MHA Glenn Littlejohn Presenting Ward Gosse With His HOF Induction
2014 SOFTBALL NL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: WARD GOSSE (ATHLETE)
Ward Gosse began his career playing Minor Softball in his hometown of Bay Roberts.
In 1979, Ward guided his CBN team to the Provincial Squirt Championship, while earning MVP and Top Batter honours.
In 1986, Gosse was a member of the Bay Roberts team that claimed the Provincial Midget Championship and went on to represent the Province at the Midget Boy’s National Championship.
Ward played in the St. John’s Junior League for three years: 1987, 1988 & 1989.
In 1987 he won the Batting, Slugging and Triples, while being named Regular Season MVP and was named to the All-League Team.
In 1988, he was member of the Junior 50’s team that captured the League Championship, he led the League in Strikeouts, was named MVP of the Regular Season and was named to the All-League Team.
In 1989, he led the league in Home Runs and represented the Province at the Junior National Championships as a member of the CBC Junior Travellers.
To date, Gosse has played 27-years in the St. John’s Senior Men’s Fastpitch League and has compiled an impressive resume along the way…
12 League Championships: 1993-1995, 1997-98, 2001-05 & 2011-12.
54 Statistical Awards:
1 Doubles Title, 1 Triples Title, 3 Batting Titles, 3 Runs Scored Titles, 5 Shutout Titles, 5 Pitching Titles, 5 Strikeout Titles, 6 RBI Titles, 7 Home Run Titles, 8 Slugging Titles and 10 ERA Titles.
33 Individual Awards:
Rookie of the Year in 1988, Sportsmanship & Ability in 2003, 1 Triple Crown of Batting, 2 Triple Crowns of Pitching, 7 Regular Season MVP’s, 10 Playoff MVP’s and 11 All-League Team Selections.
Regular Season Stats:
Batting: 479GP, 424H-1278AB, .312BA, 301RS, 57D, 15T, *103HR, *362RBI.
Pitching: *346GP, *178W, 98L, 1812IP, 582ER, 2.13ERA, *2532K, 32SHO, 1NH.
Playoffs Stats:
Batting: *176GP, *164H-496AB, .331BA, *107RS, *26D, 2T, 29HR, *94RBI.
Pitching: *139GP, *78W, 36L, *814IP, 287ER, 2.24ERA, *1120K, 18SHO, 1NH.
*All-Time Senior League Record Holder.
Ward played on six St. John’s Day Tournament Championship teams, capturing three MVP awards and 1 Top Batter award.
At the Provincial level, Gosse played on 9 Senior Provincial Championship teams, capturing six MVP awards and 1 Top Batter award.
At the National level, Ward played on 15 Provincial teams winning 6 Medals: 1 Gold, 3 Silver & 2 Bronze and was named to the All-Tournament Team on three occasions.
Internationally, he played in the ISC World Tournament in 2006 and was named to the 2nd Team All-World as Pitcher. In 2007, he played in the ASA Tournament and was named to the 2nd Team All-World. In 2012, he was a member of the Parry Island Hawks team that captured the Gold Medal (ISC II) and was named Tournament MVP and Most Outstanding Pitcher.
Other Awards:
-Named Softball NL Male Player of the Year in 1994, 1995 and 1999.
-Named Molson Athlete of the Month nine times between 1995 and 2006.
-Named Telegram Athlete of the Week 14 times between 1988 and 2014.
-Named To Senior League 5th All-Decade Team (1997-2006).
-Named One Of The Top 15 Senior League Performers (1957-2006).
-Named Softball NL Most Outstanding Player (1987-2012).
