By Brady Lang

Braun to be inducted into Sask. Baseball Hall of Fame

Jun 14, 2018 | 5:00 PM

A local baseball legend is set to be inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bye Braun has been playing baseball nearly his entire life, but his Saskatchewan baseball career was highlighted by the years of work he put in with the Wilkie Brewers of the North Saskatchewan River Baseball League.

Over his 31 years with the club Braun won nine league titles, his first in 1987 and his last in 2016, along with seven provincial titles, the first in 1998 and the last in 2016. Before his time in the NSRBL, however, Braun began his minor baseball career in Quill Lake, starting with the Monarch Senior Men’s team at the age of 15.

In the summer of 1979, Braun played with the Humboldt Bison Juniors and then went on to Saskatoon, attending university while he played in the Saskatoon men’s league from 1981 to 1985. His high batting average and homerun power, along with effectiveness as a pitcher, made him a solid pickup in every league he played in.

Braun began coaching the Brewers in 1988, and will be inducted into the hall as a Player/Builder. While he was coaching, Braun also helped build many young baseball players’ skills in both Cutknife and Wilkie, coaching mosquito, pee wee and bantam boys’ baseball during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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Braun said he is proud to be inducted into the hall along with his father, Walter, who was a great influence on his love of the game and was inducted in 2007.

“It’s very special to be going into the same hall of fame as my father,” Braun said. “I met a lot of people along the way, and you learn from every player you run into and build those relationships through time.”

At the age of 35, Braun played in the Provincial Masters Tournaments with Wilkie in the 35-and-over group for two years, then spent two years with the Regina Drifters in the 43-and-over and 12 years with the Macklin Lakers in the 35-and-over and 43-and-over divisions. Braun also played in Saskatchewan and Alberta tournaments, going into Canadian championships four times and winning the 50-and-over division with the Spring Lake Masters in 2014.

brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangCJNB