The buzz of excitement surrounding the Lake Erie Crushers’ inaugural season can be heard emanating from the city of Avon. Most of it comes from the team’s brand-new fan base, while some of it is from the Crushers themselves.
“We’re stoked,” center fielder Luke Hetherington said. “I’ve been to the new stadium three or four times already. We got to go on the field for the first time last week for about half an hour to see how it feels. It seems like people are really excited about this team, and we’re expecting huge crowds at the new ballpark.”
Hetherington’s enthusiasm has been matched by his teammates and the community. Crushers general manager Ryan Gates seemed surprised by the amount of positive feedback he’s gotten since it was announced the independent Frontier League would be coming to town.
“Over the last nine months as I’ve visited every rotary and Kiwanis and senior center and anyplace that will basically listen to me talk, I’ve been met with excitement across the board,” Gates said. “People are excited to have a stadium like this in their backyard. And it’s not just baseball here, it’s a sense of community. They’ll have large groups go to the ballpark, and while that baseball game’s going on, they’re there with friends, they’re there with co-workers … and that’s part of what this is all about.”
The team will christen All Pro Freight Stadium tonight when it hosts the Windy City ThunderBolts at 7:05.
“I’m really looking forward to the home opener, getting to start on the mound for the first time,” left-handed starter Paul Fagan said.
“It’s unique. I’ve played in a lot of parks, but I’ve never played in a brand-new park. I’ve never gotten to break one in, so this should be interesting.”
The excitement level is easy to understand when it comes to the players. Not only are they getting to break in a new 5,000-seat stadium as members of a new professional baseball team, but they all are between 20-27 years of age.
But the excitement among the fans has grown so quickly, shortstop Jodam Rivera was taken aback during a recent road trip against the ThunderBolts.
“We had Crushers fans cheering for us (in Crestwood, Ill.),” he said. “There were little kids screaming, ‘Go Crushers.’ It was pretty exciting.”
The team has also taken to the area pretty quickly. Fagan has family in Port Clinton and has plans to explore the islands and hit Cedar Point over the summer. First baseman Gordon Gronkowski’s family owns a chain of fitness equipment stores and three of them are located in the Cleveland area.
“I stopped by a few years ago to see the stores,” he said. “I have a friend who lives in Cleveland and we’ve already ate at a place called Panini’s, and we’ve been to The Boneyard and Winking Lizard and Crocker Park.
“If you’re going to play here, you really have to get out and get to know the area … and it’s a gorgeous area.”
Fagan was one of the first players in town, and immediately hit an Indians game where he caught up with some old friends.
“I got to see three guys that I played with in the Mariners organization — Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo and Luis Valbuena,” Fagan said. “Then I got to see my buddy Matt LaPorta, who I played with and against in high school on travel-ball teams.”
Fagan seems to know everyone, and also has ties to some of his Crushers teammates.
“I played with Luke Hetherington last year in Sioux City of the American Association League,” he said. “My roommate Brad Griffiths went to high school in Jacksonville where I’m from, and Gordon played college baseball in Jacksonville. I remember seeing (Gronkowski) play there when I was a senior in high school.
“I’ve played on teams on the West coast and we have a lot of West coast guys on this team.”
Another reason for the excitement by the players is the level of operation the Crushers have already shown in less than a year of existence.
“I’ve been in some pretty good organizations, and this team is as good as any of them,” Gronkowski said. “I was with the Los Angeles Angels and they were ranked the No. 1 farm system for the last few years. We already feel with this stadium and in this organization, we can compete with anyone in this league.”
Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com.

TONIGHT

WHO: Lake Erie Crushers vs. Windy City ThunderBolts
WHAT: Home opener
TIME: 7:05
WHERE: All Pro Freight Stadium, Avon
BROADCAST: The game can be heard live on www.lakeeriecrushers.com

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