|
 Koroluk
was a key player on Stenen clubs which won 10 NESBL titles from
1956 to 1975. He captured another in 1965 with Preeceville.
We are indebted to Gust's son Bob
Koroluk for his work in compiling a history of the NESBL.
(Right : Gust Koroluk in a 1994
photo displaying NESBL championship trophy, championship crests,
Stenen uniform)
Stenen's most impressive run -- eight
straight titles -- began in 1956. The team had a 19-game
winning streak that season and captured first prize money
in tournaments at Hudson Bay, Preeceville, Canora, Stenen and Swan
River. The club finished in the money in the tournaments at Pelly,
Preeceville and Sturgis. Bob's
research identified the following as the nucleus of the club
during the record-setting run :
 Isaac Kurulock, Gust
Koroluk, Mike
Doroschuk, Walter Zubko, Dan Bazanski,
Robert Washburn, Russell
Vodden, Alexander Fedorchuk, Harry Krotenko
(left),
George Bellows,
Mervin Secundiak
Some of the others who made an
impact during various seasons :
Buck McGergle, Danny
Secundiak,
Stanley Bromwell, Don Kachman, Eddie
Pelechaty, Adrian Sunduk,
Alexander Kurulok, Greg Kurulok, Leon
Fiala, Ron Steranko , Steven
Steranko, Alex Surcon, Ron Tanton
1933 ad on the front page of the
August 3rd Canora Courier announcing an exhibition
double-header between the Detroit Colored Giants and the NE
Saskatchewan All-Stars.
There was so much interest in 1950
that the league had three divisions to accommodate thirteen teams!
No ringers allowed! The NESBL
Constitution made it clear the circuit would be a local loop
without pay-for-play imports. Section 13a :
No player shall either
directly or indirectly receive any pay for playing in a league
game.
Rain (or snow) might be a reason to
postpone a game but not cold or wind. Section 18a :
No league game shall be
postponed by reason of cold or wind ...
And, in keeping with the times, the
constitution had a section on impassable roads. The rule
stated that teams had to call by noon on game day to inform they
couldn't make the trip because of road conditions.
(July
28,1933) Stenen won its third straight NESBL title winning
a four-team tournament.
" ... The final game
in the evening was of exceptional interest. Stenen, winners of
first money at Yorkton tournament and second money at Melville
against a team plugged from Winnipeg and Russell, won from
Buchanan 12-2. After the conclusion of the final game, the Cup
was formally presented to the Stenen team as holders for the
season." (Canora
Courier, Aug 3, 1933)
(July. 1946) Kamsack Cyclones
and Yorkton split first and second money in the baseball
tournament at the Legion sports at Kamsack on Wednesday, playing
to a 3-3 tie in the final game. Yorkton had defeated Gilbert
Plains in their preceding game, and Kamsack had ousted Togo.
(Kamsack
Times, July 4, 1946)
(July, 1946) Re-union of the
Gold Seal baseball team at Verigin sports on Sunday provided much
interest and speculation for spectators. The Gold Seal team
was a pre-war all-star team organized by D.J. McDonald, then C.N.R.
agent at Runnymede, and now at Verigin. The re-union,
arranged by Mr. McDonald, included all of the original members of
the team that were able to be present. The line-up for the
day was as follows: Lloyd Vogeli, Pelly, catcher;
M. Keaschuk, Norquay, J. Skywork, Canora, pitchers;
Stan Clark,
Kamsack, first base; Lefty Shostal, Stenen, second base;
V. Lisoway, Stenen, third base; Fred Chernoff, Verigin, centre field;
Mervin Campbell, Yorkton, right field; Walter Stern and
Peter Timolin, Verigin, left field. (Kamsack
Times, July 18, 1946)
(July, 1946) Canora took
first place in the North-Eastern Saskatchewan Baseball league,
winning the Morken Cup, when they defeated Kamsack Cyclones 11-7
in the third game of the final series here on Friday night.
In the first game the teams played to a tie and in the second game
Canora emerged victorious. Kamsack represented the eastern
half of the league, having met Norquay in the semi-finals.
Canora represented the western division.
