Erindale Lions Girls T-Ball Team
Congratulations to this week’s Team of the Week: The Erindale Lions Girls T-Ball Team!
The Erindale Lions came together this year as a combination super team, pulling 6-8 year old players from Erindale and Dundas Little League organizations. The dream behind this Lions team was to give girls a chance to play “a higher calibre of baseball, while fostering the importance of competitive women’s sports.”
These athletes have risen to the challenge, working together as a team to improve, and prepare for the increased level of competition. You’d never know that the group is new to playing together either, as they’ve been improving at a lightning pace. At their Erindale T-Ball Classic Tournament recently, the team even recorded a walk-off, last-batter win! According to their nomination, “in a very short time together these girls have formed strong bonds and developed at a very rapid pace, and you can see the love of the game and the camaraderie flourishing the more time they spend together.”
What an incredible opportunity for these ball players, who have taken the chance and made the absolute most of it.
Congratulations, Erindale Lions, you are this week’s Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Team of the Week!
To learn how you can nominate a team, click HERE for details.
18U Wow Factor Canada
Congratulations to this week’s Team of the Week: The Wow Factor Canada 18U baseball team!
This is one talented group of Canadian ballplayers who we’ll be keeping an eye on in the coming years as they progress in their baseball journeys!
Earlier this summer, in the 4th of July Fireworks Classic in Sandusky, Ohio, the 18U Wow Factor team took on a bracket of opponents from across the United States. As the lone Canadian participant in the division, they represented the maple leaf admirably, battling through pool play to defeat the Michigan Select team in the finals by a score of 6-3.
As a result of their hard work throughout the season, 70% of the team members are now committed to schools throughout the USA and Canada. Their dedication and skill, paired with encouragement and guidance from the Wow Factor coaching staff have opened doors to the next level of collegiate baseball. With a foundation such as this, we cannot wait to see what these talented athletes do next!
Congratulations, team as you move forward into this next phase of your baseball journeys! You are this week’s Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum Team of the Week!
To learn how you can nominate a team, click HERE for details.
Born in Montreal in 1940, Jacques Doucet has been calling major league baseball games for more than four decades and many Quebec baseball fans credit him as the reason they fell in love with the sport
Doucet served as a Montreal Expos beat reporter for La Presse from the time the franchise was awarded to the city in 1968 to 1971. He began performing play-by-play for the Expos’ French language radio broadcasts in 1972 and continued for 33 seasons. Along the way, he called virtually every meaningful game in the franchise’s history, including 2016 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Martinez’s perfect game on July 28, 1991. For many years, Doucet also broadcast major league playoff and World Series games in French.
“Jacques Doucet was the French voice of the Montreal Expos for over three decades. Along the way, he invented a whole new glossary of baseball terms to help French-speaking fans understand the game and called virtually every meaningful game in Expos’ history. In more recent years, he broadcast Blue Jays games in French and by the time he retired in 2022, he had called more than 5,500 big league games. Jacques was also a strong supporter of baseball at the grassroots level in Quebec. He had a tremendous impact on the sport in our country and he will be deeply missed. We would like to offer our condolences to his family and friends.”
Read more about JacqueS HERE.
]]>8U Woodstock Wranglers
Congratulations to this week’s Team of the Week: The 8U Woodstock Wranglers!
The 8U Woodstock Wranglers ball team has showed off some remarkable skill on the field this season, but that is not why they have been selected as the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Team of the Week! What has impressed opponents about the Wranglers again and again this season has been their constant sportsmanship and class, and that is why they have been nominated.
The coaches in Woodstock have worked to reinforce with their players that “effort, attitude, teamwork, and respect will always come before the scoreboard.” The Wranglers support not just their teammates, but their opponents as well, celebrating great plays, and encouraging those who may not be having their best game. As a result, the Wranglers have been commended repeatedly by opposing teams and organizers. According to their nomination, “this group embodies what youth baseball should be: developing skilled athletes while building kind, respectful young people.”
The 8U Woodstock Wranglers are a testament to Woodstock baseball… Tip O’Neill (aka “The Woodstock Wonder”) would be proud!
Congratulations, 8U Woodstock Wranglers, you are this week’s Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Team of the Week!
To learn how you can nominate a team, click HERE for details.
To celebrate the exciting last month of the baseball season we are having an Inductee Autographed Card Sale!
Starting today and in September receive 20% off on autographed baseball cards when you use the code “cards2026” at checkout. We have over 80 signed inductee cards to choose from including some of the 2026 Hall of Famers!
Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) will be presented with the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2025 Tip O’Neill Award in a ceremony prior to the Toronto Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre on Friday, August 28.
The St. Marys, Ont.-based shrine presents this honour annually to the Canadian player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball’s highest ideals.
Naylor, who topped Canadian major leaguers in multiple offensive categories in 2025, is a second-time winner of the award. He also captured the honour in 2023.
He staved off strong competition from fellow major leaguers Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) and Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) to secure the honour.
“Josh Naylor was outstanding in both the regular season and postseason in 2025. His combination of power and base-stealing ability made him one of the biggest offensive threats in the majors and his energy and passion for the game of baseball is contagious,” said Scott Crawford, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s director of operations. “He also continues to be a wonderful role model through the many charities he supports.”
Splitting his season between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Mariners, Naylor topped all Canadian major leaguers in batting average (.295), RBIs (92) and stolen bases (30). He also finished second among Canuck big leaguers in hits (160), runs (81), home runs (20), doubles (29) and walks (48).
Naylor was at his best in September with the Mariners battling for the American League West division title when he hit .364 and had a .982 OPS in 22 games.
In 2025, he also became just the fourth first baseman in MLB history and the second Canadian to record 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season (Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) was the first with the Colorado Rockies in 1997).
