When the Manitoba Alliance captured a Canadian softball championship more than two decades ago, even Saskatchewan had reason to cheer.
Well, parts of it.
The junior men’s team won the under-23 nationals in 1995 thanks in part to four long-time friends from Creighton and Denare Beach.
Now the 1994-95 edition of the Alliance – including Dougall Dubinak, Barry Zerbin, Darren Rosenberger and Trevor Salamondra – has been inducted into the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame.
“It’s a great honour,” said Dubinak, who along with Salamondra still lives in the Flin Flon area. “Obviously unexpected. 1995 is quite a ways [back], but I’m really honoured, really humbled.
“It’s really humbling when someone calls you up, like a hall of fame, and says, ‘We want to induct your team.’”
Zerbin, who like Rosenberger now lives in Winnipeg, echoed that sentiment.
“It’s a big honour. Never expected it,” he said.
Dubinak, Zerbin, Rosenberger and Salamondra grew up together as students at Creighton Community School and, later, Hapnot Collegiate. They shared a love for softball, and each had a gift for the sport.
Zerbin recalls his days on the Hapnot softball team and how the club would regularly meet the Landmark, Manitoba team in the provincial high school finals.
In 1992, a couple of years after graduation, former members of the Hapnot and Landmark teams joined forces to form a junior men’s team.
“That’s how we got the name Alliance,” said Zerbin.
A provincial powerhouse, the Alliance won silver at the junior nationals in 1994, the first time a Manitoba team had done so.
But it was the 1995 team that really made Manitoba softball fans cheer. After again winning provincials, the Alliance headed to nationals in Prince George, BC. In the final game, the Alliance polished off Oshawa by a score of 11-0.
“It was pretty big news, especially in the rural areas, and we got lots of well-wishes back then from everybody in Flin Flon,” recalled Zerbin.
How important were the Alliance members from Creighton and Denare Beach? The proof is in the stats.
Dubinak, an outfielder, recorded a 1.000 fielding percentage and a .300 in round-robin play. Zerbin, a right fielder, had a .400 on-base percentage and a .323 batting average.
Rosenberger, a second baseman, led the tournament with 14 runs batted in. He also had a .314 batting average with three home runs.
Salamondra, a pitcher and designated hitter, pitched five innings of a no-hitter against defending champion Lloydminster to secure Manitoba first place in round-robin play. He also had a top 20 batting average of .286.
A fifth player with local connections also made a crucial contribution. Curtis Rouse, a pitcher who had finished high school in Flin Flon so he could play ball for Hapnot, had a 0.43 ERA and was named tournament MVP.
Zerbin said the Alliance had both strong talent and good chemistry. Every player, save for perhaps a couple of Winnipeggers, hailed from rural Manitoba or Creighton and Denare Beach. The Saskatchewan communities were allowed to contribute players based on their proximity to the border.
The championship marked the Alliance’s final year of eligibility as a junior team, as players would be turning 24 years old in 1996. The club competed at the 24-and-over level (senior) but would never again win nationals.
Zerbin notes with a laugh that the Alliance players are now all retired. He believes the last year they played together was at the 2002 senior nationals, by which point the 1995 roster was no longer intact.
Former Alliance members gathered in Winnipeg May 7 for the team’s induction into the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame, which is based in Portage la Prairie. Les Newman, hall of fame treasurer, said this year marked the first time the 1994-95 Alliance was nominated for induction. A selection committee of seven members approved the pick.
