The Marshalltown High School graduate has gone off to continue his love for the game in college, leaving behind him a quietly storied career that left his name sprinkled throughout the record book.

Canaday capped his prep career as an all-state pitcher in his senior season for the Bobcats, picking up first-team honors from the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association and second-team selection by the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association. It’s not yet the culmination of a lot of days getting extra practice work on the little league diamonds with his father/coach, but nobody knows where Canaday’s work-ethic will let his baseball career end.

His quiet demeanor and business-like approach to baseball was what got him to where he finished his high school career — as the Times-Republican’s 2019 All-Area Baseball Player of the Year.

“Being the coach’s kid, I would get more practice than we’re scheduled for, and my dad and I would always work and perfect our stuff,” Canaday said of his younger days. “We practiced all the time. I don’t know how old I was but definitely in the T-ball days — my dad and I would always work on baseball the most just because it was both of our favorites and it’s one of those that’s easier to practice with just your dad. It’s fun to bond with him like that.”

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Marshalltown High School graduate Wade Canaday poses for a photograph on the mound at the MHS diamond, where he closed his career ranked 17th in strikeouts (169) as a Bobcat pitcher and tied for 20th with 141 2/3 innings pitched.

Baseball is still fun for Canaday, but now it’s part of his livelihood. He’s on scholarship with Morningside College — an NAIA program in Sioux City, where he’ll play his games at Lewis & Clark Park — home of the Sioux City Explorers amateur baseball team.

It’s a taste of the next level beyond college in the everyday life for Canaday, who didn’t know until after he had signed with the Mustangs that former Marshalltown High School standouts like Mike Clement and David Miriovsky had also played at Morningside when it was an NCAA Division II program.

“I heard that after I had already committed, but it was a cool fact to learn that other Marshalltown guys had played there,” Canaday said.

He signed his National Letter of Intent in December, long before busting through with a senior season for the record books.

“Wade’s season illustrated the type of growth we hoped to see in all of our players, regardless of their ability level,” said former Marshalltown head coach Steve Hanson, who stepped down in July after 26 seasons at the helm of the program. “He was a good player as a junior but really made strides and became a more consistent and complete player as a senior.”

T-R GRAPHIC

Canaday finished this past summer as one of the top all-around players in the state. He went 8-2 on the mound with a 1.54 earned run average, striking out 81 batters in 54 2/3 innings. Opposing hitters batted just .191 against him, and he posted a 1.08 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched).

He produced on the mound whenever he was given the ball, and he produced with the bat every time he strode to the plate. Canaday batted .378 with 13 doubles, four home runs and 31 RBIs, reaching base in 45.7 percent of his at-bats. He led Marshalltown in average, home runs and RBIs, and finished second on the team in doubles, hits (42) and hit-by-pitches (5).

“I think I put myself in the best position possible,” Canaday said of preparing for the collegiate game. “All my coaches have really helped me to try and make me into the player I need to be to compete at the next level and I think I worked hard at it and did what I could to be able to play at the next level.”

Hanson agreed.

“Wade is a perceptive guy who invested a lot in his own development,” he said. “It’s great to see guys who work at it rewarded for their efforts. I hope the underclassmen at MHS paid attention to how Wade went about his business. None of the returning Bobcats could go wrong if they chose to emulate how Canaday carried himself on a daily basis.

“In addition to how he played the game, Wade was equally solid off the field. He was a great student, a selfless teammate and also one of (assistant) coach (Allen) Mann’s best weight room members. When you wrap it all up, you find a kid who represented our program, school and community in a fashion that would make any coach proud.”

Canaday looks back at his high school career with fond memories centered around getting the opportunity to take the mound at Principal Park in July of 2018 as the Bobcats challenged eventual 4A state champion Urbandale in the first round of the state tournament. He came on in relief of 2018 T-R All-Area Player of the Year Nate Vance, getting two outs — one on a strikeout — to finish off the J-Hawks’ big inning in the bottom of the sixth.

It was an opportunity he wanted a second chance at, but another postseason run didn’t materialize for the 2019 Bobcats.

“I couldn’t feel my arms at first,” Canaday said of coming on to pitch at Principal Park last summer. “It was just an inning so it wasn’t as much pressure as Nate, but it was still really fun to pitch there and the atmosphere is cool.”

The state tournament appearance propelled Canaday into an offseason that included showcasing his skills through the Perfect Game scouting organization. After performing to his abilities, Canaday received text messages and emails from various collegiate coaches looking to recruit him.

“That brought it into perspective on what I wanted to do,” Canaday said.

He played on the Perfect Game Select team that competed in tournaments last fall in Wisconsin and Arizona in addition to a couple in Iowa. Much like the IAHSBCA All-Star Series he competed with in August — his last games in a Bobcat uniform — it was a glimpse into his future.

“The players on the Perfect Game team are all there for a reason so they’re all pretty good and they want to play college baseball, so it was good to play with a different group of guys and their work ethic and just to see how much they want it,” Canaday said.

Now he’ll hope to get his chance at Morningside to prove how much he wants it.

“Stepping into college baseball is a difficult thing to do, but Wade has the ability to help on the mound and with his bat right away. It will be fun following his continued growth and development the next few years. He’s earned everything that has come his way, and it’s ongoing hard work that will allow him the opportunity to succeed at the next level.

“All anybody ever wants is an opportunity and he’ll have a very good one at Morningside.”

2019 Times-Republican All-Area Baseball Team

Player of the Year — Wade Canaday, sr., Marshalltown

Coach of the Year — Jerod Brown, West Marshall

FIRST TEAM

Pitchers — Zach Jacobson, jr., East Marshall; Carter Kriegel, sr., South Tama; Nat Markle, sr., West Marshall; Ryan McLean, jr., North Tama; Ryan Reyerson, so., West Marshall.

Catchers — Wesley Hamor, so., East Marshall; Cael Kellogg, sr., South Tama; Blaze Krull, sr., GMG.

Infielders — Kinnick Christensen, fr., West Marshall; Aaron Fleming, sr., GMG; Joseph Harris, jr., Marshalltown; Tyler Tscherter, jr., Gladbrook-Reinbeck.

Outfielders — Kaden Davis, so., West Marshall; Tate Kuehner, sr., Marshalltown; Jake Tollefson, sr., West Marshall.

Utility — Cameron Bannister, sr., West Marshall; Kolton Gill, sr., GMG; Hale Hulme, sr., North Tama.

HONORABLE MENTION

Brock Baldazo, sr., GMG; Jackson Beltz, sr., South Tama; Austin Elliott, jr., East Marshall; Brayden Evertsen, so., West Marshall; Noah Gallentine, so., BCLUW; Izach Hensen, sr., North Tama; Gabe Jones, jr., West Marshall; Jackson Kiburis, sr., Gladbrook-Reinbeck; Josh Larsen, sr., West Marshall; Tayte Payne, jr., North Tama; Will Van Buren, jr., Marshalltown.

Previous T-R All-Area Baseball Players of the Year

2018 — Nate Vance, Marshalltown

2017 — Ross Randall, West Marshall

2016 — Nick Long, East Marshall

2015 — Nick Long, East Marshall

2014 — Kolton Smith, South Tama County

2013 — Jared Riemenschneider, West Marshall

2012 — Kyle Carnahan, Marshalltown

2011 — Brendon Boerm, North Tama

2010 — Nick Thimesch, Marshalltown

2009 — Jimmy Six, Marshalltown

2008 — Tyler Peschong, Marshalltown

2007 — Austin Swartz, Marshalltown

2006 — Doug Eisenman, Grundy Center; Jake Edwards, East Marshall

2005 — Jacob Phipps, East Marshall

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