(Kamsack
Times, July 25, 1946)
(April, 1947) North-Eastern
Saskatchewan Baseball League has been re-organized for its second
post-war season. Decision to operate during 1947 was reached
at a meeting held at Canora on Thursday evening of last
week. Though it was not been definitely settled, it is
probable that the league will again operate as a two-division
league ... Fee was raised from $3.00 to $5.00 for each team
entered. While the financial statement showed that the
league has a bank balance of $147.66, the league broke even on
last year's operations. The additional amount is intended to
take care of the purchase of crests for the members of the winning
league team. (Kamsack Times, May 1, 1947)
(July, 1947) Canora baseball
team tops the North-Eastern Saskatchewan Baseball league and wins
the club crests and the Morken Cup for the second year in
succession. Top place came fro this western division winner
without a final struggle, the eastern division winners, the Pelly
nine, withdrawing from the final series scheduiled to be played
last week and this week. (Kamsack Times, July 24, 1947)
(July, 1947) Baseball prize
money amounting to $375 was divided amongst five teams at Verigin
sports on Sunday, when games were called by darkness. Prize
money was paid out as follows: Gilbert Plains $117, Stenen
$117, Saltcoats $58, Cote Indians $58, Willowbrook $25 ... No
fewer than 16 baseball teams started. (Kamsack Times, July 24,
1947)
(May, 1948) Membership for
1948 of 16 teams pushed the N.E.S.B.L. into a three-division
league at the annual meeting of the league in Kamsack on
Sunday. Enthusiasm shown by the delegates and others
promised a most successful year for the league ... membership is
as follows; North, Arran, Pelly, Hyas, Pelly Indian agency,
Kamsack Kolts; East, Togo, Runnymede, Kamsack Cyclones, Stoney
Creek, Verigin; West, Stenen, Sturgis, Preeceville, Canora,
Buchanan, Mikado.
(June, 1948) Kamsack Cyclones
soundly whipped the Togo nine when they made runs at random,
hitting the ball all over the field on May 26 at Kamsack's
Memorial Park ... Final score was 26-2. (Kamsack Times, June 3,
1948)
(June, 1948) A knockover for
the Cyclones was the Runnymede nine on the day, when the Kamsack
team walked away with the lop-sided score of 41-5 effortlessly.
(Kamsack Times, June 10, 1948)
(July, 1948) Muskogee
Cardinals, an all-colored team from the United States, will be in
Kamsack July 23 to play an exhibition game with the Kamsack
Cyclones. This Negro team is at present touring the
prairies, and this week is in southern Manitoba ... This is the
first exhibition game of its kind scheduled for Kamsack in many
years, and the hearty approval of local fans indicates a heavy
gate for this game. (Kamsack Times, July 15, 1948)
(July, 1948) All-colored
baseball teams drew large crowds to Kamsack's Riverview Park on
Friday and Tuesday, when the Muskogee Cardinals from Texas and the
Ligon All-Stars of Los Angeles respectively met the Kamsack
Cyclones in exhibition games. Crowd of 1500 watched the
first game and 900 the second. (Kamsack Times, July 29, 1948)
(July, 1948) Playing in
Roblin spots baseball tournament on Wednesday, Kamsack Cyclones
took a share of a four-way split of prize money when rain stopped
the play. Other three teams in the split were Grandview,
Gilbert Plains and Roblin. (Kamsack Times, July 29, 1948)
(July, 1948) Preeceville
baseball team took a 6-0 victory in the final game of the
two-out-of-three series with Kamsack Cyclones to win first place
in the N.E.S.B.L. and take the Morken Cup. (Kamsack Times,
July 22, 1948)
(August, 1948) Kamsack Cyclones returned home Monday
night from Winnipeg where they were entered in the second annual
Osborne stadium baseball tournament. Though defeated 5-2 in
the first game with Poplar Point, the team is reported to have
improved tremendously since leaving last week. (Kamsack Times,
August 5, 1948)
(October, 1948) Executive was elected and plans laid for
the 1949 baseball season by the Kamsack Cyclone club on Thursday,
October 21 ... Considerable discussion on the possibility of
hiring a Negro coach for the coming season took place. Club
was agreed that the coach should train all baseball teams in town
including the collegiate where the ground work could be laid for
future baseball material. Special committee was appointed to
investigate the possibility of hiring a suitable person, if
available. (Kamsack Times, October 28,
1948)
In
1949, in the fourth season of the NESBL, the league had 15 teams !
