Four league championships, three provincial championships, and one Western championship - all won in one season by teams from one small town.Muenster celebrated a stellar season on the ball field on Sunday night at their first-ever Minor Ball Appreciation Night. Anyone with anything to do with baseball in the village of Muenster - players, parents, coaches and fans - was at the community hall on October 14 to honour the minor ball teams that did so well this season. "It's quite an accomplishment for a community of any size to have the combination of league and provincial champions we've had this year," said master of ceremonies Myles Engele. "That shows the strength of the ball program in Muenster," he added, and the support that comes from the surrounding area that supplies some players to Muenster's teams. "There's a great ball nucleus in this area," Engele noted, before handing the microphone over to Chad Hofmann of the Muenster Sports Club. "2012 was a summer to remember on the diamonds of Muenster," Hofmann said.There were three days in particular that stood out, he said: June 24, when six of their minor ball teams - three girls' softball teams and three boys' baseball teams - won tournaments; July 22 when three baseball teams - the Mosquito A2s, Bantam As and PeeWee AAs won Provincials, and the Midgets won their league; and August 20, when the Pee Wees won Muenster's first-ever Western Canadian Baseball championship. In total, in the past decades, Muenster has won 23 Provincial titles and now one Western, Hofmann said, and those banners hang in their ball park, which is the envy of many non-residents. Playing ball is just what people in Muenster do, Hofmann indicated - the kids love to play, starting spring training by playing catch when snow is still on the ground, and their parents support them and their coaches. "It's a joy to coach in Muenster, " said Hofmann, who coached the Pee Wees this year. The supportive environment for coaches and players "I believe, contributes to the success on their diamond," he added.Baseball has been a religion in Muenster for over 100 years now, noted the evening's guest speaker, sportscaster Kevin Waugh."This is the hardest sport, I think, to play," he said, because there is more failure in baseball than success. "This community's minor ball association deserves a pat on the back for what they do for the sport," said Curtis Strueby, the Sask Baseball Zone 5 representative, who was at the recognition night. Greg Brons, the high performance director with Sask. Baseball, spoke about players from Saskatchewan who have gone on to play college and professional ball in the United States. "The sky is the limit when it comes to your goals," he told the players. "Not just in baseball... but in life. You guys can do anything."Even umpiring is popular in Muenster. The village is home to three per cent of all the registered umpires in Saskatchewan, said Gord Kiefer, Muenster's Umpire in Chief, at the appreciation night. Part of that, he feels, is due to the respectful treatment umpires get from everyone in Muenster. Kiefer singled out two of the local umpires for special recognition at the ceremony - Kathy Bornhorst, who umpired at provincial tournaments and at the Saskatchewan Summer Games this year, and her son, Dylan Bornhorst, who worked 90 games this year, including both Bantam and Mosquito Provincial finals, which were played on the same day. Dylan was actually named the Sask. Baseball Umpire of the Week, the Baseball Canada Umpire of the Week, and the Sask. Baseball Junior Official of the Year, Kiefer reported. Team successEvery ball team in the village of Muenster had success in the 2012 season. On the softball side, the Mites As, Squirts As and Bantams all won North Central Minor Softball League championships and lost only a handful of games among the three teams all season. The Mosquito Red Sox baseball team claimed their provincial title at home with some seriously good baseball that included six double plays and one home run in their final. The Bantam Red Sox baseball team also won their provincial title at home, the same day as the Mosquitos. "Ball... is booming (in Muenster)," noted Bantam coach Brent Loehr. "It's all about the culture we have here.... Success comes from doing the simple things well and we do that here."The Midget Red Sox won the Saskatchewan Premier AA Baseball League championship this summer. They played extremely well in their league final, reported coach Garret Korte, adding that winning this league was like winning Provincials because of the calibre of play.The Pee Wee Red Sox not only won Provincials, but claimed Western gold as well. "I'm very lucky to coach this talented group of boys," said Hofmann.They played well all season, but had their best game of the season in the Western final, he said. This team, he added, will be named the Sask. Baseball Minor Ball Team of the Year at their awards ceremony, set for October 27.
