The Centre Sluggers Men’s and Women’s baseball league is underway and still looking for a few ballplayers.
“We have joined a baseball club because we love baseball. Our club has several teams and many players but we are all a part of the same club,” reads the league motto on the centresluggers.com webpage.
The League that has been in existence for 15 years and just started its season on May 17 at State College’s Teener League Field.
“It’s started back in 2001, and it was just to give guys that are beyond playing any other organized baseball a chance to play baseball again,” says Centre Sluggers president John Young.
Young has been involved with the league for its entire existence.
Centre Sluggers is a 28 and over league that is reasonably competitive. For baseball enthusiasts above the age of 40 who are looking for less competitive baseball, there is another league.
“The 40 and over (league) is somewhat affiliated with us but it is organized separately and run separately from the 28 and over (league), we even have some people who play in both leagues,” says Young. The 40 and over league has a separate webpage to register through, centrehardballers.com.
Unlike the 28 and over league, the Hardballers have no playoffs and they do not even keep league standings.
“We just come out and play every week and it is really just more to have fun,” Young says of the Hardballers league.
The two leagues started out as a Men’s senior baseball league (MSBL), but now it has evolved into an independently-run league by locals.
Centre Sluggers has grown to nine teams, while Centre Hardballers has just four teams.
Young says Centre Sluggers, “has certainly got more competitive over the years, the league has got much better and the pitching is much better and we have gone from using metal bats to wood bats.”
Also, over time the league has expanded and allows teams and players from areas outside of State College.
“Most [players] are from State College, but there are a few from Bellefonte, some from Tyrone, and a whole team that mostly all are from Altoona and another that comes from the Bedford area,” says Young.
While some teams are groups of friends or teams from certain areas, the league is still open for anyone above 28 to join.
Young urges anyone who is interested to come out to check out the games, “come see if it would be for you and if you think the skill level may be a little beyond what you would like too try and you’re over 40 I would say check out the over 40 division.”
Young adds that for those who share the love of baseball it is a great way to meet new people from the area that have the same interest in America’s pastime.
For those seeking a team, there are two options: “If you know someone you can hook up with that team or if you don’t you can contact the league through the website, we (then) organize a draft so they can be picked up by teams that might need a few players,” says Young.
The inexpensive league, which plays once a week, is still looking to add players to the four-month long season that ends with a championship game at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in September.
