July baseball in Sandusky? Ice Haulers plan to play in summer college league

SANDUSKY — Summer collegiate baseball is set to return to Sandusky in less than two months. The Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers hope to make their debut in July in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, assuming the coronavirus outbreak subsides in the coming weeks. The team plans to play its home games at Sports Force Parks. "You're going to see outstanding baseball and it's a real plus for the area," said longtime local coach Ray Neill, who is the Ice Haulers' general manager. "The majority of these young men have aspirations of signing a pro baseball contract and have that little-boy dream of being a Major League Baseball player." The GLSCL announced this week that it has delayed the start of the season until July 1. The league's board of directors will meet on June 1 to finalize plans. "We're hoping to maybe play the month of July and a week in August," Neill said. Neill and Sports Force regional manager Will Spence began talking with the GLSCL last fall about starting a team at the all-purpose facility that opened three years ago. "We felt that this was an opportunity to expand the entertainment options in the area and we think it's a great fit," Spence said. "We're excited about the first year. We had a lot of players who wanted to play." The Sandusky team would be one of nine in the league that attracts quality college baseball talent from throughout the country. Three of the league's 12 teams — the Cincinnati Steam, the Saint Clair Green Giants and the Southern Ohio Copperheads — will not field teams this summer. The two Ohio teams had trouble securing fields and the Canadian team, based in Windsor, Ontario, could not operate if borders remain closed. Nine of the league's teams are based in Ohio, including the Galion Graders, the Grand Lake Mariners and the Lima Locos, which won the league championship last year. Some summer collegiate leagues — most notably the famous Cape Cod League — have decided to mothball their operations this summer. Many others, such as the GLSCL, are holding out hope they can field teams. "I understand that the uncertainty of our operations is causing some anxiety and consternation," GLSCL commission Deron Brown said in a news release. "Because of this highly fluid situation, we feel we need take as much time as possible to give us the greatest chance to play." The Ice Haulers have signed 32 players — three short of the league maximum. The current plan is to play a 42-game schedule with 21 at home and 21 on the road. The players coming to Sandusky represent colleges from the NAIA to the NCAA Division I levels. Schools with players on the roster include Michigan State, Kent State, East Tennessee State, Liberty, Eastern Michigan and several others. Some of the players will be coming from as far away as Georgia and North Carolina. The GLSCL has put more than 100 players in the major leagues. Six of those big-leaguers played for the Sandusky Bay Stars when Neill coached the team in the early 1990s, including current Willard High School athletic director Joe Crawford. The Stars were part of the league from 1990 to 2000. Neill, the current coach at Margaretta High School, said the team's presence helped elevate local high school baseball through clinics and other instruction. He also said many of the players on those 90s teams still return to the area. "There are guys who played for me 30 years ago who still come back for family vacations," Neill said. The Ice Haulers will play on Field 3 at Sports Force Parks. The field has the same dimensions as Comerica Park in Detroit. It's 320 feet to the left-field foul pole, 305 to right. Spence said ticket prices will be affordable and there will be many events to engage fans, such as autograph signings, allowing kids to run the bases after games and interaction with the team mascot, Harry the Ice Hauler. There will be bleachers added and there is a patio area down the left-field line for outings. The GLSCL is affiliated with the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball and gets funding from Major League Baseball. The league has been in operation since 1987. ———— Nickname a nod to local history Will Spence, the regional manager for Sports Force Parks, was walking through the Marketplace at the Cooke in downtown Sandusky one day when he got the idea for the nickname of Sandusky's new summer college baseball team — the Ice Haulers. He came across a wall that showcased the way ice used to be retrieved from Sandusky Bay. In the late 1800s, hundreds of thousands of tons of ice used to be harvested from the bay each winter. Some of it was shipped to places as far away as New Orleans. Spence thought the Ice Haulers nickname was a natural. The team's mascot will be Harry the Ice Hauler. "I thought that was a little edgy and it honors some area history," he said. "It was a great tie-in. We're on the bay and it worked out well." ———— GLSCL teams — 2020 Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers Galion Graders Grand Lake Mariners Hamilton Joes Lima Locos Muskegon (Mich.) Clippers Ohio Bison (Newark) Richmond (Ind.) Jazz Xenia Scouts