Kevin began his softball journey as the catcher on his high school team in Killarney, MB. After 20+ years of competitive fastball he has an impressive list of accomplishments. Teams that he played on include Sanders, of the Southwest Major Fastball League and the Minto Mustangs. While playing with Sanders, Kevin was on 3 SWMFL championship teams and was also named to the league all-star team 3 times. As a member of the Minto Mustangs he played in 9 consecutive Sr. B or Intermediate A provincial finals, winning 5 of them. He played in 7 Western Canadian fastball championships at the Intermediate A and Sr. B levels, winning 1 Gold and 2 Bronze medals. In 1997 Kevin also played in the ISC travel league and the NAFA World Tournament in Fargo, ND. His final provincial win was in 2017 where he won Gold in the 55+ Slo-Pitch Provincials.
Shelly Bohn
Shelly’s softball career began in her hometown of Glenella, MB and she took it to another level after moving to Winnipeg following high school. She played in various Co-Ed and women’s softball leagues, eventually joining a slo-pitch team called Mooses which was very competitive in tournaments in Winnipeg and the surrounding area. In 2002 Shelly joined the Manitoba Bison Blondes Sr. Women’s slo-pitch team that went on to compete in 2 Western Canadian Championships - winning a Gold and a Silver - and 7 National Championships - winning 5 Golds, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze. No matter what team she played on, Shelly was seen as a leader and top performer.
Nathan Giesbrecht
Nathan has excelled as a fastball player from an early age. As a bantam aged player he competed in Western Canadians and at the Canada Games. As a junior aged player he was on Manitoba teams that competed at Junior Nationals twice. As a senior player he played with the Red Dogs; the Manitoba Alliance and the Kegel Black Knights out of Fargo, ND. With these teams he competed at many provincials and Western Canadian Championships and made numerous appearances at ISC and NAFA tournaments. From 1997 to 1999 Nathan was named to Canada’s national team player pool. At every level that he played at he was a was a top batter and earned various individual awards. Following his playing career he did some coaching at the minor softball level and continues to serve on the Landmark Minor Softball Board.
Mandy Greenberg
Mandy developed into one of the best female pitchers from Manitoba. She began playing softball at the age of 9 in the Maples area of Winnipeg and went on to play on numerous minor ball teams. As a junior aged player she played on the Manitoba Angels Jr. Team and on the Manitoba team at the 2009 Canada Games. For 4 years she played collegiate fastball at Minot State University and also played Senior fastball with the Smitty’s Terminators. Wherever she played, she was an absolutely dominant pitcher who has had success at provincial, national and collegiate levels and has thrown no-hitters at each of these levels. Mandy has been awarded countless pitching awards and been named to many all-star teams.
Ron Taylor
Ron Taylor grew up in Winnipeg and was an accomplished athlete in both hockey and softball. As an adult, he played competitive fastball at the highest levels for over 3 decades and was a feared hitter wherever he played. He has played on teams that won at least 8 provincial titles and 2 Western Canadian championships. He played for 3 different teams in the Western Major Fastball League including the Edmonton Monarchs and the Winnipeg Colonels. Ron played on the Manitoba team that was the host team in the 1967 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg and has won medals at World Championships in both fastball and slo-pitch. He has been inducted to the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame as a member of 4 different teams and will now go in as an exceptional individual athlete.
ALL-AROUND CATEGORY:
Fran Geisbrecht
Fran’s involvement in the game of softball spans over 5 decades. He has played at the Sr. A level, winning a silver medal at the 1984 Western Canadian Championships, and coached minor ball and Jr. Men’s teams that made it to provincial and national championships. One of many highlights in his coaching career occurred when the Manitoba Alliance team he was coaching went to the Canadian Junior Nationals in 1994 - winning a silver and in 1995 where they won the gold! In addition to playing and coaching, Fran was instrumental in helping develop a softball program in Landmark, MB that has allowed countless young people to experience the game of softball. Fran continues to play senior slo-pitch softball.
BUILDER CATEGORY:
Steve Mymko
Steve Mymko has been involved with the sport of softball for over 35 years. He played with and coached various teams over the years. In 2002 he decided that the northeast area of Winnipeg was lacking in quality facilities for softball and began lobbying and fundraising. The result of his tenacity and drive - Buhler Recreation Park - opened in 2008. It is a top-notch multi-sport/multi-use facility that hosts numerous softball leagues and has hosted national events such as the 2009 Canadian Sr. Fastpitch Championships; the 2015 Canadian Native Softball Championships and the 2023 World Police and Fire Games. The facility has a reputation for being well-organized and up-to-date. Steve’s efforts have been recognized through many awards including an induction into the Slo-pitch National Hall of Fame in 2023. He continues to be the Executive Director and Facility Manager for Buhler Recreation Park.
TEAM CATEGORY:
Brandon Westman Merchants - 1979-80
The Brandon Westman Merchants team was formed to compete in the Western Major Fastball League. However, after playing in the league for two years, the team folded after the 1978 season so the Merchants joined the Brandon Centennial Fastball League. Over the next two seasons the team won the Centennial League twice with a total record of 42 wins, 5 losses and a tie. In 1979 they won the Manitoba Provincial B Championship and made it to the final of the Western Canadian B Championship in Lethbridge, AB.
St. Vital Flocking Ducks -- 1974-75
The Flocking Ducks was a team made up of veteran players who had experienced success at provincial, national and international levels. In both 1974 and 1975 the Ducks were the Winnipeg Sr. Men’s Fastball League champions and the Manitoba Sr. A provincial champions. As provincial champions, the Ducks represented Manitoba at national championships. Although they did not place at either of the nationals, each year they lost very close games to the eventual champions. In addition to league play, the Ducks experienced success at top level tournaments in Manitoba, northwest Ontario and North Dakota.
Smitty’s Terminators Jr. Womens Fastball Team - 1997-98
The Smitty’s Terminators Jr. Team represented Manitoba at the Canadian Junior Championships in both 1997 and 1998 and each time brought home silver medals. There was no junior league for the girls to play in so they played in the Ladies Fastpitch League of Winnipeg, against adult teams. A highlight from 1997 was winning a Senior level women’s tournament in Saskatoon in which they beat a team that would go on to win the Sr. A Nationals that year. While having solid pitching, tournament and league records show that the team was very much known for its hitting. For example, at both national championships, their team batting averages were well above .300, which is impressive at any level, let alone at national tournaments.
