Ice Haulers roster a work in progress

PERKINS TWP. — The Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers start their summer season Tuesday night with a roster that will require some tweaking. That's the nature of summer collegiate baseball leagues, especially when it comes to pitchers. "The first of January we had 15 or 16 arms signed," Ice Haulers general manager Ray Neill said Monday at the team's media day at Sports Force Parks. "Two, three weeks ago things started to happen and it went all the way down to six." College coaches are protective of their pitchers, so oftentimes good arms are shut down after the spring season. "That's the world we live in," Neill said. "There's a certain innings-pitched limit that college coaches look at that is shutting some guys down. A lot of the philosophy today is guys want to do individual work, which they think will help them increase their velocity. We're battling that part of the culture. "We must've recruited some pretty good arms for them to get that number of innings in the spring, but that doesn't get them to Sandusky for the summer." The Ice Haulers, who made the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League playoffs in their inaugural season in 2021, went 19-19 last year. This year's team, which will be managed by Greg Keaton from West Virginia State University, opens with a three-game series against the Lima Locos — a perennial power in the GLSCL — at Sports Force Parks. Admission is $5 and the three-game series is scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sandusky Bay's 38-game regular season ends July 24. Keaton, who has coached for 34 years, is happy with what he's seen from his club in four practices. "They work hard and do everything we ask. If our pitching can keep us in games we'll be all right. I'll think we'll be able to swing it a little bit," he said. "I like them. They have a good sense of humor but they're not clowns. They get after it and I appreciate that." The GLSCL increased its roster size from 32 to 35 players last week to help with pitching uncertainties. Some players competing in the Back Bay League at Sports Force have already been moved up to the Ice Haulers. Margaretta grad Ben Palomo, a mechanical engineering major at West Virginia Tech, is one of the promoted players. "I was originally playing in the Back Bay, and they said they needed pitching, and (Neill) called me, so I'm playing with these guys for the rest of the summer," Palomo said. "It's nice. It saves a lot of money not having to worry about staying anywhere, and while I'm here I can get a good job... I have an internship lined up at an engineering company in Sandusky." The team also has a definitive Ohio flavor this year after having only a handful of players from the state the last two years. "It just happened that way. With the schools we've had good relationships with, we ended up getting Ohio guys," Neill said. "It's a good thing to have good Ohio collegiate baseball players. Another positive is hopefully we'll get more fans in the stands." Among area players on the roster are Thomas Simon (Edison/Westminster College), Luke Walton (Perkins/Toledo), Austin Adelman (Willard/Findlay), Sam Siedel (South Central/Bowling Green), Ben Palomo (Margaretta/West Virginia Tech), Ethan Mohr (Bellevue/Findlay) and Ben Keller (Perkins/Bryant & Stratton). "We've got a good group of guys here," said Adelman, who this spring played on a University of Findlay team that set a program record for wins in a season with 32. "Hopefully we can come together as a team, win some games and have fun this summer." One of the top players on the Ice Haulers is Bowling Green's DJ Newman, who was Mid-American Conference Freshman Pitcher of the Year and also batted .383 while playing the outfield. He won't be pitching this summer. Newman, who starred on the Archbold team that defeated Edison in a regional semifinal two years ago, got a good Ice Haulers scouting report from BGSU players Mason Montgomery and Nathan Archer, who played for the Haulers last year. "I'm excited to see what the summer holds," said Newman. "I want to have fun and meet a lot of new people. I'm living with a host family so I'll make some new friends on and off the field." Newman is one of several MAC players on the team. The roster includes one Big Ten player — middle infielder Rhett Stokes, who is transferring to Nebraska from New Mexico Military Institute. Stokes is living with his aunt in Perkins Township this summer. The native of Roswell, New Mexico, is used to hot weather, which has yet to arrive in northern Ohio. "It's 70 degrees. I tell people at home and they say it's freezing," he said. All of the Ice Haulers have the same goals in mind: improve their skills and win. Oh, and find some pitchers. "We're always actively trying to bring in more pitching," Keaton said. "I've never heard a coach say, 'Hey, we've got too much pitching.' " Added Neill: "It's summer collegiate baseball. You know you're roster's gonna change a little bit. You have to deal with pitch limits, injuries, grades and girlfriends. All that stuff that may change your roster." ----- Ice Haulers schedule June 6-7-8 — Lima 9-10-11 — at Jet Box 13 — at Lima 14-15 — at Licking County 17-18 — Southern Ohio 20-21-22 — Muskegon 23 — at Royal Oak 24-25 — Royal Oak 27-28 — Licking County 30-July 1 — Southern Ohio July 2 — at Lima 4-5-6 — at Michigan 7 — at Lima 11-12-13 — Jet Box 14-15-16 — Muskegon 19 — Royal Oak 20-21 — at Royal Oak 23-24 — Michigan (DH on 7/23) GLSCL teams North Division Michigan Monarchs Jet Box Baseball Club Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers Muskegon Clippers Royal Oak Leprechauns Lima Locos South Division Cincinnati Steam Grand Lake Mariners Hamilton Joes Xenia Scouts Richmond Jazz Southern Ohio Copperheads Licking County Settlers