Boguski boys impacting Brandon baseball scene

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This article was published 21/06/2025 (505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ryan Boguski has had plenty to celebrate in his baseball career, but his proudest achievement might be just beginning.

Sons Beckett, Nixon and Marx are all in the Brandon Minor Baseball system, with the oldest two playing significant parts on their AAA teams.

Beckett, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher and first baseman, plays for the U15 Marlins, which dad Ryan coaches.

Nixon is also a hard-throwing righty pitcher but also a speedy lead-off hitter who plays for the U13 Marlins — last year’s provincial championship team that Beckett and Ryan were part of.

Youngest Marx might be more interested in hockey, but still plays U11 house league baseball and spends plenty of time at the ballpark with his own games and watching his older brothers play.

Hockey was just a byproduct of baseball’s off-season for Ryan.

Beckett and Nixon wholeheartedly agree, while Marx, not so much. He’ll be playing hockey in the renowned Brick Invitational Tournament with Team Manitoba and has officially been bitten by the hockey bug.

As the old saying goes, two out of three ain’t bad.

“Baseball was and always has been my sport,” says Boguski.

Boguski grew up in Sifton and played his minor ball in Dauphin before a long and enjoyable career as a pitcher, batter, fielder, baserunner, and the list goes on.

Never the biggest guy on the diamond, but never short on competitiveness, he was named Manitoba’s Youth Athlete of the Year in 1992 before being named to the Team Canada Roster in 1994.

He played college ball south of the border with Minot State University before enjoying 23 seasons of senior ball with the Brandon Marlins. He was the Manitoba Senior Baseball Player of the Year in 1996 and was eventually inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame last year.

All this while starting and raising his family while also embarking on a teaching career with the Brandon School Division.

Ryan still finds himself at the ballpark most days, whether it be coaching or watching one of his sons and it doesn’t take long for nostalgia to kick in.

“It does feel like a while ago already, but definitely watching these three now I find myself asking my dad all kinds of questions about what I was like at that age,” said Ryan.

“The memories do pop back, but it does seem like a long time ago already.”

While he’s keen to give back to the baseball scene here in his new hometown of Brandon, the detail that goes into player development is a far cry from when he came up as a minor.

“I just played. There were no camps, or specializing, we just played,” said Ryan.

“I don’t remember going to practices. I just remember going to games and my grandpa yelling at me what to do.”

He coaches not only because his sons are in the system, but because he knows how much young players benefit from knowledge that is gained through experience. So suffice it to say he’s glad to share what he knows.

“You want the kids to do well,” said Ryan. “When you’re not coaching, you’re not saying much. You trust the coaches. But when I’m coaching, yeah I’ll give my two cents,”

“It’s where I had the most success. It’s where I made most of my friends. It’s where I see I have the most to offer. When you see the kids out there hustling, learning a few things, and they enjoy it, I enjoy it.”

Baseball has provided him with a long and fruitful journey through the game, but there’s no pressure for his boys to walk a step in his shoes.

“I was fortunate to go to the States on a scholarship and play for Team Canada. It’s just about having fun and enjoying the ride. There’s no pressure,” said Ryan.

Sons Beckett and Nixon appreciate that sentiment too, and if anything they may brag more about dad’s accomplishments than anyone.

“My dad has lots of stories to tell,” said Nixon. “He’s talked about playing on Team Canada and all that stuff, but we just talk about it more than anything.”

The shared appreciation for the game leads to a welcomed sharing of knowledge.

“I just want to go out there and do what I do. Just go out and do my best. I don’t worry about other stuff,” said Nixon.

Beckett agrees and is mostly thankful for what dad provides, even if it comes with the odd disagreement that they’ve always been able to work through.

“He’s taught me a lot. Pitching mechanics, all of it. All the knowledge he has is really helpful,” said Beckett.

“Since my dad was so good at it he teaches me all kinds of cool things about the game. He’s got a lot of stories, I know that he was one of the top pitchers when he was coming up.”

But what’s shared knowledge without the odd tale about one’s glory days?

“I can’t remember how old he was, but he’s told me the story about how he hit a home run to tie the game, then in the next inning he hit another home run for the walk-off win. He says that was one of his favourite memories.”

How could it not be?

The elder Boguski probably has countless stories — both good and bad to share — but trying to keep things fun for his boys is priority number one.

“I don’t talk about it much, but now they’re getting older they’re starting to brag about some of the things I did,” said Ryan.

“It gets embarrassing sometimes because I don’t like to talk about myself, but it does feel nice that they talk about it. Their friends will be like ‘No way he did that’ and they say ‘Yeah he did’.”

If a memory or story leads to inspiration, whether it be his own kids or others in the Marlins AAA program, you can bet one thing won’t change: He’ll still be around the ballpark more often than not.

» mpackwood@brandonsun.com