Colin Walsh. (File photo.)
By Mark Squibb
Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove native Colin Walsh was named the Male Athlete of the Year at the City of St. John’s 2025 Applause Awards gala held May 1 at the St. John’s Convention Centre.
“It’s a great honour,” said Walsh. “There’s a lot of great athletes here in Newfoundland and Labrador, and specifically the St. Johns area…It’s a great honour to win the award.”
If you size up Walsh’s achievements from this last year, it’s no surprise his name was pitched for the award. He earned Regular Season MVP, Playoff MVP, and All-Star Pitcher honours in the St. John’s Senior Men’s Fastpitch League, leading in both wins and strikeouts, and was also a key player on the league’s championship team. Walsh was named Tournament MVP at the Men’s Senior Fastpitch Provincial Championship and finished off the year with a Gold Medal at the Senior Men’s Nationals, where he once again earned Playoff MVP honours. Walsh also competed with Bear Creek Express at the International Softball Congress’s 2024 Men’s Fastpitch World Tournament.
Walsh, 33, has been playing ball for as long as he can remember, and got his start playing with rec leagues in the Goulds and Petty Harbour.
More recently, Walsh was one of five Newfoundlanders and Labradorians named to the 2025 Men’s National Team. Also named to the team are Shane Boland of the Goulds, Sean Cleary of Harbour Main, Brad Ezekiel of Holyrood, and Jordan Pomeroy of Placentia. Les Howey of CBS serves as an assistant coach with the team.
“The biggest honour, in any sport, or in anything you do, is to represent your country,” said Walsh. “So, I’m looking forward to it, and we’ve got a great group of guys… some veterans, and some new, young players coming through the ranks.”
Also on the award front, The Galway Hitmen, who boast a number of players from the Goulds and Petty Harbour, including Walsh, was named Team of the Year at that same Applause Award gala.
The Hitmen went undefeated (9-0) to win gold at the 2024 Men’s Canadian Fastpitch Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Hitmen outscored opponents 77-17 (+60), with a .339 team batting average and a 2.10 Earned Run Average.
