Player/builder from Weyburn to be added to Hall of Fame
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Laurence Woodard has often wondered — what if he had had the money?
In 1957, while pitching and playing infield in the southeastern Saskatchewan town of Tribune, Woodard, fresh out of high school, was scouted by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was invited to attend training camp in Tampa, Florida, but he couldn’t afford the trip.
Instead, Woodard went onto a lengthy career in Saskatchewan ball that has earned him a place in the 2016 class at the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in Battleford. He will be inducted as both a player and a builder.
According to a biography provided by the Hall of Fame, Woodard grew up on a farm near Colgate, and learned the fundamentals of pitching from his father. Inspired by a Sports Illustrated feature on major leaguer Hoyt “Old Sarge” Wilhelm, Laurence learned to throw the knuckleball, practicing with a tennis ball. He would throw a no-hitter to earn his high school team the pennant, before playing senior ball with Tribune and then Goodwater. In one seven-inning game against Torquay, Woodard pitched a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts and one walk.
