By Brady Lang

Golightly gets the call to the hall

Jun 26, 2018 | 12:00 PM

A long-time baseball great from Eatonia is getting the call after a long career.

Jim Golightly will be inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in August, after a career with many accolades both on the diamond and in the dugout. Golightly started playing the game in 1956, beginning a career that lasted 39 years.

Golightly recently told battlefordsNOW some stories of his long career in baseball, including how he first started out.

“I was only 14 and we had a station agent just west of Eatonia,” he said. “He was getting together a softball team. He wanted me to play, and after that I played for four years on that team. I was asked to try out for the Eatonia baseball team the next year.”

Although Golightly had home run power and was an excellent baseball player, he said it wasn’t easy for him at the start.

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“I didn’t start to hit the ball until I was 19, but that year (1957) we won 45 games and lost 3,” he said. “We had a real good year. From then on, everything seemed to fall into place.”

Golightly made stops all around Saskatchewan, but mainly played in Eatonia. Being inducted into the hall of fame seems like the cherry on the top, especially in his long career in Saskatchewan.

“This means a great deal to me,” he said. “I’m honoured.”

When Golightly was asked what his proudest memory on the diamond was, there were many moments that came to mind.

“We played the provincial final against Prince Albert in 1968,” he said. “In the second game, after beating us in game one, with the SaskAlta All Stars. The game was a high-scoring game. It came down to the end, and I hit a two-run double off of [future MLB player] Dave Pagan, and it drove in two runs to win the game.”

Golightly also fondly remembered a few games in which he was crushing the baseball.

“One game I hit two grand slams,” he said, “Another game I remember I was batting and I got hit on the elbow. The pitcher complained that I didn’t move, so I came back after they didn’t let me take first base. I hit a grand slam in that at-bat.”

Along with many of his accomplishments in baseball, Golightly remained involved in the community and in the dugout, coaching many teams. He was a member of the local Lions club for 50 years, and farmed from 1956 until he retired in 2017.

brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangCJNB