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Wheeling Stogies Are Back, Ready to Play Ball

WHEELING — The Wheeling Stogies are back. Well, at least for this summer.

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the national American Legion baseball program canceled the 2020 season, thus forcing teams to play “independent” baseball.

“We’re going to play baseball this summer. We’re shooting for the end of June,” Wheeling manager Jon-Michael Brunner said. “We’re not going to play as many games as we have in the past, nor are we going to travel very far. We won’t have any overnight trips.

“We are planning on a five-week schedule throughout July and into August,” Brunner continued. “We are only having one team this season with about 22 kids. However, we will be efficient with those kids.

“If a kid pitches one day, he will get the next day off. With this many kids we have the ability to move some kids around.”

So far, the Stogies are scheduled to open the season on Tuesday, June 30 against St. Clairsville, which they will play three times. They also have games scheduled against the Jefferson County Elite, Marietta, Parkersburg, Blennerhassett Bears, Cambridge, Weirton, Barnesville, New Martinsville and the Wheeling Wild Things.

Brunner said he just wants the kids to have the opportunity to get out on the field and play baseball.

“We just want to get out there and play,” he stressed. “We’ve got a couple of Pro Days scheduled where we’re going to invite the local college baseball coaches and most of the Mountain East Conference coaches.

The roster includes players from all three schools located within Ohio County — Wheeling Park, Wheeling Central, Linsly.

The players include Potomac State freshman Trevor Thomas (Inf/P); USC freshman Jon Milton (OF/P); Muskingum University freshman Dom Gorence (UT); West Liberty University freshman Ryan Hummel (P); Linsly’s Zac Taylor (UT) and Brodie Selmon (UT); Wheeling Park’s Seth Hand (UT), Brendan Richter (OF), Dylan Gongola (UT), Dylan Hogsdon (UT), Erik Cover (Inf/P), Gage Thomas (Inf/P), Isaac Hines (UT), James Salvatori (OF) and Nick Fencl (UT); and Wheeling Central’s Benjamin Foster (UT), Dom Pompeo (OF/C), Kaden Yocum (UT) and Michael Toepfer (UT).

In addition to Bruner, the Stogies staff also includes associate head coach Scott Castilow; pitching coach Dustin Henry; and bench coach/field manager Bobby Gaylor.

As of now, the Stogies are set to use the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex as its home field, while they also have some games scheduled for the Wheeling Park High School diamond.

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