The Morden Mohawks were honoured at the 2018 Baseball Manitoba Awards Banquet this past Saturday in Winnipeg.

"I was in shock pretty much," said Mohawks centre fielder Chris Moffatt when he found out he was to receive the Senior AA Player of the Year Award. "I had never even thought of this award. Obviously I can't take all the credit. My team has been successful for quite a while and this year was a provincial championship. I think that played into it a bit."

Moffatt, who joins Doug Hamm (1993) as the only Mohawks players to be named Senior AA Player of the Year, batted .415, homered twice, stole seven bases and drove in 18 runs during the Border Baseball League's regular season schedule and playoffs as well as the Provincials and Westerns.

The Border Baseball League finalists, who defeated the Hamiota Red Sox 3-2 in the final of the Provincial Senior AA Baseball Championship this past August in Neepawa, were named Baseball Manitoba's High Performance Team of the Year in the Major category.

"It's a huge honour for us," said Mohawks manager Brent Laverty. "We had a really great year and we were able to accomplish a lot of things and it's nice to be recognized and be part of a history of Manitoba baseball. To look back and see that no other Mohawks team had ever won it before - and having two of our teams in the Hall of Fame, and our team was the first to ever accomplish it - makes it even more special."

Manitoba's 14U girls team which included Tyra Molloy of Altona, Michayla Peacock & Emily Foster of Somerset and Avery Pickering of St. Adolphe were named the Grassroots Team of the Year. Team Manitoba brought home silver medals from the Canadian Western 14U Championship in Spruce Grove this past summer.

 

Corey Koskie & Mohawks outfielder Chris Moffatt

 

2018 Baseball Manitoba Award Recipients
Challenger Player of the Year: Alysaa White (Winnipeg)
Youth Umpire of the Year: Ethan Holland (Winnipeg)
Larry Nicholls - Umpire Award of Merit: Murray Lawrence (Steinbach)
13U (Pee Wee) Player of the Year: Hugh Montgomery (Bonivital)
15U (Bantam) Player of the Year: Juni Song (Winnipeg South)
18U (Midget) Player of the Year: Shayne Campbell (Bonivital)
21U (Junior) Player of the Year: Nik Kauenofen (Carillon)
Female Player of the Year: Brittney Langlais (Garson)
Senior AA Player of the Year: Chris Moffatt (Morden)
Volunteers of the Year: Roger & Gail Langlais (Garson)
Grassroots Coach of the Year: Dean Sproule (Niverville)
High Performance Coach of the Year: Dave Martine (Brandon)
Grassroots Team of the Year: 14U Girls Team Manitoba
High Performance Team of the Year Minor: 13U AAA Brandon Marlins
High Performance Team of the Year Major: Morden Mohawks
Honour Society Inductees: Gerald Palidwor (Dugald), Gerald Ouellette (Winnipeg) & Ron Shewchuk (Minnedosa)
Baseball Manitoba Region of the Year: Carillon

 

Baseball Manitoba president Tony Siemens reflected on the association's 50th anniversary season

 

photos courtesy Patti Hacault