Butler players set for reunion
Former Butler High School baseball teammates Cory Wheeler and Mark Gross will soon be reunited.
Both will be playing this summer for the Butler BlueSox, who open their ninth season in the Prospect League Tuesday against Champion City at Kelly Automotive Park.
Wheeler was the starting shortstop for Indiana (Pa.) University as a junior this spring. Gross was the No. 1 pitcher in the starting rotation for Case Western Reserve in Ohio.
“I'm excited about getting these guys,” BlueSox manager Cody Herald said. “I know they're excited to be playing ball in their hometown.
“I know they're going to give me everything they've got.”
Wheeler hit .244 with four homers and 25 RBI for IUP this season. Coached by former BlueSox manager Anthony Rebyanski, the Crimson Hawks rebounded from a 3-13 start to finish 22-25 overall, 18-10 in the PSAC. IUP made the PSAC Tournament for the first time in six years.
Wheeler hit .306 as a sophomore at IUP, leading the team with 16 doubles, four triples and a .514 slugging percentage that year.
“I struggled a bit this season,” Wheeler said. “That's just baseball. It's an up and down sport. It's all mental and I just have to get past it.
“I'm looking forward to playing for Cody. He's a family friend and he knows the game so well. I know he's going to help my game.”
Herald was a high school teammate of Wheeler's older brother, Cody Wheeler.
“I've known that family since I was a little kid,” Herald said. “Cory used to come around and watch our games. They are an athletic family, a great family.
“Cory Wheeler is the type of kid ... I could ask him to run out to center field — a position he's never played — for me and he'd go out there and look like he's been playing there for 10 years.”
Rebyanski is confident Wheeler's productivity at the plate will return this summer.
“He's very strong defensively and he's got the arm strength to play shortstop at a high level,” Rebyanski said. “I know Cory is anxious to regroup and get back on the field this summer.
“The fact he's doing it in Butler is only going to help him. I see him having a big senior year for us and I can see him building momentum toward that through the BlueSox.”
Gross compiled a 4-4 record and a 2.93 earned run average for Case Western this spring. He logged 67.2 innings, struck out 38 and allowed just one home run all season.
The 6-foot-3 sophomore said pitching for the BlueSox will be a “huge opportunity.”
“This will be a step up for me,” he said. “I'll have a chance to face some Division I and II hitters. It will be a challenge. Facing better hitting will make me a better pitcher.”
Case Western finished the season with a 24-16 record. The team finished one win short of reaching the regional playoffs.
“But we had a young team and most of the guys are coming back,” Gross said. “I plan on picking up a few tricks of the trade from the BlueSox coaches. They'll help me from the mechanical aspect and the mental aspect.”
Gross said Herald contacted him about joining the BlueSox less than two weeks ago.
Herald plans to use Gross as a starting pitcher.
“He's a bulldog type,” Herald said. “He doesn't show a lot of emotion when things go wrong. When you're a pitcher, that's one of the best qualities to have because you can't control things all the time.
“Mark's demeanor, his attitude ... I think it will filter through the rest of the team and that's going to help us.”
