In an era when community baseball teams often are fragmented, Freeport has kept together enough homegrown players to form a competitive team.
Freeport’s entry in the Butler County Area Baseball League is getting set for next week’s double-elimination playoff to determine a league champion.
Freeport has a 9-6 record this year in the six-team league and will enter the playoffs July 14 as the No. 3 seed and will play the No. 6 team that will be determined once the regular season concludes.
The league is designed for players ages 16-20, meaning players who have been to college for a year — or even two years in some cases — are eligible to play. The oldest were born in 2002.
“It’s a great place to play and a great place to put our boys,” said Freeport manager Joe Hotalski. “All our players are from the Freeport Area School District.”
Included on this year’s roster are 2021 graduates Alec Asti and Chris Hartman along with 2022 grads Brayden Clark, Noah Fryer, Logan Jendrejewski and Jack Zigo.
Added Hotalski: “Some of our players are double-rostered. They can play for other teams. But we can control the schedule enough, doubling up on the same day, yet continue to play competitive baseball.”
The team plays its home games at Freeport Community Park, adjacent to Laube Hall.
Leading the way on the mound this summer have been Brayden Clark and Hartman, in their final seasons with the team, along with Zach Clark and Brady Stivenson, who will be seniors at Freeport in the coming school year.
Besides his pitchers, Hotalski has been pleased with the play of outfielders Dylan Stonebreaker, A.J. Demharter, utilityman Gabe Colangeli, Cameron Zigo, Zack Bowser and shortstop Johnathan Hotalski, the manager’s son — all of whom will be available to the Freeport high school team next season.
The league actually has been around, in different forms, for about 60 years.
“We were previously affiliated with American Legion ball,” said league president Larry Stelitano. “We decided about 10 or 15 years ago we could go with our own league. We’re unaffiliated, completely independent. If Freeport had a Legion team, they wouldn’t be in Butler County. We’re down to six teams, but we’re always looking to expand. We lost a couple of teams after the pandemic.”
This year’s BCABL teams Freeport has battled include West Sunbury, Pine-Richland, Cranberry Township, East Butler and Butler Township.
“We also have three $1,000 scholarships we award to players each year,” Stelitano said. “They write an essay, and they’re evaluated by two different umpiring organizations and two Butler area sports writers.”
After the BCABL tournament league, Hotalski’s Freeport team will play in the Freeport International Baseball Invitational later this month.
“We wrap it up in the International every year,” Hotalski said. “It’s a reward for our kids putting in the time just playing baseball.”
Matt Fryer, a longtime youth league coach in the Freeport area, is Hotalski’s assistant.
