The former Butler BlueSox, a summer league team for college baseball players, is moving to Natrona Heights after many years at Pullman Park.
The team has a new home — the ballfield at Highlands High School — and soon a new nickname that’s still to be determined, said Mike McNabb, the team’s second-year coach. The Tri-State & Rust Belt Collegiate Leagues had 10 teams last season, stretching from Altoona to Youngstown, Ohio, including teams nearby in Freeport and Plum.
The season starts in late May.
“It’s incredibly competitive,” McNabb said. “It’s not rec ball where anybody can sign up and play. You must be on a college roster, and they come from all levels. You think of summer league as more of a laid-back deal, but you develop rivalries over the years.”
McNabb said the team left Butler’s Pullman Park because of “unforeseen circumstances” related to the 91-year-old stadium. The ex-BlueSox secured their new home field through Highlands graduate Dan Helgert, the team’s general manager.
“We’re really happy that Highlands was willing to give us some of their space in the summers,” McNabb said. “We like to think it’s going to be good for the whole area.”
McNabb noted that Highlands’ baseball field has lights and artificial turf and said the dugouts, bullpens and batting cages suit the team’s needs.
A 28-game regular season ends in July and then playoffs start. The full schedule will be finalized in the coming weeks.
There was a ticket cost to attend BlueSox games at Pullman Park, but McNabb said he anticipated free admission for home games at Highlands.
“Pullman Park was one of the few venues (in the league) that charged an admission,” he said.
Teams average around 25 to 30 players on the roster. McNabb assembled 29 players for this season, a list that included many graduates from nearby high schools.
Trent Bielak, Jimmy Kunst and Sal Barbarino are Highlands grads, joined by Valley’s Tyler Danko and Ben Aftanas, Riverview’s Tyler Aftanas and Johnny Bertucci, Springdale’s Johnny Hughes, Plum’s Colin Solinski, Kiski Area’s Carter Leviski and Fox Chapel’s Zach Johnston.
The team also has former WPIAL players from Penn-Trafford, Pine-Richland, North Allegheny and Seneca Valley, along with others from McDowell, Moniteau, Redbank Valley and elsewhere.
“We’re there to help kids keep their (skills) going in the summer months,” McNabb said. “When they go back to campus in the fall, they’re ready for fall ball.”
McNabb said the Tri-State Collegiate Baseball League was established to help develop players’ skills and he coaches with that purpose in mind.
“You don’t play the same 12 or 13 kids every game,” he said. “On my team everyone is going to play, and everyone is going to sit.”
He said many players on the roster were recruited to the team by current or former teammates. There are players representing Division I programs Cornell and Gardner Webb, but also Seton Hill, Saint Vincent, Westminster, Allegheny and others, including Pitt campuses in Johnstown, Greensburg and Bradford.
McNabb said players pay around $500 to take part in the league, a fee that covers uniforms, hats, baseballs and game-related costs.
“Compared to what some AAU travel teams pay, this is very inexpensive,” he said. “For that money they’re getting 28 games plus the playoffs. It’s really a good value as far as summer ball goes.”
A 1985 Valley graduate, McNabb spent his first five seasons with the BlueSox as an assistant under Helgert before taking over last season as coach. Prior to the BlueSox, McNabb coached baseball at various levels in New Kensington from youth league to high school.
In the BlueSox’s first decade at Pullman Park, the team played in the Prospect League against opponents from out of state. The team joined the Tri-State Collegiate Baseball League in 2020.
“This is solid college baseball,” McNabb said. “Kids are working just as hard in this league as they are for their college teams because they’re trying to stay fresh and stay on top of their games.”