ESTEVAN - Estevan Minor Softball used Friday's opening ceremonies for the provincial U13 B provincial championship to pay tribute to a long-time and passionate volunteer.
The organization's facility in northwest Estevan will now be known as the Jody Waloshin Softball Diamonds, in honour of Waloshin, who has dedicated more than 15 years of his life to the sport. The crowd, comprised of local people and individuals from across the province, gave Waloshin a rousing ovation when Softball Saskatchewan executive director Guy Jacobson made the announcement.
Jacobson noted Waloshin's many contributions to the sport in the Estevan area. Waloshin is a two-time provincial champion as a coach, and in 2021 was recognized as the Softball Saskatchewan Coach of the Year. During the 15 years Waloshin has spent on the Estevan Minor Softball board, he has done most of the organizing for teams and leagues, and has been a leader in the development of Estevan softball's program.
"[Jody has been] a main support and mentor for many coaches and many board members involved with Estevan Minor Softball," said Jacobson. "On top of this, I know, in talking to Jody and others today, he has put in thousands of volunteer hours to help maintain and improve these diamonds – including the buildings, dugouts and sheds – and renovations to the canteen."
He has been the District 1 director for Softball Saskatchewan for a number of years and does a fantastic job as a volunteer on the board, Jacobson said.
"It's a big commitment, being down in Estevan, with meetings all in Saskatoon and Regina, and five or six times a year we get together," said Jacobson.
Jacobson noted Estevan Minor Softball is blessed to have several volunteers to look after scorekeeping, groundskeeping and the concession, among others duties.
Waloshin said he had no idea this recognition was coming, and he was "overwhelmed" and "very grateful" for the honour.
"It's not just me. There's many others before me, and just to get recognized, it's great," he said.
Waloshin's commitment to softball started with his daughters because he wanted to support what they like to do. When individuals needed some volunteers to support some of the maintenance items or coaching, he stepped up, and it proved to be gratifying, he said.
"It's a little bit different, of course, than baseball, but it's a great sport, great for all individuals," said Waloshin.
He expects he will remain involved with the sport. Waloshin said he still has a lot of projects that he is working on at the diamonds, and he will continue to help out with coach mentoring and player development.
Estevan Minor Softball also paid tribute to its past, when it named Diamond 5 after Don Schroeder and Diamond 6 after Earl Minchin. President Wade St. Onge said the two put in "hundreds and hundreds" of volunteer hours with the diamonds.
"It's just high time we start to recognize our builders and the people who came before and that we're building on top of. Without them, we wouldn't have this," said St. Onge.
Minchin coached house and provincial ball from 1990-1999 and was the head coach of the U12 provincial team that won the 1994 provincial B championship – the first provincial title for Estevan since the 1970s. He also served as an umpire on the nights he was not coaching, and was an official for some years after he had finished coaching, usually on a volunteer basis; if teams insisted on paying him, he charged a fee of $5 per game.
Minchin also spent countless hours maintaining the ball diamonds, including raking, cutting grass, maintaining dugouts, completing repairs and more. He also took over the equipment manager role and overhauled the system, often storing items at his home.
Schroeder was the longest-serving volunteer in the history of Estevan Minor Softball, beginning as a coach in the 1980s and ending as an umpire in the 2010s, completing 30 years of service. As a coach, Schroeder pioneered indoor training locally in the winter, which led numerous teams to league championships on the various teams his three daughters played on.
When the grounds were expanded, he was the primary volunteer who got Diamonds 4, 5 and 6 up and running. When he was not coaching or groundskeeping, he was helping out in some fashion, either as an umpire, a scorekeeper or anything else.
Schroeder's daughter Jacinta and Minchin's daughter Amanda participated in the ceremonial opening pitch for the tournament.
