Murray Wood: It's getting better all the time
Even if it seems - as the rejoinder in the Beatles' song observed - 'it couldn't get much worse,' Murray Wood suggests w...
Six weeks have passed since Ethan Murdoch grabbed the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy and raced towards his Saskatoon Berries teammates in celebration.
Just minutes after his baseball career came to a close on Aug. 16, he took in scenes at Cairns Field that he expects to remember for a lifetime.
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“Standing there with the guys and seeing the fireworks go off, or sitting there with the confetti flying in front of us, or all holding (the trophy) up and jumping around, those are the three or four images in my head that I just keep replaying,” Murdoch said. “It’s not as much the stuff in-between.”
Those in-between moments were pretty spectacular this summer, however, as the Western Canadian Baseball League took notice and crowned Murdoch the top homegrown player for the 2026 season on Tuesday.
Murdoch captured the WCBL’s Most Outstanding Canadian award after turning in a final season on the diamond to remember, as a major piece of Saskatoon’s first-ever championship team.
A fan of the WCBL growing up in Swift Current, he said the honour means a lot because he was able to play at home in Saskatchewan.
“I feel some sense of pride for sure with the association of the award with Canada,” Murdoch said. “It feels good to represent your country in any aspect, even if it’s something kind of small like that.”
Murdoch capped off his final year of college eligibility in style as he finished near the top of the league in batting average (.358), hits (82), home runs (14), RBIs (62) and on-base plus slugging (1.069).
In a release, Berries head coach Joe Carnahan said it’s a well-deserved honour for a player who stepped up at the plate and in the outfield nightly.
“Ethan had an outstanding year for us this year and we are very excited for him to get this recognition,” Carnahan said.
“The numbers speak for themselves, but more importantly, the impact he had throughout the year with his leadership, how he went about his business day to day and conducted himself off the field was first class, and spoke volumes of him as a person. We are very fortunate and grateful to have had the opportunity to have (Murdoch) be an instrumental part of our organization for the past two years.”
Potentially a season-saving catch in right field by Ethan Murdoch. Bases loaded for Regina with two out, the @StoonBerries senior sprawls out to keep Regina off the board. Still a 3-3 game in the sixth inning. https://t.co/gMMj58Ihrs
— Scott Roblin (@ScottRoblin) August 10, 2026
Murdoch’s final summer in purple and blue was a family affair, with his younger brother Axton serving as Berries’ bat boy, while his parents Derek and Jenifer were regulars at Cairns Field all season.
That support mattered to Ethan in his last few months of baseball and made his top Canadian award even sweeter.
“I had a lot of people that were able to come watch and support me,” Murdoch said.
Saskatoon Berries outfielder Ethan Murdoch (second from left) celebrating his WCBL championship on Aug. 16, 2026 alongside his father Derek (left), younger brother Axton (second from right) and mother Jenifer (right). (Steve Hiscock/Saskatoon Berries)
“To win an award recognizing the top Canadian, it’s a cool honour because the league just means a lot to people around here and in Western Canada. I think it’s cool that they recognize the Canadian players separately from the MVP, the rookie of the year.”
Murdoch is the second Berries star in three years to win WCBL Most Outstanding Canadian after his former Saskatoon teammate and Atlanta Braves prospect Carter Beck captured the same award in 2024.
“Any time your name is mentioned next to (Beck), it makes you feel pretty good,” Murdoch said. “I think it just speaks to the organization and the type of the way they treat you day to day.”
Since becoming a WCBL champion, Murdoch has traded in cleats for skates as the new strength and conditioning coach and performance analyst for the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos.
Though he’s still putting in hours on the bus and around a group of dedicated athletes, he said it’s been an exciting challenge to tackle with another team he grew up watching.
“I’m enjoying the new environment,” Murdoch said.
“I’ve played hockey obviously in the past, but it’s been a few years since I’ve really been in the rink. I’ve never been in a competitive team environment in hockey in this regard, so I’m enjoying the new experiences that way.”
The WCBL will unveil the remainder of its year-end awards in the coming days, including Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Most Outstanding Pitcher and Coach of the Year.
