewan, I definitely owe a lot to them.”
CELEBRATING THE BEST
Here’s the full list of 2025 Baseball Sask Award winners:
Lou Slotsve Junior Official of the Year – Braidy Birdsall (Saskatoon)
Rocky Nickel Umpire of the Year – Kevin Mandzuk (Regina)
Builder of the Year – Justin Eiswirth (Regina)
Sponsor of the Year – High Octane Welding (Meadow Lake)
Coach of the Year – T.C. Collins (Warman)
Grassroots Coach of the Year – Dane De Caria (Regina)
Minor Team of the Year – 13U AA Saskatoon Royals 64’s
Senior Team of the Year – 22U Lashburn Cardinals
Minor Female Player of the Year – Rylee Lenius (Saskatoon)
Minor Player of the Year – Lucas Lind (Moose Jaw)
Female Player of the Year – Taylor Schueller (Saskatoon)
Male Player of the Year – Kane Kaufmann (Regina)
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