Ryan and Lexi Neary, Mr. Neary’s two children, have been invited to throw out the opening pitch for the season opener of the Corner Brook Molson Senior Baseball League Sunday 2 p.m. at Jubilee Field.
Don Doman, a friend and former West Side Monarchs teammate of Mr. Neary for years, will be on hand to receive the opening toss from Ryan and another former teammate will catch a pitch from Lexi, who will be accompanied by their mom, Joy.
Wayne Hicks is a member of the senior baseball executive as team rep for the Wing ’n It Marlins and a friend and teammate of Mr. Neary on both the baseball and softball diamonds.
Over the past few years, Hicks said the Corner Brook senior baseball league invited former players to throw out the first pitch of the season. Knowing the history of Mr. Neary’s contribution to the game at the league level — and also as a stalwart for the Barons in provincial play for a number of years — Hicks thought it would be nice to honour a guy who was very popular and respected by both his teammates and opponents.
“Ryan’s love for sports is just like his father’s,” Hicks said, noting Ryan is already a fixture at Jubilee Field and poised to follow in his father’s footsteps.
As part of the league opener, the Corner Brook Baseball Association will recognize three of its provincial baseball award winners from the 2016 season in a ceremony before the season opener that features the West Side Monarchs and Veitch’s Ultramar Hawks. The three award winners include Female Player of the Year Brooklyn Childs; Senior Player of the Year Matt Colbourne; and Senior Umpire of the Year Christian Wareham.
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