Don Rice
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Three Saskatoon Berries share a unique bond none of their teammates can claim. They all grew up in smalltown Louisiana, learned the Bayou State gritty style of playing catcher, and they’ve been known to catch alligators in their spare time.
The three who hadn’t met prior to joining the Western Canadian Baseball League’s Berries, never imagined three Louisiana catchers together in Saskatoon over 30 hours drive northwest of where they all grew up.
“It’s awesome,” said Ethan Menard from Opelousas in northern Louisiana. “It’s unexpected for sure but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I would say it’s unique. We go together very well. Louisiana is not like many other places in the world. All of us together and the team in general have a really good vibe.”
“I’m really blessed the way it worked out,” noted Dominic Archila from Houma, five hours southeast of Opelousas near the Gulf of Mexico. “We three all clicked pretty well immediately.”
“Once I got here and I figured out we were all from Louisiana that was pretty cool,” opined Bailyn Sorenson of Rayville, about halfway between the two other cities. “We grew up on all the same stuff. We kind of had the same environment around each other.”
Berries head coach Joe Carnahan says there was no specific plan to bring in three catchers all from the same southern state.
“That’s just the way it worked out, and it’s a good story,” Carnahan said.
“They’re hard-nosed guys and they’re all a little bit different. Bailyn and Menard have a little bit more power. Dom is a little bit of a jack-of-all-skills. Defensively they’re all good and it’s good to have that trio of good teammates.”
Menard, who also often plays first base, leads the team with 38 RBIs prior to Monday’s games. Sorenson and Archila are a part of the regular rotation at catcher with Menard spelling them off. The trio, who are also all 21-years-old, say they learned a gritty style of baseball while growing up.
“We earn everything that we get,” Sorenson said. “We have to go out there everyday and get it. Coming from Louisiana that’s how we kind of do it. It loosens everybody up. Nobody’s tight to play the game.”
The catchers also like to share stories, including alligator catching experiences.
“I’ve actually caught a couple of small alligators before,” said Sorenson who now attends Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. “We usually catch them when we go frogging. We go hunting for frogs late at night on the banks and we’ll see the alligators swimming and if we can we’ll grab them. Usually just to be funny and mess around. That’s something that we do back home for sure.”
Archila, now of Texas Tech in Lubbock, says he’s also caught some small alligators too, but only two or three feet long. But Menard spins the most unique tale.
“I was duck hunting and one of the ducks kind of went into marsh grass,” said Menard, who attends the University of Texas at Tyler.
“I was looking for the duck and kicking around under the water, and felt a move. I looked down and there was an alligator head right next to my leg. It was cold, so they were dormant. It didn’t really move or nothing. I just dragged it off to the bank. It was about four feet. It wasn’t too big. Whenever you’re duck hunting, fishing or crabbing or any time you’re working in the water in the summertime there will be gators. It’s just one thing you get accustomed to.”
After a Monday doubleheader hosting the Weyburn Beavers, the Berries play in Swift Current against the 57s on Wednesday and will host the 57s Thursday at 7 p.m. at NexGen Patch at Cairns Field.
drice@postmedia.com
