Baseball

Mary deBruyn

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame: June 13th, 2003

Mary De Bruyn didn’t play organized fastball until the age of 17 for Elgin in the North Leeds Ladies League. In 1988, she coached the Brockville entry in the Leeds and Grenville Ladies Softball League. An injury ended her playing days, and she turned to umpiring.

She umpired at numerous Ontario Championships, ranging from novice to senior men’s. May also has umpired at three Canadian Championships. She received her international umpiring status in 1996 after umpiring at the Senior Men’s Canadian Championships. In 1998 she umpired at the Canada Cup in British Columbia and then at the Senior Women’s World Championships in Japan. The highlight of her career was umpiring at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Working the gold medal game at the plate between Japan and the USA.

Mary’s sports career also included playing, coaching and refereeing hockey. She retired from hockey at the end of the 2000 season.

Peter Hoy

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame: June 15th, 2012

Growing up, Peter Hoy was a talented player in four sports in the Cardinal and Prescott Area. He was a starting quarterback in high school football. A power forward in basketball and a defenceman in Jr. “B” hockey but he was destined for success after pitching for the Brockville Bunnies.

Hoy was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 33rd round in 1988. Worked his way through the minor leagues and appeared as a relief pitcher in five games for the big-league team in the spring of 1992. After several more seasons in the minors, Hoy began baseball at Lemoyne University in Syracuse and began coaching baseball at St. Lawrence University in Canton.

Ralph McMullen

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame: June 15th, 2018

Ralph has been involved for more than 40 years with Legion Minor Baseball in Brockville, Ontario and Canada. He umpired Legion Minor Baseball from 1960 to 2004 and was its Umpire-In-Chief for more than 30 years. In 1985, he was the Umpire-In-Chief at the Canadian Little League Major Championships. In 1985, Ralph umpired in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He umpired the Canadian Junior Baseball Championships in 1993 and the Ontario Senior Baseball Championships in 1994. He umpired in the Canadian Big League Baseball Championships in 1987.

Along with his commitment to umpiring, Ralph was dedicated and motivated to ensuring the Youth of Brockville and Area could enjoy playing baseball.

Roger Hodgkinson

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame: June 11th, 1993

Rodger won two O.A.S.A. Junior titles as a member of the Brockville Diggers (1963-64). Roger was a pitcher in the K.A.S.A., U.C.F.L., Brockville City League, Dundas League and Ottawa Metro League. He played for Gatineau, Quebec in the Canadian Championships in 1968.

Picked up by the Winnipeg Canadians to play in the 1968 World Championships in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Rodger pitched three wins in helping Winnipeg win the silver medal and hit a home run to drive in the Winnipeg run in the title game. Roger had his own 5 man touring softball team called the Ambassadors. In five games, Roger had 70 strikeouts in 34 innings and threw 2 one-hitters and 2 no-hitters. Roger Hodgkinson – a complete ball player, coach and manager.

Roy Pyke

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame: June 10th, 2011

Roy Pyke has enjoyed a lifetime of playing sports. Despite being told by doctors at the age of 10 that he would never play sports again. He was a talented junior hockey player and junior baseball pitcher in his teenage years. After playing semi-pro hockey in the Eastern Hockey League. He was one of the final cuts of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues in 1967. After that played Senior “A” Hockey in Morrisburg for 10 years before winning numerous scoring championships in Brockville.

In fastball in the 1970s to 1990s. He was best known as a tough, hard-nosed catcher for the commercial stars and Cardinal Pats. He also coached Jr. “B” Hockey in Prescott-Spencerville.

Ted Hoy

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame: June 9th, 1994

For five decades, Ted Hoy’s name has been associated with excellence in fastball pitching. The Cardinal native is regarded as one of the finest pitchers ever to play in Eastern Ontario. From the late 1950s the the 1970s, Ted Hoy baffled opposing hitters with an amazing change-up, pinpoint control and superior intelligence as he helped establish the Cardinal Pats as one of the premier fastball teams in the province. A member of the Brockville Diggers, Ted Hoy led the team to the Ontario Juvenile A Championship in 1961 and the Junior A Championship in 1963.

Ted Hoy’s name is a household word to any fastball fan in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec, and he is still pitching almost 40 years after he made his debut.

Wayne Amyotte

Inducted into the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame: June 12th, 2009

Wayne Amyotte, also known as “Bullhead”, played with the Brockville Bunnies in 1966 when they won the Eastern Ontario Connie Mack League Championship. They were North Atlantic semi-finalists in Albany, NY. Wayne signed with Lachine, Quebec, in a Senior League where he struck out 8 of 9 batters as a Relief Pitcher. He was offered a tryout with the Detroit Tigers, playing for the Bristol Tigers of the Appalachian League, where he was 8 and 2 with a .236 ERA. His second year was with the Lakeland Tigers of the Florida State League and the following year with the Rocky Mountain Leafs of the Carolina League.

It was in his 4th year that he injured his pitching arm and was released. His arm muscles never healed properly, so his playing career was over. Wayne would run pitching clinics. Helped coach and scout players from 2003 for the San Diego Padres of the National League.

He continues to help young players with the Brockville Bunnies.