Baseball Insider: Minor-league park a major deal for PV

Star Beacon

May 12, 2008 01:34 am

— As far as Steve Urchek was concerned, it was a no-brainer... just the kind of decision the affable Pymatuning Valley coach relishes.
At the draw for the Harding Division III sectional-district tournament, coaches were told before the seeding began that if a team was willing to give up a home game, it could play a sectional game at Eastwood Field in Niles, home of the Mahoney Valley Scrappers.
The Scrappers are a Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians and their 8-year-old home, Eastwood Field, seats more than 6,000 spectators.
So Urchek jumped at the chance to have his fourth-seeded Lakers host ninth-seeded Niles McKinley in a sectional semifinal today at 5 p.m.
“This is a great opportunity for the kids,” Urchek said. “It’s a chance to play at a first-class facility.”
Urchek, whose squad played four exhibition games at Eastern Kentucky University on March 24-28 in Richmond, Ky. then later played a doubleheader at his alma mater, Kent State University (where he earned a letter for the Golden Flash baseball team in 1988) and its home field, Schoonover Stadium, believes his Lakers, who will carry a 14-11 record into today’s game, will enjoy big-league treatment at the minor-league facility.
“We get to take BP in their cages and see what the routine is like at that level,” he said. “They’ve got it all mapped out in terms of what time each team is on the field, taking BP, etc.
“It’s just a great opportunity for all the kids and I thought it was worth it for us to give up a home game to be able to play at a facility like Eastwood Field.”
Built in 1999, Eastwood Field will seem spacious to both PV and Niles McKinley today, sporting dimensions of 335 feet to left field, 405 to center and 335 to right.

Season of change
While we’re on the subject of facilities, this has been a different kind of season at Edgewood and its home digs, Walter Higgins Field.
For this is the first spring the late Mr. Higgins has not been around the ballpark.
“It is different because once the weather broke, we’d always look up and see Mr. Higgins in the pressbox,” Warriors coach Steve Kray said. “He’d always come around a few times each season and it was great to see him whenever he did.”
Mr. Higgins passed away on Monday, Feb. 4 at age 90.
“Sometimes, I’d also run into him in the mornings at the Lunchbox,” Kray said. “He’d be there having breakfast.”
Edgewood’s home field was officially dedicated as Walter. C. Higgins Field on Tuesday, April 22, 2003, which was fitting since he was the head coach when the Edgewood baseball program was founded in 1954, maintaining that post through the 1973 season — 20 seasons.
Kray said his players, especially his upperclassmen, had the chance to spend some time with Mr. Higgins.
“When my seniors were sophomores, we all kind of got together and they introduced themselves to Walt,” Kray said. “They are aware of who is was and what he meant to the program.”

Bouncing back
While we’re on the subject of Edgewood, this spring has been a major upgrade of the 2007 campaign, when the Warriors struggled through a 9-15 season, going 5-10 in the Northeastern Conference to finish in a fourth-place tie. On top of that, Edgewood was eliminated in postseason play with a 12-0 loss to Harvey in a Division II sectional championship game.
Returning five lettermen, Kray & Co. have turned things around this spring, as they will take a 14-7 record into Tuesday’s NEC game against Harvey at Higgins Field.
“It’s been a very enjoyable season,” Kray, a former standout at Edgewood himself during his high school days. “Coming home from Perry (Saturday), I realized we are at 14-7 — and six of those losses are to Jefferson and Geneva, which are first and second in the NEC.”
Those losses have left the Warriors at 4-6 in league play, a half-game behind Tuesday’s opponent — Harvey — in the battle for third place. However, one of their four wins was a triumph against league-leading Jefferson last Monday at Higgins Field.
Seniors Michael Schupska, Tom Dunham, Andrew Wilkerson and Sam Maille and junior Andrew Showalter were the five lettermen Kray returned this season and they’ve all played major roles in the Warriors’ turnaround season.
“I’m very happy with the way we have played,” Kray, a 1997 Edgewood graduate, said. “At this point, we told our kids before the season that we wanted to get to 20 wins this season.
“Unless we make a big run in the tournament, we’ll probably fall a bit short of that number, but that’s OK. We’re having a very good season.”
On Friday, Edgewood, seeded second at the Jefferson Division II sectional tournament, will play the survivor of Thursday’s first-round game between third-seeded Perry and fifth-seeded Harvey in a sectional championship game at Kidder Field at the Havens Complex.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Kray said. “We’d like to continue some of our success in the tournament.”
Kray said the future is bright, too.
“I really like where the program is,” he said. “Our freshman team is 8-5, our junior-varsity squad is 12-4 and we’re 14-7 at the varsity level, so we’re enjoying some success at every level.”
Now in his sixth season at the helm at his alma mater, Kray said his Warriors can set a new standard for the team’s he’s coached at Edgewood.
“The most wins we’ve had since I’ve been coach is 15,” he said. “If we can get to 16, and I certainly think it’s possible if we play well, we’ll set a new mark for wins in a season since I’ve been coach.”

