Change at the top
One thing the Butler County American Legion Baseball League has is stability at the top.
Jerry Piroch plans to keep it that way.
Piroch, manager of the Butler City team, was elected BCAL president by unanimous vote of the circuit's managers.
He follows Ches Marburger and Dess Schnur as only the third president in the 57-year history of the league.
Schnur resigned the post after 15 years to concentrate on his duties as stadium manager of Pullman Park.
"I've had a great passion for this league for a long time," Schnur said. "That passion needs to continue and Jerry has it.
"The key for him will be maintaining that attitude he has now through the day he finishes. That's what it's all about."
Piroch revived the once-defunct Butler City team a few years ago and led it to the first BCALchampionship appearance in the program's history last summer.
"It means a lot to me that I was selected unanimously to succeed Dess,"Piroch said. "We share a lot of the same views about American Legion baseball.
"I coach baseball because I love it. I've done it for five years now."
The BCALhas more teams than any county in Pennsylvania. The nine-team league from last season — East Butler, Butler City, Center Township, Meridian, Mars, West Sunbury, Prospect, Cranberry Township and Zelienople — is expanding to at least 11 this year. Saxonburg and Butler Township will be back in the league.
Gene Zawrotuk is coming out of a one-year retirement to run Butler Township's program and Jim Lefevre will manage Saxonburg.
"We're trying to get Karns City back in, too,"Piroch said. "There's a full roster of kids who want to play there, but there's no available leadership right now. That's what we're trying to find."
Evans City is reorganizing and might return to the league in 2010.
"Are we spreading our players thin?Probably. Are we going to win a championship at the state level?I have to doubt it,"Piroch said. "But we're providing more kids the opportunity to play baseball than anyone else."
"The league has had a great impact on players from every community in the county,"Schnur said. "That's what's important."
Along with his duties as BCALpresident, Schnur was manager of East Butler's team for 24 years. He coached more than 650 Legion games and presided over 250 league meetings.
"Jerry's the type of person who will keep this league as good, if not better than it has been,"Schnur said.
Three teams, Butler City, Center Township and Meridian, plan to use Pullman Park as their home field.
"That ballpark will help build this community, and the Legion league will be a big part of that,"Piroch said.