South
East
North
Kamsack Cyclones Kamsack Kolts
Norquay
Canora
Arran
Hyas
Mikado
Pelly
Stenen
Veregin
Cots Indians
Sturgis
Buchanan
Preeceville
* 4th
season
Usherville
(May, 1949) Jesse Bradley, colored Cyclones coach,
arrived in Kamsack last week from the States. He has been
putting local players through their paces, and is optimistic about
the chances for a good team in Kamsack this year. (Kamsack Times,
May 19, 1949)
(June, 1949) San Francisco Sea Lions, colored baseball
team, will play the Cyclones at Kamsack on June 23. Billed
for 6:30, the game will be played at the exhibition grounds.
The team features "Little Sammy", without hands or feet,
catching and batting a ball. The team is at present touring
the west. (Kamsack Times, June 16, 1949)
(June, 1949) Despite a constant drizzling rain, almost
400 people turned out to witness the opening game, Sunday, June
19, at the new baseball park at Madge Lake resort. Featured
in this opening event were Kamsack Cyclones, the home team at the
park, and the visiting team from Dauphin. Cyclones made good
in a ninth inning rally to edge out Dauphin 6-5 ... The diamond,
which is located along the east side of Ministik beach is quite
sandy and any surface moisture readily escapes into the lake.
(Kamsack Times, June 23, 1949)
(June, 1949) An estimated crowd of more than 1200
spectators was on hand to see San Francisco Sea Lions beat Kamsack
Cyclones 11-5 in nine innings of exhibition ball. Little
Sammy Workman, Negro without hands or feet, exhibited his prowess
at batting, catching and pitching a ball before a very pleased
audience. (Kamsack Times, June 30, 1949)
(July, 1949) Kamsack Cyclones met defeat at the hands of
Delisle on Saturday, July 9, in the $3,000 Nipawin two day
baseball tournament. Delisle, with four Bentleys in the
lineup, was knocked out in a thrilling 2-0 game by Sceptre in the
final game. (Kamsack Times, July 14, 1949)
(July, 1949) Ligon All-Stars, popular
colored baseball
team, is billed to play Kamsack Cyclones on July 21. The
team, which is now touring the province, was in Kamsack last
year. Ligon has been entered in several of the major
baseball tournaments, including the Nipawin tournament in which
the Cyclones were also entered. (Kamsack Times, July 14, 1949)
(August, 1949) Stenen won the N.E.S.B.L. finals and the
Morken Cup by defeating Mikado in the third of a two-out-of-three
series ... The score was 13-9. (Kamsack Times, August 4, 1949)
(August, 1949) Kamsack uncovered a brilliant colored
battery of Jim Hester and Travis Taylor but loose infield support
lost the game with St. James at John Petersen's $2,500 ball
tournament Saturday in Winnipeg. Hester and Taylor,
borrowed from the Muskogee Cardinals, were the outstanding
attraction offered by the Kamsack Cyclones. St. James
dropped Kamsack 5-2 but not one run was earned as Kamsack bobbled
six balls. Kamsack managed two tallies on four hits but
seven errors in the first four innings cost Kamsack the game ...
In an exhibition senior game Sunday, five runs scored in the ninth
inning gave Kamsack a 5-3 victory over Transcona. Singles by
Jim Sparkman, Jim Hester, Jack Clark and an error and
Travis
Taylor's triple accounted for all of Kamsack's scoring in the
final frame ... Sunday evening Cyclones again pulled the hat trick
when they trounced C.U.A.C. 15-5. Returning home on Monday,
Cyclones staged an exhibition game with Dauphin. Hard-luck
hit the Cyclones when a car broke down delaying the arrival of Jim
McIsaac, Jackie Clark and Dave Wakley. Kamsack was swamped
5-0 by the Dauphin array by the time the rest of the Cyclones
arrived in the ninth inning. (Kamsack Times, August 4, 1949)
(August, 1949) Muskogee Cardinals chalked up a 7-3 win
against the Cyclones on Tuesday evening at Memorial park in an
exhibition fixture. Muskogee established a three run lead in
the first and from there on in, nobody appeared very serious about
playing baseball. Jesse Bradley put on a real show on the
mound for Kamsack. (Kamsack Times, August 11, 1949)
(May 11) The Kamsack Times reports
13 teams will play in three divisions of the Northeastern Saskatchewan
Baseball League. The schedule calls for the season to run from May
14th to June 10th.
