College baseball team still in need of local host families
The Albany Dutchmen, a team in the New York Collegiate Baseball League will be returning for a second season in June. The team features 30 handpicked collegiate players who will play out of Bleecker Stadium in Albany.
The league is similar to other summer baseball leagues like the Cape Cod League. According to information from organizers, the league gives college players who have not yet signed a professional contract the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level of play, gain experience with wood bats, and be evaluated by scouts.
In total, 41 players who have played in the NYCBL have been drafted by major league teams.
Jason Brinkman, the general manger of the Dutchmen, said that the team made the move from Vermont to Albany last year for a number of reasons, but mostly, because it didn’t make sense to have an out-of-state team playing in a New York league.
`One of the big draws is the city has been really supportive of us. Mayor [Jerry] Jennings really wanted us to use Bleecker Stadium as our home,` said Brinkman.
He said the city has made a number of improvements to the stadium to be more accommodating of the team.
With the 2010 Albany Dutchmen, all of the local players ` Justin Brantley and C.J. Sohl from Siena College, Nick Polsinelli from The College of St. Rose, and Kasceim Graham from SUNY Albany ` are pitchers.
`It’s kind of just ironic the way it worked out,` said Brinkman. `We didn’t plan it that way.`
Denise Polsinelli, mother Nick Polsinelli, one of the local pitchers on this year’s team, and the host family coordinator for the team, said the team is currently seeking host families to house players for the months of June and July. Polsinelli said that the housing a player is always a fulfilling experience for both the player and the host family.
`They kind of become part of the family,` said Polsinelli.
She said that most of the families participating benefit from the players being role models for their children.
`If they have baseball-playing kids, it’s an opportunity for the kids to receive lessons,` said Polsinelli.
She said that the team tries to match players with families whose children play the same position as the player.
`We try to have everyone have two [players] because it’s easier, and the players like it,` said Polsinelli.
So far, the team has only placed five players. In addition to having positive role models for young children, host families also receive other benefits, including season tickets to all home games, discounts on concessions and team merchandise, and a thank-you gift basket containing gift certificates, merchandise and coupons to local businesses.
The team plays their first game at Bleeker Stadium on Friday, June 4. Brinkman says that in addition to the game, fans who attend can enjoy concessions provided by Savannah’s, a beer garden and live music.
`There is really something for everyone,` he said.
Tickets to the games cost $3 for children, and $5 for adults. According to Brinkman, ticket prices are low because the goal of the team is not to make money; it is to groom elite collegiate players to compete at the professional level and to give back to the community.
For information about the Albany Dutchmen, visit the team’s Web site at Dutchmenbaseball.com. For information about becoming a host family for players, contact Denise Polsinelli at 369-5093 or Jason Brinkman at 210-8383.
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