Entries in Baseball-Softball (8)

Tuesday
Mar152011

Andy Bilesky

Andy Bilesky has coached and managed Little League Baseball in Trail since 1953 when the league was formed.

For five decades, Andy has dedicated his time to training and development of young ballplayers. His devotion to the development of high standards in his young players has resulted in his teams' attainment of excellence at all levels of competition.

He has managed twelve Provincial Little League Champions and five Canadian Champions, (1967, 1976, 1980, 1981, and 1990) allowing Trail to represent Canada at the Little League World Series five times in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Andy was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 and the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame on April 26, 1994.

The Little League Park in Trail bears his name in recognition of his efforts to provide quality playing facilities for his players and for his achievements in Little League Baseball.

Andy was chosen as Trail's Citizen of the Year in 1986. Andy passed away in 2008.

Tuesday
Mar152011

Brian Pipes

Brian is being honourd for his achievements in two sports, Babe Ruth Baseball and Girls Softball.
Brian has coached baseball and softball in our area for over 45 years. In that time, his boys' teams have won 5 Provincial Championships, and the girls' teams have won 7. He has guided 9 of his teams to Pacific Northwest Regional berths. In 2004, under his direction, the local Under 12 Girls Softball Team earned a berth in the North American Under 12 Girls World Series, the first time a Canadian team has reached this tournament.

With his dedication, support and coaching talents, Brian has sent 14 girls to US colleges and universities on scholarships.

Brian has also dedicated considerable time to the administration of baseball in our Province. He has been involved in Babe Ruth Baseball locally for many years and served as Assistant Provincial Commissioner for 10 years, and Provincial Commissioner for 5. As well, he as been Assistant Pacific Northwest Regional Commissioner, overseeing regional tournaments and is a member of the Pacific Northwest Region Advisory Board for Babe Ruth Baseball. He is a member of Baseball BC's Management Team, which oversees all baseball programs in BC.

Brian has been elected a member of BC's Babe Ruth Hall of Fame and Baseball BC's Hall of Fame, where he has received the Silver Diamond Award for his work in baseball in the Province. In 2011, Brian was inducted into Softball BC's Hall of Fame for Outstanding Meritous Service.

Brian was inducted in the Babe Ruth League Hall of Fame for his service to baseball development in 2023.
Monday
Sep192011

Colleen Moffat

Born Colleen McCarthy in Trail in 1947, Colleen now resides in Delta.

Colleen excelled in the sport of women's softball as a pitcher.  She has pitched for BC's representative in four Canadian Women's Softball Championships and pitched for Team Canada in the 1972 World Championship.

She was a member of the 1973 Canadian Women's All-Star team and has played for seven BC Provincial championship teams, four National teams, and played in the first Canada Summer Games in 1969, where BC won a Bronze Medal, and followed up with a Gold Medal in the 1972 games.  In 1976, she played for the BC Doc's Blues of Vancouver, pitching a one-hitter in the final game to help her team win the Canadian Women's Softball Championship.  Colleen then continued her mastery on the mound competing in senior women's softball teams, winning provincial and national championships.

Since retiring from active play, Colleen has devoted her skills to coaching at both the senior and minor levels of women's softball.  For over twenty-five years, Colleen has dedicated her time, energy and talent as a player, coach and administrator to the development of women's softball in BC and in her hometown of Delta.  In 1999, she was inducted into the Delta Sports Hall of Fame for her contribution to coaching women's softball in her community.

Friday
May132011

Gary Picone

Gary is another member of our community's long list of accomplished baseball players. Gary was born and raised in Trail and played both Trail Little League and Babe Ruth Baseball. In 1966, he played on the Trail team that participated in the Canadian Little League Championships and was a member of the BC Champion Babe Ruth teams from 1969 to 1971.

From 1973 to 1975, Gary attended Lewis-Clark State University and was an All District Player each year. He has played on Canada's National Baseball Team three times and served three terms as Coach. As Coach of the Lewis-Clark Baseball Team, Gary has led the team to 5 NAIA National Championships.

