Kevin Ritchie of Wilcox has been chosen for induction into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame as a player and builder. The ceremony will take place Saturday, Aug. 16 at the Alex Dillabough Centre in Battleford.
Ritchie was born Sept. 2, 1956 and raised on the family farm four miles south of Wilcox. His family were fourth generation farmers, originally coming from just outside of Omaha, Neb. in 1910 before settling in the Wilcox/Corrine area.
When Ritchie was about 10 years old, Aubrey Downton introduced him to organized baseball.
At that time, they were not involved in an organized league until they were pee wee age. Downton, however, would take a rag-tag team of young boys to the odd local ball tournament. Downton had played with the Wilcox Cardinals, a successful team in the 1940s and '50s, that was well known in the southern half of the province and was managed by the Metz brothers. Ritchie loved the old stories about baseball that they would tell.
Over the years, Ritchie had extensive involvement with Lang's Ray Beck, the player/manager for the Lang Angels in the 1970s and '80s. Kevin signed onto a provincial roster with Beck many times in the '80s, helping with pitching.
Ritchie joined the young Lang Angels for Provincial A-2 playoffs in 2000. The next oldest player on that team was 22 and the youngest was 17.
For three years, Ritchie played baseball with Avonlea of the Soo Line League. He also played with Regina Jets and Regina Ghosts for many years.
During his career, Ritchie played with and against many great players including Hugh Heintz, who also went to Phoenix, Ariz. and played with the Regina Ghosts. More recently, both Ritchie and Heintz played in Phoenix with Alberta teams.
Ritchie, Brian Weisbrod, Gary Nordal and Doug Schultz played in the MSBL World Series in Phoenix. Another player Ritchie played with and against was Peter Fylyma from Saskatoon who, for many years, had been the player/manager for the Saskatoon Outlaws.
Throughout the 1990s up to 2012, Ritchie coached minor baseball, as well as senior and old-timers' teams.
Ritchie's mother and his three sisters live in Saskatoon. His father was killed in a car accident in1971.
Ritchie and his wife Tammy reside in Wilcox.
