Spontak

When Chuck Spontak was younger, he had no interest in sports. At the urging of a friend, however, he signed up for his community's little league baseball team in the fourth grade.

“When I first joined, I was nervous,” Spontak wrote in a recent essay for the Butler County Area Baseball League. “I had many questions. What would everyone think of me? Am I capable of doing this?”

Spontak's essay described how his involvement in baseball helped him gain self-confidence and led to many friendships.

“I quickly learned that no matter your skill level or how much experience you had, you always had your teammates to back you up.”

Spontak's essay was one of 23 turned in by final-year players in the BCABL, which includes players up to 19 years old, and was one of three chosen to earn a $1,000 scholarship.

He recently graduated from Pine-Richland High School, where he would have been a first-year starter for the Rams before COVID-19 derailed his senior campaign.

“I just tried to stay in shape because I had a feeling we'd be playing in the summer,” said Spontak, a shortstop and pitcher for Pine Richland's entry in the BCABL. He helped his team earn the king seat in the league's double-elimination tournament and will play for the championship Saturday.

“Community baseball has a more relaxed atmosphere than the high school team,” he said. “In high school, you're training and trying to get better pretty much year-round. With summer ball, you can just pick it up when it's time to play.”

Spontak's interest in baseball was contagious.

“My whole family loves watching baseball now,” he said. “My grandma always reminds me of when the Pirates are playing and I watch them when I can.”

Spontak will soon have to leave baseball behind for good. He's enrolled at Pittsburgh Technical College and will major in electrical engineering.

“Not having that next season to look forward to, it's going to be really tough, a difficult thing for me,” he said. “I've always looked forward to the baseball season.”