Blanton excited about Pirates' trip to BGSU

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins head coach TJ Blanton is looking forward to returning to Bowling Green State University when his Pirates play Wednesday in a Division IV baseball regional semifinal. Blanton was a standout player at BGSU and graduated in 2010, and the Pirates have heard all about Warren E. Steller Field from their coach. They're also not shy about dishing out some baseball-style ribbing. "Three weeks ago he texted me and said, 'We gotta win two games and we're going to my home,' " Perkins senior Dylan Crabtree said. "After the district, he came up and gave me a hug and said, 'Thanks for taking me home.' "He thinks there's gonna be a statue of him there. I don't want to be the one to tell him, but I don't think that'll be there. He might even wear his Falcons gear. He might even dress up in his old uniform for all I know." Blanton was a career .358 hitter for the Falcons. He played center field for four years in college and plans to spend a few moments on his old turf before Perkins meets Upper Sandusky at 2 p.m. Wednesday in a regional semifinal. "I'll take a moment before the game," Blanton said. "I'll walk out there and see the spots where I used to play. I'll probably meditate out in center field for a little bit. "I wish I could still put on the brown and orange and play. But now I have a different purpose and it's getting these guys ready to play there. As exciting as it is for me, I think it'll be more exciting for these guys." The Pirates, who take a 19-9 record into the Sweet 16, are looking forward to playing in a college stadium. Watching their coach's reaction might be a bonus. "It's gonna feel bigger and make the moment feel bigger, but I think we're all ready for it," junior Kash Koch said. "(Blanton) says it's his field, and when we get to BG there's gonna be a big sign of him. I don't think that's gonna be there." What will be there? Plenty of familiar faces for Blanton. He said Perkins alumnus and BGSU head coach Kyle Hallock plans to attend the game, as does Blanton's college coach, Danny Schmitz. "Coach Hallock has done so much up there since he took over (in July 2020)," Blanton said. "He's getting guys involved and bringing back alumni." Blanton said BGSU's field will soon be all turf. "I think this will be the last few games played there on dirt. It's gonna be all turf soon," he said. "They've done a great job and hopefully it's all striped up nice and looks pretty for us. I told coach Hallock to make sure that was done. "They're starting to transform that program and one of the pieces is you have to have nice facilities to keep up. It'll be good for our kids to see." Blanton smiled at the thought of putting on one of his old uniforms — "I still have one of them, yeah" — as he reminisced about playing for BGSU. "It's special to me because I poured four years into that program," he said. "I was out there 200, 250 days a year for four years. There was a lot of hard work put in there. A couple of my teammates will be there. A couple guys from other schools that I was friends with will be there, too." ----- Bowling Green RegionalSemifinalsWednesday, June 4Perkins vs. Upper Sandusky, 2 p.m.Cleveland Benedictine vs. Napoleon, 5 p.m.Thursday, June 5Championship gameSemifinal winners, 5 p.m.