When the final out was made on July 30 at the Centennials diamond, the Boissevain squad completed not only a finals sweep, but also reached a major milestone.

The Cents shut out the Oak River Dodgers 6-0 in the third  and deciding game for the South West Baseball League championship at home. This is their fifth consecutive title, which is incidentally what the New York Yankees did from 1949-53, the longest run in Major League Baseball history.

In game three, Connor Martin of the Centennials pitched a complete game (seven inning) shutout, allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out 10. In contrast, the Dodgers used three hurlers, with starter Riley Shamray taking the loss, allowing nine hits and five earned runs in three and two thirds innings of work. Dylan Schroeder and Mitch Battersby finished up on the mound.

Tyler Robertson led Boissevain in hits with three, all singles, and drove in one run. Tanner Clyne and Jay Pringle chipped in a pair of singles apiece, with Jordan Foote showing speed with a triple and two stolen bases. Austin Clyne and Griffin Albrecht each had a hit with Foote, Pringle, Robertson, Zane Sawyer, Bryan Laing and Drew Hilhorst driving in single runs.

The series started in Boissevain on July 27, and set the tone for all three games. The Centennials won the opener 5-0, with Zane Sawyer getting the complete game shutout. He scattered five hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Oak River starter Kaden Rozdeba was hung with the loss, allowing five hits and four earned runs in two and two-thirds innings. In relief, Dylan Schroeder allowed the final run.

Jordan Foote had a pair of hits, including a double and drove in a team leading three runs. Tyler Robertson also had a pair of hits and Tanner Clyne had a double. Skylar Canada had one hit but made it count, taking a pitch deep. Drew Hilhorst also had a hit and an RBI.

With hopes of improving weather, the South West Baseball League is ready to hit the diamond a little earlier this year.

The season starts with a pair of games on Thursday, May 14. This is a week earlier than in 2025. SWBL President Aaron Tycoles said he feels the teams will be ready to hit the field next week.

“I think so. The season came up pretty quickly,” Tycoles stated. “The league is pretty much status quo. We have 14 teams, which is great. You always want to stay where you are or grow. You don’t want to lose teams.”

Tycoles said they wanted to get the season started earlier so they could finish the finals earlier. They would be better ready for provincials, and the league champion Boissevain Centennials are heading to Western Canadians as well. It also would mean they would not have as much trouble fighting earlier sunsets during playoffs.

In 2025, the league added two teams from Brandon – the GW Vac Services Young Guns and the RF Now Cardinals. They were brought in on a three-year probationary basis. Tycoles said there were a few concerns with adding city teams, including their willingness to travel outside of Brandon for games. Entering the second year of their trial, everything seems good.

A recent reunion of Boissevain’s senior baseball team founders and players was a testament to a tradition that goes on.

The Centennials held a get-together on June 27-28. According to organizer Ken Pringle, the idea to hold a reunion came from the Southwest Baseball League reunion in 2024 for 1970’s and 80’s players. On the van ride home, the Cents who travelled together discussed holding something for their own team while the majority of the players were still around. One of their players, Dean Jago, passed away right after that.

“That was our trigger to go ‘let’s not blow this off,’” Pringle said.

What happens when you bring together a group of old Centennials, Royals, Orioles, Rockets and more to a Reston golf course?
You have a lot of diamond memories, of course. This exact event happened on August 17 as former players from around the southwest region gathered for some best-ball golf, a steak supper and a lot of stories.
“It went really, really well,” said Clayton Jago, one of the organizers. “It was great to see some people who have not got together for years. I think everybody thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Jago said there were 48 golfers and ten more who joined for the supper.
The idea started with a couple of former players from Waskada. They wanted to see a reunion, but there was nowhere to hold it in their town. They called over to Reston and a few of the former players like Jago picked up the ball and ran with it. Jago said they put it together fairly quickly and tried to contact at least one person from each town, who could spread the word. They were able to host quite a fine event.
Jago said they played 18 holes of golf, but the main point was for players from different towns and teams to get together again, in a different circumstance from the old days.
“It was really about getting back in touch with people we competed against years ago. We didn’t necessarily see eye to eye on the field then. We were all competitive. Now we’re older, and we can come and laugh about it.”
He said some of the players brought pictures and there was a jersey or two. Players came from Boissevain, Deloraine, Lyleton, Waskada and Melita. Only Tilston and Souris were not represented in the area.
Jago said they concentrated on players from the late 1970’s and ‘80’s. Before that, he said, there was not a team in Reston for a while and if you go too far back, numbers start to thin. Even now, he said, there are players who have passed on.
Jago himself said he started as a 15 year old with the brand new Reston Rockets in the late 1970’s. The team, which is in the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame, played for a time in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League. He said he played well into his forties, and event played four innings in a match at the age of 53. Competition on the diamond is something, but for all players it goes a little deeper.
“We had people who played from all over the place,” he explained. “The thing about baseball is that it makes the world so small. There are lifelong friendships you make there on a team.”
Not only did they have a good reunion, they were able to raise a bit of money. Half of it went to refurbish the diamonds in town and the other to the golf club to help with an irrigation project.
There are hopes another reunion can be held in two or three years down the line. Jago said they would like to see another town pick it up, so the players can come over and help out that community. He added there was some talk of a couple of communities being interested, and if not, Reston might do it again.
“It would be nice to move it around.”
If another one is held, and there is more time to put it on, they might even be able to increase their numbers. At any rate, sharing stories, memories and laughs is important. As they were able to pull back a former Rocket who lives in Kelowna for the reunion, it obviously had a value to those participating.
“We met a lot of people along the way in baseball,” Jago stated. “It brings you back to what is really important about ball. It is not the trophies you win, it’s the people you meet and the friendships you make.”

by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff