M & M and Everything In Between – Sophomore pitcher enjoys traditional approaches

The simple act of structure in a baseball program led Wade Canaday from one M to another.

Working his way up the hallowed fields of Marshalltown, Iowa, where the American pastime is played with a vigor that can match few others, he got a feel for the Bobcat Way, something that has produced a few Iowa High School Athletic Association championships. 

"The high school program always did a lot for the younger kids in town," Canaday reflected. "There were always camps to go to when we were playing little league. It gave us all an idea of what Marshalltown baseball was like."

"From the start, I enjoyed the structure," he added. "The discipline to get where the high school team wanted to be is something I enjoyed being a part of. I just wanted to get about my business that way." 

MHS head coach Steve Hanson couldn't have been happier. Canaday turned desire for success into being on a state tournament team as a junior and then being a first team all-stater as a senior.

While he was going through a star-studded prep career, another M came calling to his hometown. This one in the form of Morningside University head coach Adam Boeve and assistant coach Adam Hilker. 

"They didn't just stop with one visit," he remembered. "It was every week. No one else did it that way. I knew they wanted me there, so there was no question I wanted to be a Mustang."

It's been the same sort of family atmosphere for him in Sioux City.

"The coaches, campus, my teammates, the fans --- everything about Morningside was what I hoped for," he said. "As an example, our fans remind a lot of what Marshalltown had. Even in the wake of a tornado that hit the town, our fans came out when we went to state when I was a junior."

"Morningside's fans are there with us at every game home and away no matter the distance," he added. "They feed us after our games. It's a total family feeling." 

In the early stages of his collegiate career, Canaday had to find his footing. He tried a combination of infield, hitting and pitching. However, a broken leg dashed that option. 

"A plate and nine screws later and my foot still bothers me," he noted. "I can't stand as long as is needed in the field, so it's pitching for me." 

"Hey, I just want to do whatever helps the team" he added. "That's why I took the chance at doing two areas as a freshman and sophomore."

The mound view has been a comfortable one. Canaday has compiled 12 victories and better than 150 strikeouts over 30 starts. His 2021-22 campaign has been quite noteworthy, featuring three 10-or-more strikeout outings which included 14 in a regular-season home finale weekend series victory over Hastings April 28 and May 1.

Wade didn't even realize how close he tracked to a single-game program best. He was only two from tying and three from setting a new school record.

"Until I heard the announcement and saw the pitching chart, I had no idea," he said.

Being locked in is nothing new for one of Boeve's, the Great Plains Athletic Conference's and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' local region top hurlers.

"There's an art to being able to locate a baseball for strikes," he said. "It's an awesome feeling when you get two strikes and spotting up that exact location for the third one."

A lot like what he sees when he thinks about his playing career structure from one M to another.