The Butler BlueSox are out of the Prospect League.

Hopefully, they’re not out of business.

That organization has been good for this community for a number of reasons.

They’ve brought summer wooden bat baseball to town. If you don’t want to make the trek to PNC Park in Pittsburgh to see competitive baseball with wooden bats, you don’t have to.

Tickets are affordable, parking is free and quality concessions are available in a comfortable, local park just minutes from home for a lot of people.

The BlueSox have helped charitable organizations in recent years with their Buck-A-Hit program. Every time a player gets a hit, the team — and other participating local businesses — contribute a dollar toward a local charity.

This year, the Butler County Humane Society was the beneficiary of this charity drive.

Through their host family program, the BlueSox have provided numerous families with young children a visiting role model for the summer. With very few exceptions, players on that team through the years are high quality young men who don’t hesitate to share the game of baseball with kids inside Kelly Automotive Park and out.

They quickly become part of the families who are kind enough to host them.

For the Butler community to not have these benefits around next summer would indeed be a shame.

Hopefully, the BlueSox will land in the Great Lakes Collegiate League. Such an arrangement would benefit the franchise and the league.

The Great Lakes league has 15 teams. Any league would welcome an even number in that regard for scheduling purposes.

The BlueSox would hardly be considered an expansion team. This is an established organization with an excellent track record. It’s hard to believe the owners of Great Lakes franchises wouldn’t welcome Butler aboard.

The travel still wouldn’t be ideal, but it’d be better. This league has nine teams in Ohio. That’s better than having to go to Indiana and Illinois for road games.

The BlueSox averaged 500 fans per home game this summer, a down year in attendance when compared to previous years. But in the Great Lakes league, teams break even with an average attendance as low as 400.

If the BlueSox were to host Little League nights for youth baseball organizations in Center Township, Meridian, Butler Township, Mars, West Sunbury, Slippery Rock, etc., their attendance figures would receive a boost anyway.

Regardless of an Aug. 31 deadline to be accepted into the Great Lakes league, such a move needs to happen.

Both parties would benefit.

And Butler would keep its baseball team.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle