The St. Clairsville Patriots.
It takes a little getting used to. When Post 159 has rolled easily off the tongue for decades, it just sounds, well, off.
But for the young men putting on those uniforms, the “name’ on the front of the jersey is equally as unimportant as the one on the back.
What is important is they are putting those uniforms on. They are playing baseball.
Despite all the craziness swirling about, for a few hours a day, one inning at a time, these young men and their coaches can focus on when life was simpler and play a game.
Not just any game. Their game. Baseball. If that doesn’t make summertime feel slightly better, nothing will.
“They had a lot of pent up energy to get back on a competitive playing field,” said St. Clairsville manager Mike Muklewicz. “It’s always cool to see a bunch of talented kids get together and become a better team.”
Coach ‘Muk’ knows more than most. Quite the talented player in his day at nearby Bridgeport High School and then a Bethany College, Muklewicz knows the drawing power of the diamond. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t also excited to get back to the game he loves.
“It’s been great to get back out there on the field,” Muklewicz said. “For us guys, we don’t have any skin in the game, so it’s purely about being around the game.
“I enjoy being around the kids, trying to mold a competitive team in a relaxed and fun atmosphere and allow them to grow.”
Same Rivalries, Different Names
When the American Legion season was canceled, there were a lot of question marks surrounding the status of summer baseball.
Many organizations opted to press forward, unaffiliated as they are for this summer. Cambridge became JET Auto, Post 1 in Wheeling the Wheeling Stogies, Post 10 in Weirton the Bobcats, and Post 33 is presently operating at Jefferson County Elite.
Barnesville, Marietta, Moundsville, New Martinsville all have teams.
While the names have changed, the rivalries and the competitive atmosphere have not.
“We shook up our original schedule some, but it’s been good to get out and get games against some of our regular opponents,” Muklewicz said.
Muklewicz noted the Patriots have tried to maintain their distance from Post 159 for the season. He noted the Post’s veterans are always huge supporters of the team and American Legion baseball.
But with Legion’s national headquarters saying baseball is shut down, they’ve tried to maintain that distance.
“We’ve taken extra steps to stay away from anything Legion affiliated,” Muklewicz said. “Those guys love promoting this team, but it’s kind of a fine line when the national headquarters says it’s shut down.
“We’ve been independent and have operated that way for the entirety of the season.”
The last thing Muklewicz wants is to get the post in trouble for any perceived rule- breaking as far as the season goes. He knows they will be there next season and welcomes that support.
Making Up for Lost Time
The start to the season was admittedly different from previous seasons.
For one, players weren’t coming in fresh off their high school seasons, ready to go.
Many of St. C.’s players put in the word to stay in relative game shape as best they could. But as Muklewicz explained, there’s no substitute for live pitching.
That goes for the pitchers as well. Innings and at-bats were needed. But the players needed brought along more slowly than usual.
“The biggest thing was seeing live pitching again,” he said. “You can’t easily simulate those at-bats, especially when you are trying to take care of pitchers’ arms on one hand, and getting reps for the guys in the box on the other.”
A slower process, sure, but the intent never wavered—getting the kids back on the field.
“For the younger guys, it’s about not losing a year,” Muklewicz said. “For the older ones, it’s nice not to have to have your last go-round completely taken from you.
“There has been talk of extending Legion eligibility a year, but that has yet to be addressed at the higher level.”
Still a Competitive Game
These games may not factor into District Tournament seeding or lead to any type of postseason, but don’t tell the players that. They come to play.
Early Saturday afternoon, St. Clairsville put up a four-spot on Cambridge starter Tyler Valentine after a two-run single to right from Dakotah Hess and a two-run double to left-center by Collin Snedeker each pushed two runs across.
But JET’s crafty lefty settled down in a hurry.
The soon-to-be sophomore and Marietta Pioneer buckled down, allowing only one hit the rest of the way while finishing with 11 strikeouts against six walks.
He earned the win thanks to some timely hitting from the visitors in the fifth.
Patriots’ pitcher Drake Dobson was solid through four, but JET batters got him tined and banged out five hits and five runs in the decisive inning.
Cambridge tacked on two more in the final inning. The visitors opted for a fresh arm to close the door, but back-to-back doubles from Jakob Jarvis and Will Balgo resulted in a run and renewed life.
The comeback was short-lived, however, as the final two batters were set down swinging to preserve the win for JET Auto.
