“We want to keep Butler baseball players playing in Butler.”

Butler Iron Bucks manager Shawn Manning’s words are the goal of the BlueSox and his team as their organizations return to the Tri-State Collegiate League this summer.

And Cooper Baxter is a prime example of that.

The Butler graduate played four years with the Butler Twisters of the Iron & Oil League — a Pullman Park-based high school-age league also formed by Manning — before joining the Iron Bucks this season. Baxter will be a freshman on the Indiana (Pa.) University baseball team in the fall.

“We were pretty much able to keep our high school team together in that (Iron & Oil) league,” Baxter said. “Playing all of those extra games together helped all iof us,. We won the league every year, too, which made it even more fun.”

Baxter hit .281 for the Golden Tornado this spring, helping the team reach the WPIAL 6A semifinals. Twelve of his 18 hits went for extra bases, including four home runs and a team-leading six doubles. But he struck out 18 times in 64 at batrs.

“I’m trying to develop more consistency at the plate,” Baxter said. “That’s what I’m hoping this league does for me. A lot of PSAC players are in this league and there’s some good Division III college leagues in this area, too.

“The competition will be good for me and Pullman Park is only 15 minutes from our house. It’s nice I can get out of bed, come down here and play ball all day. I want our team to win, too. Any sport is more fun when you win.”

Manning said Baxter will play a number of positions for the Iron Bucks. He had a sub 2.00 earned run average as a pitcher in high school this spring, but he will not see the mound in this league.

“IUP likes Cooper as a hitter,” Manning said. “Our purpose is to get these kids ready to make the transition to their college teams in the fall. Cooper will get a lot of at bats for us and we plan on playing him all over the field.”

Baxter is fine with that.

He was recruited as a shortstop by IUP, but the Crimson Hawks are returning a first team All-PSAC shortstop. IUP’s second baseman is an all-region player who is also coming back.

“My goal is to play as a freshman,” Baxter said. “The more positions I can play, the better chance I’ll have ... If I can be a Swiss army knife, so to speak, I can find my way on to the field somewhere (for IUP).”

Baxter is the first player from the Iron & Oil League to join the Iron Bucks roster. Manning is certain he won’t be the last.

“There are too many talented ballplayers in Butler,” he said. “That’s why that Twisters team won the Iron & Oil League all those years. They were loaded with good players. We want to help develop those players, then get a few of them to play with us.

“Cooper’s only the beginning. You can tell he was a multi-sport athlete in high school from how competitive he is and what kind of teammate he is.”

Baxter played football and wrestled at Butler, along with playing baseball. He was a designated hitter and played shortstop in the Iron Bucks’ season-opening twinbill Saturday.

“I get to play every day and I get to stay home to do it,” Baxter said. “This is the perfect way for me to prepare for four years of college baseball.”