Two Meadow Lake men are ready to take their place among the immortals. Earlier this year, Northern Pride reported Meadow Lake residents Craig Weran and Glen Winkler would be among those inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its class of 2026. Now that induction is just around the corner. “It’s exciting, and also gratifying to know someone thought highly enough of my contributions to baseball to nominate me in the first place, and more so to know the selection committee thought the same,” Weran said at the time the induction was announced. “It’s very fulfilling to know there is a certain group in the baseball community who thought enough about my contributions to warrant that.”
This year’s hall of fame induction ceremony is scheduled for next Saturday (Aug. 15) in Battleford. “Weran was born in Battleford and played some mean baseball,” reads a recent news release issued by the Saskatchewan Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame. “Since he was small, he would always be playing catch with his brother or father. Craig often tagged along with his older brother to his baseball games, just in case they needed another player, which they always did. His job? Pitching.” Weran played all minor league baseball at Battleford Central School and the Flats from 1978-1989. He played Junior ball for Bob Colliar’s North Battleford Junior Beavers in the Alberta Junior Baseball League and the North Saskatchewan River Baseball League (NSRBL) Senior league. The Senior league led him to join the Saskatoon Outlaws in the Saskatoon Senior Baseball League.
“When Craig went to chiropractic college in Minneapolis, he continued to play baseball in between his studies,” the news release continues. “Once Craig became a doctor and opened a private practice in both England and Meadow Lake, he didn’t have much time to be a baseball player, having only played for just one full year in 2001with the North Battleford Beavers Senior team. However, after a full decade, he finally settled in Meadow Lake to play for the White Sox from 2007-2023.”
Today, Weran plays in twilight baseball tournaments with the Saskatoon Sportsmen, Regina Drifters and Regina Red Dogs. He has steadily led a pitching clinic in Meadow Lake for children since 2016, was certified as an umpire in 2024 and has a knack for building and restoring pitching mounds. “With a powerhouse pitching arm, and numerous games and awards under his belt, Craig has become a Battleford legend,” the news release adds. Winkler, meanwhile, has been described as a builder of baseball in many ways, having dedicated his life to the sport and impacting every community he has been a part of.
“Glen began playing baseball with the Lang Angels where his love for the game sparked,” the Saskatchewan Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame news release reads. “One of his proudest moments was hitting three home runs within a single game, attributing his victory to eating a hamburger with raw onions just before playing. Since then, he’s made it his ritual to get a burger and onions for fun before each game to ensure victory. Some may say that’s superstitious, others may say it’s pure genius.” In 1984, after relocating to Davidson, SK, Winkler became a baseball umpire. “According to his wife, Donna, Glen has umpired more than 1,000 games,” the release states. “He also took on coaching, which just furthered his love and enjoyment of baseball.” Winkler was also instrumental in building baseball diamonds in Blaine Lake and Meadow Lake. When he first moved to Meadow Lake, there wasn’t much of a baseball program. After one year, he and co-coach Wayne Pike formed a baseball team together. Securing support from the local Lions Club, Winkler’s new team participated in its first league tournament, and secured the championship victory. “This success laid the groundwork for the team to call themselves the Meadow Lake White Sox, named after Glen’s son Quincy’s favourite baseball team,” the release states.
The Meadow Lake White Sox took provincial titles in 1993, 1996 and 1999. “What were humble beginnings in 1992 have expanded into Meadow Lake Minor Ball, with more than 350 children registering every year,” the news release notes. “Glen remains active in coaching, even in his 70s, mentoring grandchildren and their teammates. He truly encompassed an endless love for baseball, and for all around him.” Other inductees into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame this year include George Dimas, Stan Montgomery, Trevor Drury, Peter Duncan, David George, Tony Kuffner, Barry Martin, the late Ralph Archibald “Archie” Sanderson, Troy Winterhalt, the 1971 Lumsden Cubs, the 1971 North Battleford Junior Beavers, the 1960s Unity Cardinals and the Flaman family Tickets to next weekend’s hall of fame ceremony can be secured through the Saskatchewan Baseball Museum by calling 306-446-1983 or via email at saskbaseballmuseum@sasktel.net.