Gary Nordal started to play baseball in 1963 when he was 10 years old. After trying to play most positions, he discovered that pitching was his forte.
He played with Strasbourg except when he was 15 and 16, when he played with Bulyea Baseball Team.
At 17, Nordal began playing with the Strasbourg Senior Baseball Team with Earl Cochrane as his coach. Nordal played until 2004.
Some of the teams Gary played for include Strasbourg, Bulyea and Duval.
Nordal played in provincial playoffs every year of his baseball career - one year with Lumsden and the remainder with Strasbourg. He helped his team win two provincial, one of which was in 1995 when his Strasbourg team hosted the tournament. The second came in 1999, in Meadow Lake when his team had just 10 players. Nordal pitched the final game and at the end of the game was presented with the game ball. The team was also voted the Friendliest Team that weekend.
One major highlight of his baseball career was going to Arizona with the Grey Ghosts of Regina in 1995 and '96, to compete in the Men's Senior Baseball League World Series Tournament. In one game, Nordal held a no-hitter for six innings.
Nordal is a self-taught pitcher, pitching to a target on the garage door when he was a child. His pitches included the drop ball, curve, knuckle ball and of course a heater. He was a great strike out pitcher. At the plate, he accumulated many home runs, RBIs and several grand slams in his day.
Nordal was the recipient of numerous MVP and All-Star Pitching trophies.
Playing baseball provided Gary the opportunity to travel throughout the province and to meet some terrific people, as well as the chance to play baseball on all kinds of baseball diamonds.
Nordal continues to play twilite baseball with Lanigan. In the early Twiliter years, he was only one of two pitchers the team had for an entire tournament. He continues to take part in this and has been playing twilite baseball for 21 years.
Nordal also enjoyed playing hockey in his youth, along with curling, then volunteering for 40 years at the curling rink. He also enjoys hunting, fishing and golfing.
Nordal was a natural and excellent athlete, a strong, humble and dedicated baseball player that rarely missed a game and for that reason he will take his place in the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Musuem Saturday.
