June 7, 2007

ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio baseball squad will see 17 members compete in summer leagues this offseason, including 13 in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, which opens play this weekend.

The Bobcats will once again have a large contingent of players participating in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, an NCAA-sanctioned wooden bat league that is funded by Major League Baseball. The 13 Ohio players will play on six different GLSCL teams.

Returning for the third summer in a row with the same squad, All-Mid-American Conference Second Team honoree Matt Stiffler (Bellbrook, Ohio) heads a list of four Bobcats that will play for the Southern Ohio Copperheads. Joining Stiffler on the Copperheads' roster is Zach Hartle (Toledo, Ohio), Kris McDonough (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) and Matt Schlarb (Lexington, Ohio). The Copperheads play in Bob Wren Stadium, home of the Bobcats, and are managed by Marietta Assistant Coach Mike Deegan.

Brandon Besl (Cincinnati, Ohio) will return to his hometown team for the second summer in a row as he competes for the Cincinnati Steam. After playing last year for Southern Ohio, Kurt Smith (Cincinnati, Ohio) will also stick close to home this summer and join Besl in the Steam dugout. The Steam play at Western Hills High School and are coached by former Major Leaguer Ron Oester.

Hayden Johnston (Strattanville, Pa.) will compete for the second summer in a row with the Columbus All-Americans and will be joined on that squad by Bobcat teammates Chris Klimko (McKeesport, Pa.) and Kevin Mementowski (Parma, Ohio). The All-Americans play their games in Bill Davis Stadium on the Ohio State campus and are coach by Brian Mannino, a former Buckeye All-American.

Ohio will also have a pair of its players on the Grand Lake Mariners roster. Marc Krauss (Deshler, Ohio), a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and All-MAC First Team selection, will be competing in his first season in the GLSCL. He will be joined by Bobcat teammate Andrew Shisila (Mentor, Ohio). The Mariners are led by Ball State Assistant Coach Scott French and they play their home games at Jim Hoess Field in Celina, Ohio.

Zach Elmer (Delaware, Ohio) will play this summer for the Lima Locos after competing with his hometown squad, Delaware, last summer. Elmer's team is managed by Ohio State-Lima Head Coach Rob Livchak and plays its home games at Shawnee High School Field in Lima, Ohio.

Chris Rigo (Westlake, Ohio) will return for his second summer campaign with the Delaware Cows. Coached by Bruce Heine, the Cows play their home games at Littick Field on the Ohio Wesleyan campus in Delaware, Ohio.

Besl, Johnston and Stiffler were selected to play in last summer's GLSCL All-Star Game. This year's mid-season event will be played at the home of the Cincinnati Steam on July 11.

The Bobcats will also have two team members playing in the Valley Baseball League, comparable to the GLSCL, for the Winchester Royals in Virginia. Bobcat pitchers Adam Goodpasture (Columbus, Ohio) and Matt Smith (Centre Hall, Pa.) will compete on the squad, which is led by John Lowery, a former assistant coach at Ohio, Ball State and Michigan. The Royals' home park is Bridgeforth Field in Winchester, Va.

Jerod Yakubik (Byesville, Ohio) is the final Bobcat to sign up for summer ball. He will play for the Zanesville (Ohio) Senior Pioneers, a member of the All-American Amateur Baseball Association (AAABA). The league consists of 19 and 20 year-old players on 25 teams from as far east as Maine, and as far west as Illinois. The Pioneers play in Gant Stadium in Zanesville. Joe Morris (Mount Sterling, Ohio), who redshirted for the `Cats this past season, is also competing this summer. The infielder is playing for the FCA Grays in the seven-team Missouri-Iowa-Nebraska-Kansas (M.I.N.K.) League. The Grays are based in Kansas City