Wood bat baseball will bring talent, entertainment, and opportunities to Galion this summer. The new team, the Galion Graders, comes thanks to a partnership between Galion Youth Baseball and the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL), the efforts of the managing staff and coaches, and to the Galion Community Center YMCA for providing a place to practice and exercise.
The Graders are a summer collegiate wood bat team, and will be playing 44 games in the summer. Twenty games will be home dates played in Heise Park, one of them a double header. One game will be played in Sandusky, as a sign of camaraderie with Perkins High School baseball Coach Ray Neill.
There will be 30 students playing on the roster. Interestingly, according to GLSCL regulations, in order to be eligible to be on that roster a person must already be a college ball player.
This type of league is a good opportunity for these talented players because it is as close to real minor league play as they can get. Wooden bat baseball is played only in higher leagues, and even the student players’ college play is still “lower level” aluminum or composite bat play.
Four of the players officially on the roster, Brody Bassilone, Kevin Schrock, Austin Adams, and Austin Prosser, all agree that this is “the type of competition you can’t find anywhere else,” and that “it will help to normalize real competition for us.”
This level of play will set the stage for scouts and scholarships for the players when they return to their respective schools. The team will be largely locally sourced, with players from Galion and the surrounding area along with Ohio colleges.
Bassilone lives in Mansfield and attends Sinclair Community College; Schrock is from Holmes county and goes to the University of Findlay; Adams, who lives in Galion and graduated from Colonel Crawford, is also at the University of Findlay; and Galion resident and graduate Prosser plays for Bluffton University. Other Ohio colleges that will be represented on the roster include Ohio University, Otterbein, Bowling Green State University, and the University of Toledo.
The team was created under the umbrella of the Galion Youth Baseball (GYB) program because it is required by the GLSCL that the team be declared a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It is the hope of GYB President Justin McMullen that seeing these local young men will be extremely beneficial to young players.
“For our kids involved in our program, they’re going to get the opportunity to see competitive baseball at a local level,” stated McMullen.
McMullen and Graders General Manager Mike O’Leary also hope to inspire the younger participants by collaborating to set up clinics and other mentoring opportunities.
Graders baseball isn’t just good for the players; it is hoped to provide benefits to Galion and its citizens as well. The opportunity to watch good quality baseball for much less cost than other leagues, and in their own home town, will answer the common question, “What is there to do?” And the influx of visitors will help to provide new cashflow to local businesses and restaurants.
Overall, the hope is that a locally founded team (named the Graders for Galion Iron Works’ signature product) can help to put Galion “back on the map.” They are currently seeking donations, and as a 501(c)(3) these would provide tax benefits. In the words of GYB Treasurer Gary Frankhouse, “This is about changing the mindset of this area… It’s more than just giving to baseball, it’s the quality of life.”
The Galion Graders are also currently looking for more host families for their players from further distances.
To learn more about the Graders or to provide help with this upstart team email galiongraders@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.