Southwest : Canora, Kamsack, Donwell, Stoney
Creek
East : Arran, Pelly, Norquay, Hyas, Stenen
North : Sturgis, Endeavour,
Usherville, Preeceville
(May, 1950) The Kamsack Cyclones are all set to play
baseball this season according to the president, Wes Allan. Travis
Taylor has arrived to take up a position behind home plate
for the Cyclones. He caught ball for the Muskogee Cardinals
last year. Along with Travis there is Dave Whatley who
played for the Cyclones last year. They are the only colored
players on the team. (Kamsack Times, May 24, 1950)
(June, 1950) At an exhibition game at Roblin on Monday,
June 3, Kamsack Cyclones trimmed the Roblin nine 9-2 in a nine
inning baseball fixture that was strictly one-sided after the
first two innings. (Kamsack Times, June 8, 1950)
(June 1950) Kamsack Cyclones trounced Muskogee Cardinals
7-1 in an exhibition baseball encounter in Kamsack on Monday
evening. Cardinals made their sole run in the first inning
but the superb pitching of Jackie Eisner kept the visiting team
off the bases throughout most of the seven innings played.
Eisner, pitching his best game to date, allowed only two hits
while he tallied for nine strikeouts.
(Kamsack Times, June
15, 1950)
(June, 1950) Kamsack Cyclones
won the Saskatoon exhibition baseball tournament when they
defeated Sceptre 8-3 in the final game Saturday night.
(June
20) Kamsack Cyclones edged Yorkton West Ends 2-1 as Ken
Mohr pitched a five-hitter to best Merv Campbell
for the win. Dave Whatley led the offense
with three hits and made a pair of outstanding plays in the
field.
(July, 1950) A record crowd was on hand at Madge Lake
last Sunday to see the Cyclones win one and drop a game to Gilbert
Plains in a doubleheader bill. Both teams appeared in good
form playing exhibition baseball that kept the 3,000 fans cheering
throughout the entire tilt. In the afternoon encounter,
Gilbert Plains left the field victorious with a 6-4 count.
In the evening match, Cyclones retaliated with a 7-5 win. (Kamsack
Times, July 13, 1950)
(July, 1950) Kamsack Cyclones are continuing to add
lustre to their season's record of wins by taking games from a
number of the better teams. Over the weekend they took two
games out of three from one of the top colored teams touring the
province, the Nashville Stars. In two of the best games of
the season, the Cyclones turned back the Stars 3-2 and 4-3 at
Madge Lake on Sunday. In Kamsack on Monday the visiting team
took some revenge by defeating the Cyclones 7-0. (Kamsack Times,
July 27, 1950)
(August, 1950) In a high calibre final game ending in a
score of 3-2 Holar baseball team took first money at Verigin
sports on Wednesday of last week, taking the game from the Bowsman
aggregation. Spectators were treated to an unusually fine
match. (Kamsack Times, August 10, 1950)
(May, 1951) Stoney Creek
Sparks trounced Togo 9-3 behind the five-hit pitching of Clifford
Kraft who fanned six while allowing just one base on
balls. Sparks had 14 hits against three Togo hurlers, Poitra,
Nabe and Ross. Jack Strelioff,
Sparks new first baseman, broke the game open in the 6th inning
with a bases loaded single driving in three runs.
(May 20, 1951) Togo took
advantage of six Stoney Creek errors to eliminate an 8-1 deficit
and edge the Sparks 12-11 on Sunday. "Scotty"
Ross cooled off the Sparks after the club had run up eight
runs in the first two frames. Bill Chypyha knocked
in seven runs for the losers with two doubles, a single and a
walk. Togo had nine hits off Clifford Kraft
and Mike Berezowski.