In 1997, Gary was Coach of the Canadian National Youth Baseball for players 18 and under and won the World Championship. This is the only Canadian team to do so.

Gary became a leader in baseball at a young age and has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the sport in Canada and the United States. Gary is currently the Athletic Director for Lewis-Clark State University.

Tuesday
Mar152011

Jason Bay

Jason was born and raised in Trail and rose through the ranks of the Trail Youth Baseball system. He was a member of the 1990 Canadian Little League Champions and a member of the 16-18 Year Old World Series Team and a member of the 1996 National Junior Team. He attended North Idaho College in 1997 and Gonzaga University in 1998, where he was a two-time All Conference Selection.

Jason was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 2000. He played minor pro baseball before making his Major League debut with the San Diego Padres in 2003. San Diego traded him to Pittsburgh, where he finished the season. In 2004, Jason had a stellar season with the Pirates and was named the Naitonal League Rookie of the Year, the first Canadian to win a Rookie award.

Tuesday
Mar152011

Lauren Bay

Lauren followed her brother in local ball, only in softball. In 1996, Lauren was a member of the Trail Steelers Bantam A Team that won a Bronze Medal at the Western Canadian Championships where she was named top pitcher of the tournament. In 1997, she was a member of the White Rock Renegades Midget A Team that won a Gold Medal at the Canadian Midget National Tournament and was named Tournament MVP. She returned to White Rock in 1998 where they again won the Gold Medal at the Canadian Midget National Tournament and she was again named Tournament MVP.
In 1999, Lauren was a member of the Canadian Junior National Team which participated in the World Championships in Taiwan.

From 2000 until 2003, she was a member of the NCAA Division 1 Oklahoma State University on a scholarship. Here, she was a four-time All Conference Selection, a three-time All Mid-West Region Selection, and an outstanding academic. Lauren left OSU holding records for season innings pitched, season strikeouts, career starts, career saves, career complete games, career innings pitched, career appearances and career strikeouts.

In 2001, she was a member of the Canadian Senior National Team which particiapted in the World Championship in Saskatoon.

In 2003, Lauren was named NCAA Woman of the Year for the State of Oklahoma for her contributions to athletics, academica and community involvement. In 2004, she was named to the Canadian Olympic Softball Team which participated in the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Lauren continues to be a premier pitcher for Canada's Women's National Softball Team. She is currently involved in the training program Motion DNA for the Canadian Pan Am qualifiers in November and the World Championships in China in 2006. This year, she played in the National Prt Fast Pitch League with the Chicago Bandits.

Lauren resides in Phoenix, Arizona.

Tuesday
Mar152011

Terry Hughes

Terry is recognized on the Home of Champions Monument for his dedication to, the fostering of, and his personal achievements, in Little League Baseball.

Terry started his volunteer baseball career in 1961 when the eldest of his four sons joined his first Little League team. He began as an Executive member for the Trail Little League, and in 1969 was appointed District No. 8 Administrator, a position he held until his retirement in the fall of 2001.

Over the years, Trail has hosted numerous local, district, provincial and national Little League tournaments, and Terry always worked tirelessly to organize, promote and support these events. His dedication, expertise, leadership skills and quiet mentoring, helped build the volunteer program that has seen Little League Baseball flourish in the Trail area, and throughout the Kootenays. Those men and women who volunteer their time and effort to the Little League Program throughout the last 40 years have learned from the best. His input at the Provincial, National and International Baseball Conferences will be sorely missed, as Terry Hughes is held in the highest regard by his fellow volunteers.

Terry was a modest man and sought no recognition for his service to Little League over the years. However, it was certainly given to him, as he was elected to the Canadian Board of Directors for Little League Canada, but had to give up his seat due to ill health. Just prior to his passing, he was awarded the Meritorious Award for Volunteer Service to support and perpetuate the ideas of Little League Baseball during the International Little League Congress in Ottawa in April 2001. Terry was the longest servicing Little League Baseball Administrator in Canada.

Wednesday
Apr202011

Trail Little League Baseball Canadian Champions