Oneonta Outlaws return to the New York Collegiate Baseball League

ROCHESTER, NY – The newest face in the New York Collegiate Baseball League is a familiar friend.

When the 2013 season opens, the Oneonta Outlaws return to the NYCBL. A new ownership group and a fresh approach look forward to another summer at Damaschke Field in Oneonta, New York.

Putting a team in the NYCBL is a dream come true for the Outlaws new owner Gary Laing.

“I wanted to make sure baseball stays here in Oneonta,” Laing said.  “I live here.”

Laing’s memories of baseball in Oneonta go back to the late 60s when as a boy he sat on the outfield fence and shagged foul balls for the Oneonta Yankees. Those memories motivated him to purchase the Outlaws.

“When I was a kid, they wanted all the balls back, and Sam (then-owner Sam Nader) would give us a soda if we got five foul balls.”

Laing has gone from sitting on the fence to owner’s seat.

“I can’t imagine anybody that loves the sport of baseball wouldn’t want to own a team,” Laing added. “It’s  something that came to fruition.”

Laing knew exactly who he needed to run his organization. Steve Pindar will serve as Oneonta’s President of Operations/General Manger. Pindar is a familiar face to the NYCBL. He was President of Operations when the Outlaws played in the NYCBL during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Prior to his time in the NYCBL, Pindar served as the Director of Community Relations for the Oneonta Tigers, the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. He also has worked with numerous minor league teams while developing his not-for-profit organization, Roberto’s Kids – a vocation where Steve and volunteers provide baseball equipment for needy children in many parts of the world.

“The most important factor when selecting which league we were going to be in was the affiliation the NYCBL has with MLB,” Pindar said. “That is huge. Among other things, for someone who doesn’t recognize the league, it immediately gives a sense of authenticity or legitimacy to the league.”

The Outlaws won the 2011 NYCBL championship before taking a one-year hiatus from the league.  Baseball continues in a city that always embraces its team.

“The community has been extremely receptive to collegiate baseball,” Pindar added. “We have had wonderful seasons. All three season we have had record setting numbers as far as sales and attendance.”

The NYCBL is part of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB) which oversees the rules and policies of ten different summer leagues: the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, Cape Cod Baseball League, Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, Florida Collegiate Summer League, Great Lakes Collegiate Summer League, New England Collegiate Baseball League, Southern Collegiate Baseball League, Sunbelt Baseball League, and the Valley League Baseball.

These ten leagues provide a variety of competition levels that help prepare young players for life in professional baseball. One in every six Major League players has spent at least one summer playing in the Cape Cod League. This past summer, two NYCBL players, Eric Eck (Hornell Dodgers) and Wes Van Boom (Sherrill Silversmiths) finished their summers playing in the Cape league. Eck pitched with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks while Van Boom played with the Harwich Mariners.

Three NYCBL players signed free agent deals late this summer. Dan Fiorito (Syracuse Salt Cats) inked a minor league deal with the New York Yankees. Ryan Fennel (Geneva Red Wings) signed with the Cincinnati Reds. Jake Chaplin (Geneva Red Wings) signed to play in the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Current major league players Tim Hudson, Hunter Pence and John McDonald all spent a summer playing in the NYCBL.

Founded in 1978, the NYCBL is a summer wood-bat league which provides eligible student-athletes the opportunity to develop skills over the course of two months in Upstate New York.