Our province's top players, coaches, teams and individuals who have given so much back to the game were honoured by Baseball Manitoba on Saturday night as the association held it's 2017 Awards Banquet in Brandon.

Dawson Tanner of La Broquerie was recognized as the 15U Player of the Year.

"I was pretty excited about it," said Tanner prior to the start of Saturdays banquet. "I was sitting on the couch with my parents and they came screaming at me that I had won so then I got excited and in a jolly mood for the rest of the day."

Tanner batted .650 with four home runs as the A's captured the Provincial 15U AA championship on their home diamond and then headed off to Kamloops where they won the Western Canada Championship.

"It was great experience, especially with those kind of guys," said Tanner who went the distance allowing just three hits and struckout eight in the final against Tri-City. "We connected and the games we were down we just fought back."

The A's were also named Baseball Manitoba's Grassroots Team of the Year on Saturday.

"It’s been one incredible year," said La Broquerie coach Mitch Nadeau. "It’s the icing on the cake. It’s unbelievable."

Nadeau says hosting the Provincials back in July was special for the ball team and the community.

"There was a sense of pride. The fans in town came to support us, the boys just took it all in and they rode that roller coaster. That train came and they got on and enjoyed the ride."



2017 Baseball Manitoba Award Recipients
Challenger Player of the Year:  Brett Hutton (Winnipeg)
Youth Umpire of the Year:  Carter Williamson (Dauphin)
Umpire Award of Merit:  Marty Flett (Ebb & Flow)
Volunteer of the Year:  Bobbi Bottle (Winnipeg)

13U Pee Wee Player of the Year:  Dillan Thiesen (Altona - South Central)
15U Bantam Player of the Year:  Dawson Tanner (La Broquerie - Carilllon)
18U Midget Player of the Year:  John Patmore (Pipestone - Oildome)
Female Player of the Year:  Jamie Johnson (Arborg)
21U Junior Player of the Year:  Cole Armstrong (St. James)
Senior AA Player of the Year:  Ryan Shaw (Rivers)

Grassroots Coach of the Year:  Jeremy Culleton (Vassar - Carillon)
High Performance Coach of the Year:  Faron Asham (Brandon - Team Manitoba Canada Games)

Grassroots Team of the Year:  La Broquerie 15U AA
High Performance Team of the Year (Minor):  Team Manitoba Canada Games
High Performance Team of the Year (Major):  St. James A's 21U

Honour Society:  Brian Hodgson (Winnipeg), Patti Hacault (Bruxelles), Mike Johnson (Baldur), Marvin Mills (Boissevain)

Region of the Year:  North Winnipeg


photos courtesy Patti Hacault


Baseball Manitoba's Cal Hawley & Dawson Tanner