For 40 years, Ernie was a dominant softball pitcher in south central Manitoba. Like everyone else in the 1930’s, he started playing ball at school. Exhibition games and tournaments were played in a near-by pasture. However, in 1965, the Highway # 23 League was established. After playing his first year with Baldur, he joined the Mariapolis Blues. This team won repeated league championships and softball tournaments. Batters feared Ernie for the accurate location of his rising ‘straight-balls’ and curves; fans revered him for the excitement he brought to the game and the community; and, young
players dreamed of one day becoming a Mariapolis Blue. Ernie, a legendary presence for softball.