聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 You could say that Wade Sauter was born to play baseball. Not only is his father Don a member of the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame, but his mother Henriette had to be rushed from watching her husband play at a 1944 summer sports day to give birth to him. Sauter will be following in his father's footsteps as he is inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame, August 15 in Battleford.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 guess I started pretty close to the diamond,鈥� jokes Sauter. 鈥淚 didn't have to go far to get on the ball diamond.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 That auspicious beginning marked the first of many sports days-and ball games-for the Fairlight native. As a three-year-old, his first official duty on the diamond was bat boy for his hometown's ball club, and he played his final game at the age of 45, acting as a relief pitcher for his son (and Wawota pitcher) Jeff during a 1989 playoff game.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淕rowing up in the small town of Fairlight, there wasn't a minor baseball program,鈥� wrote Sauter in a local paper. 鈥淚nstead, we followed the men's team from tournament to tournament, my dad playing and myself as the bat boy.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Playing a game known as 鈥�500鈥� was how Sauter learned baseball's fundamentals back then. 聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淥ne person would bat and everyone else would field fly balls and grounders,鈥� he added. 鈥淭he fielders accumulated points for balls fielded until one person reached 500 points. That person would then take over the batting.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sauter says that although baseball was his favourite sport growing up, he also played football, curled and competed in track and field.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 tried a lot of sports, and I stuck with the ones I liked,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 still curl in the winter and I golf-mostly at (Golf) Kenosee. But I stayed with baseball, because I enjoyed it.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 After playing minor baseball in Fairlight, Sauter started his senior ball career there in 1961, playing with the team for 10 years. He also played in the Manitoba Baseball League with St. Lazar in 1964, where he got his first taste of advanced competition, as St. Lazare was defeated in the league finals that year.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Although baseball was a big draw in the early 1970s and 1980s, Fairlight became a smaller community, and Sauter began his 30 years as part of teams from Wawota-the Elks, the Pats and the Cardinals-as well as over-30 and over 40- teams-beginning with the Elks in 1969 and ending in 1989, when as a 45-year-old he acted as a relief pitcher for his son, Jeff, during that 1989 playoff game.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 During his tenure in Wawota, Sauter played one season with the Wawota Elks, and joined the Wawota Pats in 1970. That year, the Pats earned the Saskatchewan Baseball Association provincial championship. In 1972 until 1976, Sauter played for the Wawota Cardinals. In 1972, the Cardinals also won the provincial title. In addition, Sauter played in the Canadian Finals at Kenosee Lake in 1971 and in two Western Canada finals in 1975 and 1976.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sauter continued to play in an over-35 league and later in an over-40 league, both in Wawota, where he helped win two provincial Twilight Baseball titles and two provincial over-40 titles.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sauter says that baseball is something of a family tradition, and the support and enthusiasm of his parents and his wife, Sharon, have been instrumental to his success. 鈥淪haron would have the three kids in the car and they'd come and watch me play,鈥� he says. 鈥淢y mom made that little uniform for me and I farmed with my dad, who also played ball. Dad would do the work on the farm if I had to play ball. His dad looked after him that way so he could play and I did the same for (my son) Jeff.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 With a career spanning over three decades-with games in 62 towns-in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and North Dakota- and playing 33 seasons of baseball, pitching 180 wins, winning six provincial titles, and competing in three Western Canada finals, Sauter has a myriad of career highlights and memories to look back on.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭here are so many, but one of my biggest memories is from a final,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he Wawota Lions had a super-tournament at Kenosee Lake every summer with all of the top teams from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and North Dakota.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he manager of the McAuley (Manitoba) Blazers stopped in and wanted me to pitch. It was a final game and I didn't think I could handle that calibre of ball.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淏ut I ended up pitching the final, all nine innings. We won it 6-4 and McAuley went on to win that year. I was tickled. Winning that one was special.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Primarily a pitcher, Sauter insists that baseball is a team effort-on and off the field.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hen I watch baseball on TV now, I think the guys I played with played as hard as any of the guys I see on TV. They never got a cent for it, and they all farmed or worked other jobs outside baseball. We had awesome players and they made my job as pitcher easy. I owe them a lot of thanks and I wish some of them were joining me this year in the Hall of Fame.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he team and the town of Wawota should go in,鈥� he adds. 鈥淲awota was always a pretty strong baseball town.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sauter says his initial reaction to the news of his induction into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame was one of shock, but also pride for himself and many of the teammates and competitors he played alongside throughout his 33-year career.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hen I found out, I was was proud; but I would like to say that I played baseball with Wawota in my best years. I played with the Wawota Pats and the Wawota Cardinals and a lot of (those) players were better than I am. A lot of them played so hard and hopefully, some of them get in (the Hall of Fame).
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 feel very honoured, but I feel guilty that I'm going in and other guys haven't yet. Without friends and the people who came out to see me play, I wouldn't be receiving these kudos.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sauter and his wife Sharon reside-and curl-in Fairlight and reside at their Kenosee Lake cabin in the summer months, where Sauter says he 鈥済ot bitten by the golf聽 bug.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淛ust after I hit 70, I had some shoulder surgery on my rotator cuff, but it healed real well,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ther than that, I've been injury-free.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Sauter's wife, Sharon, two of the couple's three children, and their grandchildren will accompany him to his induction ceremony in Battleford later his summer.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淢y father wasn't able to attend his own induction into the Hall of Fame (in 1996) due to health problems,鈥� says Sauter. 鈥淢y mother and our family went and it was a wonderful evening. And no doubt, he'd be pretty happy about this.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 just feel kind of blessed. I've had a pretty lucky life.鈥�
