Cajun connection for trio of Louisiana-born Saskatoon Berries catchers
Of the hundreds of players taking to the diamond in the Western Canadian Baseball League this season, there’s a good chance Ethan Menard is the only one who has wrestled an alligator with his bare hands during a duck-hunting trip.
“We were just duck hunting one day and it was real cold,” said Menard. “The alligators don’t move real well, they just sit there dormant. I was looking for a duck that went under the water, I kicked something, it moved, I looked and it was the alligator head just sitting right behind me. It was only about three or four foot.”
Over the first month of the 2024 WCBL season, Menard has become one of the top players for the Saskatoon Berries hitting .313 over 21 games with a team-leading 24 RBIs and two home runs to his name.
Life moves a bit differently back home for the Berries slugger though, hailing from Opelousas, La. Though it’s not as uncommon as you might think on the team’s inaugural roster this summer.
In a strange twist of fate, all three catchers on the Berries roster this season grew up just five hours apart in the Bayou State.
“Louisiana is already just a little different,” said Menard. “We’re a little special here and there. To bring that and us three bringing that onto the team, bringing that chemistry together to loosen everybody up really. In Louisiana, you have a good time so they try to bring that everywhere we go.”
The trio includes Dominic Archila, who calls Houma, La., home near the banks of the Gulf of Mexico.
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“It’s crazy, it’s fun, it’s hectic,” said Archila. “We’re loud, we like to have fun. We’re just bringing the vibes to the clubhouse.”
Archila has suited up in a dozen games this summer for the Berries hitting .205 with six RBIs while splitting time recently with fellow catcher Bailyn Sorensen.
For Sorensen, it was a call in his collegiate season which brought him north of the border for the very first time in a big change of pace from his Rayville, La., background.
“My pitching coach at college knows a guy here and also he is from Canada,” said Sorensen. “It was a pretty quick connection and then I got three planes up here to play for the Berries after the [college] season was over.”
Both catching and serving as occasional designated hitter for Saskatoon in his 19 appearances this summer, Sorensen has leaned on his fellow statesmen since making the trip up to Saskatchewan.
According to Berries head coach Joe Carnahan, the Louisiana catching connection between the trio is one that happened by pure chance.
“It just kind of worked out that way,” said Carnahan. “It’s pretty interesting and it’s awesome just to learn about them, learn about how it is down there.”
“They’re great teammates.”
For Menard, Archila and Sorensen, however, there’s a specific brand of baseball they’ve brought north.
“It’s gritty,” said Sorensen. “We get it out of the mud, that’s how we do it.”
While the game is still played the same on the infield shale as their formative experiences at Louisiana ballparks, there are some big day-to-day differences which the catchers have been adjusting to.
The biggest of which might be in the kitchen, with a distinct lack of Cajun flavours that they’ve grown up with.
“My uncle’s cooking, probably,” said Menard. “But I love it here, I love the poutine. I love all the special things that Canada has to offer.”
While Saskatchewan might not have the same cuisine the trio are used to, it’s quickly become a home for the trio to celebrate wins and spread their famous brand of southern hospitality.
“We have a good bond, it’s hard to find that anywhere else,” said Archila. “We come from the same upbringing, so it’s pretty similar.”
Chasing down a playoff spot over the final five weeks of the regular season with a 10-14 record, the Louisiana sons are banking on making more memories with the home crowds which have turned out to support the Berries in season one.
“Berry Nation has been behind us,” said Sorensen. “The people here are fantastic and it’s a cool atmosphere to play in.”
Following a pair of rained out games on Thursday and Friday, the Berries will continue their series against the Regina Red Sox on the road Sunday before returning home to Cairns Field for a Canada Day double-header with games against the Red Sox at 1:00 and 4:00 pm.