Fields of dreams
Getting back to our ballpark theme, Jefferson coach Scott Barber admits sometimes he finds himself just staring at the fields and facilities at the beautiful Havens Complex, home of his Falcons and Jefferson Little League.
Barber grew up playing on the likes of County Field, Proctor Field and the two fields at David Park, none of which exist today. The 1986 Jefferson graduate played his high school home games at Memorial Field — including setting a still-existing Ashtabula County record with a are-you-kidding? .699 batting average (58 hits in 22 games) in his junior season of 1985.
“Really, to be honest, it is hard to believe how far we’ve come,” he said. “We played at County and Proctor and David Park and the kids who are playing here now at Haven Complex don’t even know those fields even existed.”
Before County, Proctor and David Park, Jefferson played its Little League games first at a field called Dog Pound Field, located on Poplar Street directly across from the Ashtabula County Fairgrounds, near where the Jefferson Area Girls Softball Complex now sits.
Then, Franley Field was constructed, located on West Jefferson Street. Stutzman Apartments now sit there.
Barber admits, he wishes his generation would have had the opportunity to grow on the ballfields at Havens Complex.
“At this point, we are spraying to get rid weeds,” he said. “Back when I was a kid, there were times we wished we had weeds to play on because our fields weren’t always in even good shape.”
Barber said there is one reason why the facilities at Havens Complex have flourished.
“People. Hard-working, dedicated people,” he said. “A lot of wonderful people have given so much to make the park what it is.”
Barber said the high school is fortunate to have facilities such as are available at Havens Complex and the JAGS Complex for its teams to use.
“Absolutely,” he said. “You’re not going to find another spot with such wonderful complexes built by its community and used by the high school teams.”
Barber, who was a two-time Ohio Athletic Conference Player of the Year at Marietta College, said Havens Complex doesn’t take a back seat to many ballparks as a facility.
“During my years at Marietta, I never played at a better facility than what we have here,” he said. “We have guys who played for us who are now playing in college come back and just shake their heads because the facilities they are playing on at the collegiate level can’t hold a candle to what we have in Jefferson.
“We are very, very fortunate to have so many great people willing to work so hard.”

Maybe later
Urchek reports because of logistical problems, the PV alumni game he had hoped to hold this spring will not take place this spring.

Back at it
Two-time Star Beacon first-team All-Ashtabula County performer Zak Blair has been back in action for a couple weeks now after recovering from several broken bones in his left hand and fingers and Barber said the senior is doing just fine.
“Now, he’s back playing shortstop, pitching when we need him to and batting sixth in the lineup,” he said. “He’s doing a nice job.”
Barber said Blair’s experienced some soreness in the hand, but that’s to be expected.
“It’s only the type of soreness that comes from not using it for so long,” he said. “Dr. (William) Seeds (the surgeon who operated on Blair’s hand) said his left hand is now actually stronger than his right hand.
“Zak’s at full go right now.”

Long day... and night
Barber’s bunch will have quite the day on Friday.
First, his top-seeded Falcons will take on the winner of Thursday’s game between fourth-seeded Geneva and sixth-seeded Conneaut in a Division II sectional championship game at Cotton Field.
Then, his upperclassmen will have another engagement — Jefferson’s prom.
“It’s going to be a hectic night, to say the least,” Barber said. “On top of everything else, guess where the prom is being held — Mentor — so it’s not like the guys can get there quickly after the game.”

Stat attack
Coaches are reminded we are accepting updated seasons statistics today — and every Monday — through the conclusion of the 2008 season.
They can be reported by fax at 998-7938, email at donmac@suite224.net or by telephone at 998-2323 or 1-800-554-6768, extensions 244, 280, 268, 247 or 232.

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