*This article was originally published on Saskatchewan Dugout Stories on May 14. You can read it here.

May 19, 2024

By Joe McFarland

Saskatchewan Dugout Stories

Zander Oudie-Senger will never say “no” to signing an autograph for a young fan around Currie Field.

After all, it wasn’t that long ago that the Regina Red Sox pitcher was a kid with a Sharpie and a baseball in hand, hoping to get his favourite players to do the same.

Not only was he a regular to games with his Nana, but Oudie-Senger’s family also billeted several players over the years.

“Each player that came into our house felt like an older brother,” he told Saskatchewan Dugout Stories. “All of those guys have shed light into our family and I couldn’t be more grateful for each of them.”

Now entering his third season with the hometown team, the 21-year-old will be a veteran presence on a team looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2023.

Oudie-Senger would also love nothing more than to bring a Western Canadian Baseball League championship back to Regina, which hasn’t happened since 2012.

REPPIN’ QUEEN CITY

Coming home to Regina for the last three summers has meant the world to Oudie-Senger.

The Martin Collegiate High School product proudly represented his city with the Regina Wolfpack of the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League, where he was named the Pitcher of the Year in 2021.

He has also sported the green and yellow of Saskatchewan at the Canada Summer Games and Baseball Canada Cup during his young career.

After graduating high school in 2021, Oudie-Senger got his first taste of the WCBL the following summer, going 3-1 with a 3.17 earned run average in 14 appearances, including one start.

That fall, he made the move west to join the reigning Canadian College Baseball Conference champion Okanagan College Coyotes, allowing him to play baseball all year round.

A START TO REMEMBER

Oudie-Senger’s first foray into college baseball in 2023 didn’t go exactly as planned, as he went 1-1 with a save and a 7.84 ERA in eight relief appearances.

Despite finishing second in the league during the regular season, the Coyotes couldn’t capitalize during the championship weekend and were eliminated on semi-final Saturday by Prairie Baseball Academy.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound hurler returned to Regina that summer, where he improved on his rookie campaign by going 1-0 with a 2.42 ERA in 12 relief appearances.

The highlight came during his final outing of the season, where he threw a 117-pitch complete-game 5-0 victory over the Sylvan Lake Gulls on August 2.

“Fastball, curveball, change-up, that’s what I threw,” Oudie-Senger told the Regina Leader-Post. “Probably my best outing.”

The Red Sox finished the season with a 23-33 record before they were swept by the Medicine Hat Mavericks in the opening round of the WCBL playoffs.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

Oudie-Senger is motivated as he’s ever been to add to his trophy collection in 2024.

After dealing with a sprained UCL and a grade-one ankle sprain early in the spring, he returned to the Coyotes lineup to post a 2-1 record with a 6.42 ERA in six games.

“I definitely have a high expectation for myself,” the right-hander said. “Especially being an older guy this year, a big goal of mine was to show these younger guys to give it their all every time because you never know when you have to be done.”

The Coyotes enter the CCBC playoffs atop the league standings with a 21-10 record.

Oudie-Senger believes this year’s roster is capable of something special with a strong combination of power, speed and pitching to go along with great team chemistry.

The CCBC World Series is slated for May 16-20 in Lethbridge, Alta.

Then he will head back home to Regina for another year with the Red Sox, where he hopes a veteran-laden pitching staff will be able to set the tone in a competitive East Division.

“It means the world to me to have my family and friends in the stands as they have all been such a big support in my life,” the hometown hero said.

“To have them out there watching where I grew up is something you can’t make up.”

Oudie-Senger is also looking forward to the opportunity to give back to the baseball community in Regina, whether it’s through signing autographs or talking to kids about chasing their dreams in the game.

“Enjoy every moment, drill and practice because you never know how long you can play for,” he said when asked about his advice for the young athletes. “Just make the most out of everything and have fun playing the sport we grew up watching.”

Regina fans will get their first look at Oudie-Senger and his teammates when the Red Sox host the expansion Saskatoon Berries for a two-game series May 25-26.