Cranberry Township players Zach Snyder, left, and Kyle Stetitano receive $1,000 scholarships from the Butler County Area Baseball League prior to Monday night's All-Star Game at Slippery Rock University's Jack Critchfield Park. Butler Township's Logan Donnel received a $1,000 scholarship as well.

SLIPPERY ROCK — One learned how to handle mistakes. Another learned never to give up. A third learned how to be a leader.

All three — Cranberry Township's Kyle Stelitano and Zach Snyder, Butler Township's Logan Donnel — earned $1,000 in scholarship money from the Butler County Area Baseball League Monday night for conveying their thoughts on what community baseball means to them.

The three were announced winners of the BCABL's annual essay contest prior to the league's all-star game at Slippery Rock University's Critchfield Park.

The league has been awarding scholarships via this essay contest since 2010.

“It's a program this league is very proud of,” BCABL president Larry Stelitano said.

Each BCABL team pays an annual $450 league fee. The scholarship money is derived from those funds.

Donnel is attending Clarion University, majoring in early childhood education. He hopes to become an elementary school teacher.

Snyder is majoring in biology at Penn State University. He described baseball as “a game of mistakes” and eventually recognized it was OK to make them.

Kyle Stelitano is majoring in marketing/communications at Penn State Behrend. He has been playing baseball since age 3.

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