GALION — Storm clouds had begun to gather by the time the Galion Graders finished batting practice Sunday afternoon at Heise Park.
The Graders were scheduled to host the Royal Oak (Michigan) Leprechauns in a Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League North Division game, but a powerful line of thunderstorms was about to rumble across Crawford County.
The resulting deluge would delay the start of the game for two hours while Graders’ general manager-turned-groundskeeper Mike O’Leary scrambled to make the field playable.
Graders utility man Avery Fisher is no stranger to lengthy delays. The 2019 Ontario graduate has seen his college career put on hold for the past two years.
“It’s been a long two years,” Fisher said, “but it feels good to be back.”
A three-time All-Ohioan, Fisher was one of the most heralded players to come out of Richland County in the past decade. He led the Warriors to the Division II regional championship game as a junior, earning a spot on the All-Ohio first team. He was an All-Ohio first-teamer again as a senior, helping the Warriors claim their second straight Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference crown.
Fisher committed to Ohio State before his senior year at Ontario, but things never worked out in Columbus. His freshman season was lost to the coronavirus pandemic and he entered the transfer portal before the start of the 2021 season, eventually choosing Wright State University in Dayton.
Longtime friend and Graders’ teammate Jay Luikart, who starred at Hillsdale before enrolling at Wright State, helped facilitate the move.
“I got in the transfer portal and Jay was the first guy I texted,” Fisher said. “He said he would talk to Coach Metz (WSU associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Nate Metzger). I got in contact with him and about two weeks later I committed to Wright State.”
Fisher played briefly for the Graders in the summer of 2019, batting .231 in 13 games with a pair of triples and four runs batted in. He returned to Galion this summer and is hitting .245 with a double and six RBIs. He has drawn a team-high 17 walks and ranks second in runs scored (14) and stolen bases (six).
“Avery is doing a good job for us,” said O’Leary, who also is serving as the team’s bench manager this summer. “We’ve moved him around and we’ve asked him to do a lot for us and he has responded.”
A middle infielder by trade, Fisher has been a regular in the Graders’ outfield this summer. The adjustment has gone as well as could be expected.
“Before the season started I told Mike that I will play outfield if he needed me to,” Fisher said. “We ended up being short of outfielders due to injury, so it helped knowing that I was willing to play out there.
“Although I have never been an outfielder, it is good to play different positions. I like the outfield but I don’t expect to play there at Wright State.”
Neither does Luikart, who helped the Raiders reach the NCAA regional tournament this spring. Fisher and Luikart played on several of the same summer travel teams beginning when they were 11 years old.
“We’re going to lose some guys in the infield to the draft and I think how he plays and his glove will play well above average for us.
“He’ll adapt just fine and he’ll do well for sure.”
Fisher, who will still have four years of eligibility remaining, is looking forward to a fresh start in Dayton.
“I’m super excited,” Fisher said. “I can’t wait to get down there and get started.”
Before that, Fisher still has another half a season with the Graders. Through its first 24 games, Galion (6-14) was eighth in the GLSCL’s North Division, nine games behind division-leading Sandusky.
“I played here two years ago right out of high school and it helped me a lot,” said Fisher, who is living at home in Bucyrus instead of with a host family. “It’s nice to sleep in your own bed. I live 20 minutes from here and I grew up playing games at Heise Park. It definitely helps you feel more comfortable.
“The competition here is good and it makes you want to push yourself to get better.”
