Ethan Menard’s begin to his second season with the Saskatoon Berries might have come a bit later than he anticipated, however the top-of-the-lineup slugger has definitely made up for misplaced time.
Lacking Saskatoon’s first 9 video games of the Western Canadian Baseball League season together with his College of Texas-Tyler workforce taking part in within the NCAA Division II Faculty World Sequence, Menard has put collectively an MVP-calibre marketing campaign in simply 30 video games for the Berries.
A menace to seize a triple crown title, Menard leads all WCBL batters this summer time with a .404 batting common and 12 dwelling runs, whereas rating third within the league with 46 RBIs.
“It’s unbelievable each evening,” Berries outfielder Ethan Murdoch stated. “It looks as if every single day he places collectively a couple of swings the place it’s like, ‘Man, that might be anyone’s finest swing of the 12 months.’ It looks as if he does it every single day, even a few of his flyouts.”
As a part of that dominance on the plate, Menard has strung collectively a 17-game hit streak that has helped rocket the Berries to first place within the WCBL with a 39-7 file.
The mix of particular person and workforce success has made this senior season a particular one for the power-hitting infielder.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Menard stated. “Coming by within the massive spots after I have to, that’s been the factor that I’ve been making an attempt to chase after. It’s simply labored out so far, so hopefully it retains going.”
Menard is coming off an MVP efficiency on the 2025 WCBL All-Star Sport earlier this month in Okotoks, Alta., delivering the sport’s lone dwelling run in a 10-3 victory for the East Division.
Additionally competing within the league’s annual dwelling run derby, Menard turned the second Berries participant to win all-star sport MVP honours after Carter Beck final season.
That was the second-most shocking second of his day, nonetheless, as his father Marty, stepmom Kindi and 4 siblings, Easton, Eibilene, Marti Kay and Edge, drove almost 3,200 kilometres from their dwelling state of Louisiana to fulfill him for all-star weekend.
“I used to be sitting within the locker room earlier than the house run derby and Carter Beck comes as much as me and stated that any person wanted to do an interview a couple of jersey,” Menard stated. “I used to be like, ‘All proper, no matter.’ At Okotoks, they’ve that little pavilion in left subject, in order that they had been all hiding behind it. I’m strolling up the little hill and so they all jumped out and stunned me. It was simply pure shock.”
It was a visit that started the Monday prior, with the Menard household working their manner up by the US earlier than arriving at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks lower than two hours earlier than sport time.
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“We drove a variety of miles and we stunned Ethan in Okotoks,” Marty Menard stated. “It was very nice. He had no clue we had been right here.”
Following Ethan’s MVP exhibiting in Okotoks, the Menard household loaded again onto the freeway to make the trek to Saskatoon and Cairns Area, the place their eldest son has turn out to be a fan favorite since arriving simply over a 12 months in the past.
In line with Marty, it’s nonetheless surreal to listen to tales of how well-known Ethan is locally on account of his mixture of energy hitting and an affable persona.
“We hear the ‘Mayor of Saskatoon’ and all of these items,” Marty stated. “To stroll in and see all of this and a couple of,000 individuals, I imply, I believe his highschool championship had 1,200 individuals. He was like, ‘Dad, it’s simply superb there and I can’t wait to return.’ So we couldn’t wait to go see.”
On Thursday, the Berries marked their return to their dwelling diamond after a season-long street journey, one for which the Menard household was entrance and centre as Saskatoon hosted the Swift Present 57’s.
Within the eighth inning, with Menard making his fifth plate look of the evening, the WCBL’s league chief in dwelling runs went deep once more together with his household watching on to assist safe a 9-0 shutout victory for Saskatoon.
“It’s all the pieces I may ask for as a ballplayer,” he stated. “You at all times hope to have good seasons wherever you go and assist the workforce. Simply with the ability to try this in entrance of them is admittedly massive, so it’s good having them out.”
Watching his son fist-pump round first base because the ball sailed over the wall in left subject was an emotional second for Marty and the remainder of the Menard household.
“Chills, there’s no different technique to describe it,” Marty stated.
Leaning on Menard to offer a bulk of the workforce’s offence this season, Berries head coach Joe Carnahan stated he had an inkling that his first baseman would do one thing particular on Thursday evening — particularly contemplating who was in attendance to observe Menard contact all 4 bases with the house run.
“That’s what it’s all about, particular moments like that,” Carnahan stated. “If I used to be a betting man, I type of had a sense he was going to hit a house run (Thursday) like he did within the all-sar sport. He comes up in massive spots, it doesn’t matter what these massive spots are.”
A menace to take dwelling league Most Precious Participant honours on the finish of the season, Menard says he’s being fuelled by a want to carry a championship to Saskatoon in his senior season.
However even with the canine days of the baseball season sinking in, it’s weeks just like the one he simply skilled that ship perspective on why he’s devoted his life to the diamond.
“It may be robust with a variety of video games in not a variety of days,” Ethan stated. “Simply seeing them and having them right here, it actually simply reminds you of what you’re doing it for. You’re doing it for the little child that’s within you, the need to compete and do it on the greatest stage you could. Having them there actually pushes me, making an attempt to be a task mannequin for my little siblings.”
Moments after recording the ultimate out of their victory over Swift Present, it was a fast beeline over to the primary base-side fence line for Menard to share in a type of moments together with his household.
These moments have turn out to be exceedingly uncommon over time together with his baseball profession taking him throughout North America, however make the weeklong street journeys and hours within the automobile value it for the Menards.
“My youngest is 5 and a half (years previous) and watching him wait on his brother’s autograph was about pretty much as good because it will get,” Marty stated.
Sitting simply 5 wins away from tying the WCBL file for wins in a single season, the Berries (39-7) kick off a home-and-home collection towards the Moose Jaw Miller Specific (21-26) at Cairns Area on Saturday at 6 p.m.
