 |
| Outlaws shortstop Lyndsay Koscielski, centre, smiles at a presser. |
In 2011, the Outlaw cemented a softball dynasty winning their third Canadian Junior Women’s Championship in four years. They captured gold with a 4-3 title game victory over the Ontario champion Guelph Junior Gators at nationals hosted in Windsor, Ont. They claimed their two previous Canadian championships in 2010 at home in Saskatoon and in 2008 in Summerside, P.E.I.
The run of national titles could have been four in a row, but at the 2009 nationals hosted in St. Catharines, Ont., the Outlaws were missing four of their top players due to commitments with the nursing program at the University of Saskatchewan. The team finished fifth at that national championship tournament.
While it has been 12 years since the Outlaws last Canadian championship win, the players from those teams still carry tight friendships and keep in touch on a regular basis into the present day. Those bonds have carried on even through those players’ lives are much different than when they played for the Outlaws when they were between the ages of 19 and 23.
“It is pretty cool, and now we all have kids,” said Outlaws shortstop Lyndsay Koscielski. “Now, our kids play sports together.
“We still get together at Christmas. We still hang out.”
On Wednesday, another accolade came the Outlaws way. During a press conference in the main hall at the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds, it was announced that all three of those Canadian champion Outlaws squads will be inducted as part of the 2023 class into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremonies will be held in the evening on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Prairieland Park. The 2023 class includes the three Outlaws teams, five athletes and three builders.
“It is pretty cool,” said Koscielski about the upcoming induction. “It is something we never expected.
 |
| Outlaws coach Ben Garchinski, left, shakes hands with Derek Bloski. |
The majority of the players on the Outlaws grew up through Saskatoon’s minor softball system playing against each other as either members of the Phantoms or the Hustlers. Those players came together to start the “Outlaws Era” as members of the midget A Outlaw Selects in 2006.
The Outlaw Selects won provincial titles in the midget A ranks in 2006 and 2007 leading up to the team’s core graduating to the junior A ranks in 2008 becoming the Outlaws. The Outlaws captured the junior A provincial title in 2008 and followed up with as the surprise winner of the 2008 Canadian championships in Summerside, P.E.I.
The Outlaws 2008 Canadian title win marked the first time a team from Saskatchewan won the junior women’s championship.
Following the 2008 campaign, the Outlaws won the junior A provincial title in 2009 and again in 2010. The second Canadian championship win came in 2010 on home turf. With Saskatoon hosting junior nationals, the Outlaws downed the Guelph Junior Gators 7-4 at Bob Van Impe Stadium for their second Canadian title.
After winning another provincial junior A crown in 2011, the Outlaws moved on to down the Gators for a second straight season in the Canadian championship game with nationals being held in Windsor, Ont. That win completed the run of winning three national junior A titles in four years for the Saskatoon squad.
Jon Equina, who has coached softball in Saskatoon for 23 over years and has had an even longer playing career, was one of the Outlaws assistant coaches during those junior A championship seasons. He considers those four seasons he coached with the Outlaws as some of his most memorable times in the sport.
“To be honest, it was one of the greatest teams or dynasties that I’ve ever seen or been a part of in softball here in Saskatoon,” said Equina. “I’ve been through a lot of teams, and this was a pretty special team just the way they were put together and how good they were as friends off the field.
“The way they played it was something special, and it was something people loved to watch. It was a show every time they came out, and they made sure of it. It was softball at its finest.”
A total of eight players were on all three of the Outlaws Canadian championship teams including Koscielski, Stacey Boldt, Lauren Bourdon, Lindsay Garchinski, Katherine Guenther, Anne Kelly, Sydney Marquart and Natalie Woodside. Earle Woodside and Equina were on the coaching staff for all three national title wins.
 |
| Some of the members of the Saskatoon Sport Hall of Fame’s class of 2023. |
“It is unexplainable,” said Equina. “I’m speechless.
“It is something that is pretty special that I hold to my heart to be able to say that we were a part of this very exclusive class. Especially for me to be able to go into the Hall with all this company that I have and with what I do for a living in softball, this is something that I can’t explain how I feel to be honest.”
Joining the Outlaws in the 2023 class includes in the athletes category Jeff Adamson in wrestling, Kelly Parker in Soccer, Kathy (Rollo) Seaman in diving, Adrianne Vangool in athletics and Heather Witzel in basketball. Entering the Hall in the builders category are Derek Bloski in hockey and softball, Dave McCullough in softball and Ivan Tam in athletics.
The WHL’s Saskatoon Blades were honoured by the Hall as the Sports Organization of the Year.
Following the 2011 Canadian title win, the “Outlaws Era” came to an end with an epilogue that saw the team win two provincial Senior A titles in 2012 and 2013. The Outlaws played one final season in 2014 winning a Saskatchewan Amateur Softball Association league title but did not enter provincials. With the nucleus of the players pursuing work life careers, the Outlaws disbanded after the 2014 campaign.
Still, Equina said it is heartwarming that the players have stayed in touch now over a decade after that last junior A Canadian title win.
“To see these girls now, they are coaching with me, they are coaching their own daughters, some of them are still playing and a lot of them are still involved with softball,” said Equina. “Most importantly, they are all still best friends.
“They’ve all attended each others’ weddings. They’ve attended every sort of ceremony, graduation. They seem to all be there for each other.
“To have us along for the ride, it has been pretty special for me to be able to say I was a single part of this team.”
Koscielski said she has numerous great memories from her time with the Outlaws. Looking back on those years, Koscielski said team was able to roll due to some of the most simple and pure reasons.
 |
| The Outlaws celebrate their Canadian title win in 2010. |
“It was just fun.”
If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. The Outlaws team picture from 2010 is courtesy of Stacey Boldt.
-------
If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.
