Blatz part of Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2026

Add another hall of fame to David Blatz’s legendary career.

Already a part of the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the Carillon Sultans 1996-2003/Stonewall Blue Jays 2003-2008 and a part of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame for his work with the 2011 Pan-Am Games Team Canada baseball team, the Steinbach-based athletic therapist will be inducted as an individual to the provincial hall of fame.

Blatz was a trainer with the Canadian Pan-Am team five times and the World Baseball Classic four times. He is currently the head athletic therapist for Team Canada baseball.

Joining Blatz as part of the class of 2026 are;

Joe Carriere, who was nicknamed “Smokin’ Joe” after striking out 20 batters in a game. Carriere was also a key arm for the 1973 Team Manitoba squad that won a silver at the Canada Summer Games.

Derrick Dubell, an umpire who has worked 11 national championship tournaments across a storied career, which included a Northern League all-star game. Baseball Manitoba’s grassroots umpire of the year award is named after him.

Curtis Grieve, a Lauder-born player that has won at every level, from helping Oil Dome to a 1987 15U Western Canada championship to leading the Stonewall Blue Jays win Winnipeg Senior League championships while being named the league’s top hitter and top pitcher in separate years.

Nicole Madsen, who has volunteered with Hamiota Minor Baseball for more than 20 years, and was named the provincial volunteer of the year in 2012. She was elected as the vice president of sport development for Baseball Manitoba in 2017.

Peter Perreault, a thirty year umpire who got his start as a parent who stepped out of the stands. He remains extremely active, serving as the umpire supervisor at the AA, AAA and senior men’s provincial championships and at the Manitoba Summer Games just in 2024.

Three teams are also part of the class. The 1987 McAuley Blazers, which won the AAA senior league that season, the Crystal City bantams/midgets from 1956-1957, which won provincial championships despite the small size of their town and the St Boniface Knights Midgets from 1977, which won an invitational national championship, defeating Kelowna 8-7 in the finals.

Jim Mutcheson Sr., one of the original directors of the hall of fame and David Olsen, who has sat of the hall’s board for 15 years were named honorary life members.