GANDER, NL – Baseball Newfoundland and Labrador held its Workshops and Annual General Meeting from November 15th – 17th at Sinbads Hotel in Gander.
Registration numbers once again increased, with nearly 4,000 players province-wide playing baseball in 2024. Female baseball once again maintains a strong place in the province, with 20% of registration coming from female baseball players. The growth of the female game, coupled with the 2025 Canada Summer Games and female baseball’s inclusion for the first time, will be exciting for the continued growth and development moving into the future.
Membership also had the opportunity to come together throughout the weekend and participate in six workshops – coaching, minor baseball, junior/senior baseball, female baseball, umpiring and high-performance programming – to help frame the direction and focus of these areas moving into the future. These workshops were a great opportunity to engage member association, key stakeholders, provincial baseball leaders, parents, and volunteers about the direction and guidance moving into 2025 and beyond. This collaboration will be instrumental in guiding Baseball NL programming in the years to come.
Baseball NL was also thrilled to have Baseball Canada CEO Jason Dickson in attendance. Baseball Canada’s partnership and support of Baseball NL is critical to the success of both
organizations. Jason’s involvement in the Baseball NL AGM weekend made it more impactful for those in attendance, and also allowed for further discussion on successes for Baseball NL in the Baseball Canada landscape.
Annual Awards
In addition to the AGM, Baseball NL announced its annual award winners on Saturday, November 16th.
Baseball NL wishes to extend its congratulation to all of its 2023 award winners:
Minor Umpire of the Year: Maggie Byer, St. John’s
Major Umpire of the Year: Dave Buckingham, St. John’s
Grassroots Coach of the Year: Greg Whelan, Pasadena
High Performance Coach of the Year: Todd Powell, Conception Bay South
Female Coach of the Year: Nikki Musseau, St. John’s
Grassroots Team of the Year: 13U AA Pasadena Pirates
High Performance Team of the Year: 18U AA Corner Brook Barons
Minor Female Player of the Year: Olivia Dawe, Pasadena
Major Female Player of the Year: Avery Durdle, Paradise
Minor Male Player of the Year: Kellan Sullivan, St. John’s
Major Male Player of the Year: Kieran Cutler, Paradise
Junior/Senior Player of the Year: Jacob Reid, St. John’s
Les Noseworthy Memorial Award: Leon Ledgister, Paradise
During the Annual Awards Reception, Greg Whelan was also honoured as the provincial recipient of the Baseball Canada Grassroots Coach of the Year.
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Chair David Janes welcomed and inducted the two newest members into the Baseball NL Hall of Fame, Class of 2024 – Craig Butler in the Player category, and Gary White in the Builder category. Baseball NL extends its heartfelt congratulation to Craig and Gary on their deserved induction into the Baseball NL Hall of Fame.
New Board of Directors
At the Baseball NL Annual General Meeting held on Sunday, November 17th, the Baseball NL Board of Directors was elected for 2024 – 2025.
- President: Darren Hancock
- Vice President: Mark Healy
- Treasurer: Joe Fowler
- Metro Director: Kristyn Coley
- Eastern Director: Todd Powell
- Central Director: Rod Feltham
- Western Director: Greg Whelan
Prior to the Election of Officers, it was noted that Leon Ledgister and Rod Feltham would not be seeking re-election. Delegates in attendance unilaterally thanked both Leon and Rod for their time and contributions to baseball in the province, and wished both well in their future endeavours.
