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Cooperstown resident Lynne Mebust and her husband, Kai, have three sons ranging in age from 10-14, but after hosting two Cooperstown Hawkeyes players this summer, they feel like they have added two more to the family.
``Hosting the players has been an absolutely positive experience,’’ Mebust, also a village trustee, said recently. ``Now I feel like I have five sons. It’s a great community experience.
We have a rooting interest in the games because of our relationship, and we go to games with other host families. It also draws more people downtown who may not ordinarily be there.’’
One of the players the Mebusts’ are hosting is Jake Saylor, a catcher who will be headed to the University of Cincinnati next fall on a baseball scholarship.
Originally from Arizona, Saylor said he has enjoyed his stay in Cooperstown this summer. ``Playing at Doubleday has been fantastic, and when we walk down Main Street everyone is friendly and polite,’’ Saylor said.
Saylor helped organize a community-service project last Friday in the village, as he and 11 teammates helped set up for the Village Library sale.
``We usually start around 8 a.m. and finish around 6 p.m., but this year we were done by 10:45 a.m.,’’ Mebust said. ``They were a huge help.’’
Saylor said he and his teammates wanted to give something back to the community for their support and encouragement this summer. Cooperstown girls basketball coach Mike Niles, who lives in Oneonta, is hosting two Oneonta Outlaws players this summer. Both are from Division I programs.
Niles said the pair, Mike Cook, a pitcher from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and Mark Perpios, an outfielder from Boston, Mass., have bonded with his 11-year-old son and 5-yearold daughter.
``I didn’t know what to expect, but the Niles’ made it so comfortable for us and I’m loving the relationship we have built,’’ Cook said. ``I live in Phoenix so it was an adjustment getting used to a smaller town like Oneonta, but I lover it here.’’
Cook and Perpios said the competition in the New York Collegiate Baseball League has been even better than they had hoped and is great preparation for their next college seasons.
``If you look at the standing it’s real close, which means you’re getting a battle night in and night out,’’ Perpios said.
As of Monday, the Hawkeyes, 17-11, were in a first place tie with Amsterdam a top the Eastern Division of the New York Collegiate Baseball League, with Oneonta, 18-13, a close second. Cooperstown defeated Oneonta twice over the weekend at Doubleday Field. The regular season ends July 27, with playoffs to follow.
Cook and Perpios said the Outlaws are planning a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame when the team gets a rare day off later this month. ``I was there when I was a kid, but I’m looking forward to going back when I’m a little older and have more of an appreciation of the history of the game,’’ Perpios, a Red Sox fan, said.
Like Mebust, Niles said hosting players gives his family a rooting interest in the games. ``I think we’ve been to every home game except one,’’ he said. ``Our kids love it and it’s a great family event.’’
Cooperstown Hawkeyes
Related Photos
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COOPERSTOWN HAWKEYES’ OUTFIELDER Josh Boyd explains how to do a hitting drill during a baseball clinic hosted by the team on Wednesday morning. Cheryl Clough
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Ballplayers have adjusted to life off the field
- Cooperstown Hawkeyes
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Cooperstown Hawkeyes hire manager
The Cooperstown Hawkeyes, a first-year member of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, named Eric Coleman as their manager for the 2011 season, the team announced Tuesday.
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Cooperstown Hawkeyes join new league
The Cooperstown Hawkeyes are changing leagues. The Hawkeyes played their inaugural season at Doubleday Field last summer. The team has aligned with seven other former New York Collegiate Baseball League members and decided to withdraw from the league with the goal of starting a new, higher quality league, according to a media press release. They will continue to play at Doubleday Field next year.
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Hawkeyes in playoff hunt as season winds down
If the New York Collegiate Baseball League playoffs were to begin today, the Cooperstown Hawkeyes and Oneonta Outlaws would meet in a first round series. The top four teams in each division qualify for postseason play, and currently Oneonta is in second place and Cooperstown in third with one week left in the regular season.
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Ballplayers have adjusted to life off the field
Cooperstown resident Lynne Mebust and her husband, Kai, have three sons ranging in age from 10-14, but after hosting two Cooperstown Hawkeyes players this summer, they feel like they have added two more to the family.
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Petroskey helps Hawkeyes to 3-1 NYCBL home victory
Cooperstown graduate Frank Petroskey drove in the Cooperstown Hawkeyes’ first run at Doubleday Field with a groundout to shortstop Tuesday, helping his New York Collegiate Baseball team to a 3-1 victory over Albany.
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Hawkeyes seek temporary homes
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Hawkeyes president speaks to Lions
Tom Hickey, the President of the Cooperstown Hawkeys, the new team that will compete in the New York Collegiate Baseball League this summer, was the guest speaker at the regular meeting of the Cooperstown Lions Club at its meeting on Wednesday, April 7, held at the Harmony House Cafe in Fly Creek.
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Cooperstown Hawkeyes hire manager