In 12 games in the postseason, Naylor batted .340, with a .966 OPS and led the Mariners with 16 hits. He also set several Canadian postseason records, including becoming the first Canuck to have four, three-hit games in the same postseason. In Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, he belted a two-run home run to become the first Canadian to homer against the Blue Jays in Canada in the postseason.
Along the way, Naylor became a fan favourite with the Mariners and following the season, the team re-signed him to a five-year contract.
The 2025 campaign was Naylor’s seventh in the majors. After honing his skills with the Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team, Naylor was selected 12th overall by the Miami Marlins in the 2015 MLB draft.
During his career, Naylor has supported numerous charities.
“To be honoured with this award is extremely humbling. I am very thankful and honoured. I will continue to work and play hard to be a great example for the younger generations.” Josh Naylor
The Hall’s Tip O’Neill Award is named after Woodstock, Ont., native James “Tip” O’Neill, who was one of Major League Baseball’s first legitimate stars. With the American Association’s St. Louis Browns in 1887, O’Neill set big league records in hits, doubles, slugging percentage and total bases, while compiling a major league record .492 batting average. Walks were counted as hits in 1887, but if O’Neill’s average was calculated by today’s standards, it would be .435.
To determine the winner of the Tip O’Neill Award, the Hall takes into account a number of criteria, including each candidate’s on-the-field performance, contributions to their team, community and charitable endeavors and their support in fan voting. The Hall also has a Tip O’Neill Award committee, consisting of a 24-person panel of Canadian baseball experts, that votes on the honour.
Learn more about the Tip O’Neill award HERE.
Past winners of the James “Tip” O’Neill Award:
1984 – Terry Puhl
1985 – Dave Shipanoff
1986 – Rob Ducey
1987 – Larry Walker
1988 – Kevin Reimer
1989 – Steve Wilson
1990 – Larry Walker
1991 – Daniel Brabant
1992 – Larry Walker
1993 – Rob Butler
1994 – Larry Walker
1995 – Larry Walker
1996 – Jason Dickson
1997 – Larry Walker
1998 – Larry Walker
1999 – Jeff Zimmerman
2000 – Ryan Dempster
2001 – Corey Koskie
2001 – Larry Walker
2002 – Eric Gagné
2002 – Larry Walker
2003 – Eric Gagné
2004 – Jason Bay
2005 – Jason Bay
2006 – Justin Morneau
2007 – Russell Martin
2008 – Justin Morneau
2009 – Jason Bay
2010 – Joey Votto
2011 – Joey Votto
2011 – John Axford
2012 – Joey Votto
2013 – Joey Votto
2014 – Justin Morneau
2015 – Joey Votto
2016 – Joey Votto
2017 – Joey Votto
2018 – James Paxton
2019 – Mike Soroka
2020 – Jamie Romak
2021 – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
2022 – Jordan Romano
2023 – Josh Naylor
2024 – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
2025 – Josh Naylor
Okotoks Dawgs 15U Black
Congratulations to this week’s Team of the Week: The Okotoks Dawgs 15U Black!
Over four days at the beginning of July, the Dawgs Academy hosted 21 teams from Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan for the Canada Day Classic. The Dawgs 15U Black team put on an astonishing performance, going 7-0 in the tournament to take home the championship.
The undefeated Dawgs outscored all opponents 63-13, including a definitive 9-1 victory over Red Deer in the finals. It was a thoroughly dominant tournament performance from the talented hometown Dawgs!
Congratulations, Okotoks Dawgs 15U Black, you are this week’s Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Team of the Week!
To learn how you can nominate a team, click HERE for details.
9U Ayr Base Bandits
Congratulations to this week’s Team of the Week: The 9U Ayr Base Bandits!
Today’s featured team has been having a lot of success this season, but more importantly, they’ve been having a ton of fun too!
This tight-knit group has bonded throughout the season, celebrating the successes on the field, and spending their off days together as well, enjoying pool parties and trips for ice cream! This Ayr team has had a lot of success to be excited about too… at the time of nomination, the Base Bandits had recorded a perfect 17-0 regular season record!
The team has shown impressive improvement throughout the season, learning to call out where the play is to support their teammates and stay focused on the action. The Ayr athletes have also demonstrated consistent sportsmanship and camaraderie, cheering on their teammates and creating a positive atmosphere in the dugout. According to their nomination, “This is a group that just loves baseball and everything about it.”
These Base Bandits are chalking up the wins, and having a great time doing it… can you imagine a better way to spend a summer?
Way to go, Base Bandits, you are this week’s Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Team of the Week!
To learn how you can nominate a team, click HERE for details.
11U Stratford nationals
Congratulations to this week’s Team of the Week: The 11U Stratford Nationals!
Today’s featured team is a group of scrappy underdogs out of Stratford, ON! The Nationals made the jump to tier 1 baseball this season, and despite being a B centre, they’ve competed with some of the best AAA teams in the province.
They’ve also showed off their talents in tournament play this year, taking home a gold and two silver! In league play, the Nationals also sent the first and third-ranked teams in their division packing.
The 11U Stratford Nationals weren’t bothered that they were a smaller centre than their competition, talent is talent, and they’ve got plenty of it!
Congratulations, 11U Stratford Nationals, you are this week’s Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Team of the Week!
To learn how you can nominate a team, click HERE for details.
Throughout the month of August receive 20% off on limited edition inductee autographed baseball bats when you use the code “Bats2026” at checkout.
We have over 60 signed inductee bats to choose from including Russell Martin, Larry Walker, Tim Wallach, Jesse Barfield and 2026 Hall of Famer Devon White!
]]>