Baba, Clapp and Psota elected to Canadian ball hall

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s class of 2026. Photo: Baseball Canada

February 5, 2026

Baseball Canada

OTTAWA — Baseball Canada is proud to announce that Jim Baba, Stubby Clapp and Kate Psota have been named as inductees to the 2026 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Baseball Canada extends its congratulations to the Baba family as Jim Baba is honoured posthumously, alongside Clapp and Psota, whose leadership, excellence and dedication have helped shape the game in Canada at every level.

Joining Baba, Clapp and Psota in the 2026 induction class will be Devon White, a two-time World Series champion with the Toronto Blue Jays; Paul Runge of St. Catharines, Ontario, a longtime Major League Baseball umpire; and Bill Stoneman, former Montreal Expos pitcher and general manager.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame will formally induct the 2026 class at a ceremony in St. Marys, Ontario on Saturday, June 20.

“Jim Baba, Stubby Clapp and Kate Psota each represent the very best of baseball in Canada,” said Jason Dickson, chief executive officer of Baseball Canada. “Jim’s lifelong leadership and vision helped shape Baseball Canada into the organization it is today, while Stubby and Kate’s excellence on the field and commitment to the national team program have inspired generations of athletes. Their dedication to Baseball Canada and to the growth of the game has left a lasting legacy, and it is fitting that all three are being honoured by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.”

Jim Baba dedicated more than four decades to the growth and development of baseball in Canada, including 21 years as executive director of Baseball Canada from 2000 to 2021. Throughout his tenure, Baba guided the organization through a period of significant evolution, strengthening domestic programming, advancing high-performance pathways, and enhancing Canada’s presence on the international stage.

A native of Moose Jaw, Sask., Baba began his career in sport as Parks and Recreation director in Kindersley before spending a decade as director of operations for Baseball Saskatchewan. His passion for coaching and education was evident through his delivery of countless NCCP courses and his mentorship of coaches and athletes across the province.

Baba also served as a coach and manager with Canadian national teams at numerous international events, including the 1991 Pan American Games, 1993 World University Championship, and the 1994, 1998 and 2005 Baseball World Cups. In 2000, he relocated to Ottawa to become Baseball Canada’s manager of baseball operations before later assuming the role of executive director.

Under his leadership, Baseball Canada navigated Olympic cycles in 2004 and 2008, multiple World Baseball Classic cycles, supported Pan American Games gold medals in 2011 and 2015, and expanded cornerstone programs such as Rally Cap, Girls Baseball, Winterball and Long-Term Athlete Development.

Windsor, Ontario’s Stubby Clapp established himself as one of the most accomplished and respected figures in Canadian national team history through his competitiveness, leadership and perseverance. A member of Canada’s Junior National Team in 1991, Clapp helped Canada capture its only World Junior Baseball Championship gold medal.

Following a standout collegiate career at Texas Tech, Clapp was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 36th round of the 1996 MLB Draft. He defied the odds to reach the Major Leagues in 2001 and became a household name in Canada following his memorable performance at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg.

Clapp went on to represent Canada at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games and in the first two editions of the World Baseball Classic. Following his playing career, he transitioned into coaching and was part of Canada’s gold-medal performance at the 2015 Pan American Games and was a member of the 2013 World Baseball Classic coaching staff, a post he will return to in 2026.

Professionally, Clapp is a two-time Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year (2017 and 2018) and has been the first base coach with the St. Louis Cardinals since 2019.

Kate Psota is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of Canadian women’s baseball and a true trailblazer for the women’s game. A multi-sport standout from Burlington, Ont., Psota represented Team Ontario at just 13 years old and first competed internationally for Canada in 2004 at the inaugural Women’s Baseball World Cup in Edmonton.

Over the course of her international career, Psota earned six Women’s Baseball World Cup medals, two silver and four bronze, and was named to four World Cup All-Star teams at first base. She was also a two-time Baseball Canada Women’s National Team MVP in 2009 and 2010, and a recipient of the Jimmy Rattlesnake Award in 2008, now known as the Ashley Stephenson Award.

Psota helped Canada capture a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games and closed out her national team career by recording the final out in Canada’s dramatic bronze-medal victory over the United States at the 2018 Women’s Baseball World Cup. She later continued to contribute to the sport as a member of Canada’s Women’s National Team coaching staff where she was part of the staff that led Canada to a Women’s Baseball World Cup bronze medal in 2024.