(April 27, 1952) Ten teams
will compete in the senior section of the North-Eastern
Saskatchewan Baseball League this season. Nine teams will
play in the junior section. This is the news from the annual
organization meeting of the league held at Norquay on Sunday April
27 ... Last year there were 13 teams in the senior section of the
league and three divisions operated. (Kamsack
Times, May 1, 1952)
(August 30, 1954) Striking
out 17 batters out of 20, Jimmy Hagemeister led the
Preeceville team to a 2-0 victory over Stenen on August 30 to win
the North Eastern Saskatchewan Baseball League Championship and
the Quist-Messner trophy, in a sudden death final. In
semi-finals Preeceville had swamped Pelly 12-1 and Stenen had won
over Canora Caps 12-5. (Kamsack
Times, Sept 16, 1954)
(June 13,
1956) "Stenen Baseball team took first prize at the Hudson
Bay Sports on Wednesday, June 13 when they defeated Kelvington
in the final game. They also remained undefeated in the
North Eastern Saskatchewan Baseball league taking five straight
games as follows: Preeceville 14-4 and 15-1; Canora 9-3 and
17-6; Kamsack 7-3."
(Canora Courier, June 28, 1956)
(Aug 21, 1956) Stenen Jets became
the 1956 champions of the NESBL (senior) when they defeated
Kamsack Cyclones for the second time Tuesday night in the
two-out-of-three finals. (Canora
Courier, Aug 23, 1956)
(July 20, 1958) In spite of the
hot weather, a large crowd attended Lady Lake Sports last
Sunday, and the day was a financial success. Stenen won
the baseball tournament, defeating Yorkton in the finals. (Preeceville
Progress, July 23, 1958)
(July, 1958)
Congratulations to Stenen Warriors Ball Club for winning the
North Eastern Saskatchewan League Quist-Messner trophy and
championship for 1958. Results of the best
two-out-of-three series were as follows: first game, Stenen 6 Kamsack 6; second
game, Stenen 9, Kamsack 8; third game, Stenen 10 Kamsack 4.
(Norquay North Star, Aug 1, 1958)
 Stenen
followed up their 1958 championship with victories in both 1959
and 1960 to begin a string of seven consecutive NESBL
titles.
Left -- Stenen team following the club's victory at the
Sturgis Sports Day (July 1, 1959)
(Aug,
1961) Stenen Warriors won the Quest Mesner trophy for the fifth
year in succession by taking Kamsack to town in three straight
games ... Stenen were worth their wins in all three games taking
the first 10 to 4; the second 12 to 8 and wrapping it up in the
third game by soundly trouncing Kamsack 21 to 9. During
the season, the Warriors won twenty-two out of thirty-two games,
tied three and lost the other seven. (Canora
Courier, Aug 23, 1961)
(Aug 27, 1961) : D'Arcy Loster
pitched Stenen to top prize of $200 in the Yorkton tournament.
Loster allowed just one run in 15 innings, including a
five-inning one-hitter in the final, a 2-1 victory over
Melville. Stenen had earlier downed the Combines 4-1,
Hohenloe 7-0 and Kihaly 4-0. A crowd of 1,350 watched the
final.
Stenen 4 Springside-Theodore
Combines 1
Hohenloe 9 Calder 6
Kihaly 2 Yorkton Red Sox 1
Kronau 4 Yorkton Phillies 0
Moosomin 12 Weekes 8
Melville 7 Donwell 2
Stenen 7 Hohenloe 0
Kihaly 6 Moosomin 3
Melville 2 Kronau 1
Stenen 4 Kihaly 0
Stenen 2 Melville 1
(May 27, 1962) "The baseball
team played in Bowsman, Man. on Sunday, May 27. Score was
11-8 in favor of Stenen." (Preeceville
Progress, June 14, 1962)
(August, 1963) Stenen won
the Quist Messner trophy for the seventh year in a row by
defeating Preeceville to games to none in N.E.S.B.L. finals.
Stenen trounced Preeceville 15-0 in the first game and turned
them back again in the second game by a close 5-4 margin to the
the two-out-of-three series. Winning pitcher was Gust
Koroluk ... Satchel Paige's All-Stars
defeated Stenen All-Stars 7-0 in an exhibition game Sunday,
August 11. Over 600 fans attended the game.
(Canora Courier, August 21,
1953)
1963 poster advertising the exhibition game between the
Satchel Paige All-Stars and the
Stenen All-Stars. Paige's nine won, 7-0.
(August, 1974) The Stenen
senior baseball team bombed Burgis Lakers 25-9 Monday in the
fourth game of the best-of-five North-Eastern Saskatchewan
Baseball League final series to win the championship three games
to one.
.. Stenen brook the game wide
open in the fourth inning with ten runs on four hits and seven
walks. Burgis replied with five runs in the bottom of the
four but eight Stenen runs in the fifth gave the winners a 22-7
lead and assured them of the championship.
Dean Doroschuk belted a three-run
homer in the sixth to conclude Stenen's scoring. Gust
Koroluk picked up his third win of the series as he went the
distance on the mound. (Canora
Courier, August 14, 1974)
(Aug 27, 1975) "Stenen
captured the championship of the Northeastern Sask. Baseball
League for the second straight year, with an 11-6 victory Sunday
at Canora. The fourth and fifth games of the series were
played on the weekend, with Canora Supers scoring a
come-from-behind 7-6 win at Stenen Saturday.
Perry Doroschuk pitched for
Stenen on Sunday and Arnold Makowsky, Glen Leson
and Randy Anderson for the Supers. Arnold
Makowsky and Glen Leson and Gust Koroluk
and Dean Doroschuk combined on Saturday ... Canora
finished first in regular season play and Stenen,
third." (Canora
Courier)
An early Preeceville baseball team.
(Saskatchewan
Council for Archives and Archivists)
The 1910 Buchanan baseball team. The
championship team is reported to have won all its games that
season. Some of the players were - Mr. Walker, Art Lynch,
Henry Byhoffer, Bill Long, H. Hopkins, Dr. Cox. (Photo
courtesy of Lorne Plaxin)
Bob
Koroluk also put together some highlights of the Hyas baseball
club, the NESBL champs in 1930 and 1936.
"For
many years a baseball rivalry existed between the Stenen
Baseball Team and the Hyas Baseball Team. That rivalry was never
as strong as it was in the 1930 season. Hyas had a group of
baseball players which were so overwhelmingly strong that no
baseball team in the league or area were able to overcome them.
Hyas won the NESBL Championship hands down in the 1930 season.
Hyas would also enter and win most of the tournaments in the
area that year. The players which made up the core nucleus of
the Hyas team were:
 Allen Yewel coach/manager, Anton
Bellous pitcher, Eric Quist catcher, Matty Gibney 1st
base, E. Quist 2nd base, Russell Johnson 3rd base,
Steve Yurkiw short stop, Jim Lisoway left field, Ted
Fiala center field, Andrew Bellous right field, Alf Hanson
batboy.
Following the 1930 season, strong
Stenen teams were able to capture the league championship 4
seasons in a row, then in 1935 Canora stole the championship
away from the dominant Hyas and Stenen teams.
In 1936 Hyas again dominated
baseball in the area and were unbeatable as they again claimed
the NESBL Championship.
Other baseball players who were
instrumental in Hyas's success were: Geo Lisoway
catcher, Paul Kalturnyk catcher, Pete Kukura
pitcher, Pete Yatsura short stop, Vic Lisoway 3rd
base, Nick Yatsura Center field.
The key to the Hyas Team success
was the balance in all areas of the game. They had strong
leadership from Allan Yewel. Pitching was next to none in the
league along with strong catching from Eric Quist. What held the
defense together were two outstanding outfielders in Jim Lisoway
and Ted Fiala. Lisoway would catch everything and anything that
came into his domain even making the impossible catches running
between parked cars. Fiala could pick off runners coming home
firing the ball like a bullet from center field. All in all,
Hyas had the balance and talent to win many tournaments and
championships. It is a wonder why the team did not win many many
more championships in the 30's and 40's. The reason may well be
the fact that the league folded during the war, from 1938 to
1945, which would undoubtedly have been the "Hyas Glory
Years of Champions". We will never know!" (Bob
Koroluk)
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