The Butler BlueSox likely will play their first home game June 5 and name their manager by Dec. 1, majority owner Leo Trich said Monday.

The BlueSox will be one of 11 teams comprising the newly formed Prospect League, a collegiate wooden bat baseball circuit.

The six-team Western Division is comprised of the former six-team Central Illinois Collegiate League. The five first-year franchises, including the BlueSox and Slippery Rock Sliders, will play in the East Division.

"The CICLwas looking to expand and we were looking to develop. We kind of married each other,"Trich said.

A sixth team isn't expected to join the East Division until 2010. Each team will play a 54-game schedule. All 27 BlueSox home games will be played at Pullman Park.

Trich is a former Pennsylvania state representative who founded the nonprofit group that built Consol Energy Park in Washington, Pa., the home of the Frontier League's Wild Things.

Trich also is considered the key person responsible for bringing the Wild Things to that community.

"Butler certainly has one of the finest baseball venues in the tri-state area,"he said. "I know first hand the fortitude it takes, the dedication, years of preparation and hours upon hours of hard work to get a ballpark like this accomplished.

"This community should be very proud."

The team's 24-player roster will consist of about 12 players from the tri-state area and 12 from other parts of the country.

Players from outside the region will be housed by volunteer host families, similar to the Frontier League's Slippery Rock Sliders of 2007.

Baseball coaches from West Virginia University, Penn State, Youngstown State and Seton Hill already have contacted Trich about sending players to the BlueSox. He's been in touch with numerous coaches across the country as well.

At least one player — and possibly more — on the roster will be from Butler County.

"We'll have no problem filling a roster, though we may have a lot of freshmen during our first season," he cautioned. "Most coaches place their top players in leagues like this in September or October. We're getting a late start."

There are about 20 summer collegiate baseball leagues in the United States.

"Maybe six of those leagues are considered upper tier,"Trich said. "We plan to be one of them."

The BlueSox expect to have their roster finalized by Christmas. The league schedule is expected to be released within a week.

Perry O'Malley, executive director of the Butler City Redevelopment Authority, said Pullman Park can seat 1,500 fans for baseball, with an additional 500 in picnic areas.

The BlueSox need to average 500 fans per home game to break even. Ticket prices will be in the $5 range and season tickets are available.

"That's pretty much a leaguewide figure,"Trich said of the attendance base.

"This facility is the best baseball field outside of PNCPark,"O'Malley said. "We wanted to build the nicest park we could for the players and coaches. We figured everything else would fall into place and that's how it's working out."

Besides the 27 BlueSox home dates, Pullman Park already has another 35 baseball games scheduled for 2009.

Moniteau and Karns City will play each other there May 5. The National Collegiate Baseball Association's Division IIWorld Series will be played at Pullman Park over five days, beginning May 15.

Butler High, along with the Butler City, Center Township and Meridian American Legion programs, also will play home games there.

"There are other things in the works,"said Dess Schnur, Pullman's director of stadium operations. "I'm just waiting for the (Prospect)League schedule so I can work around those dates."

"After so many years of work, it's nice to see this become reality,"Butler mayor Maggie Stock said. "When everybody comes together, this is what can happen. The real thrill of this is not just thinking about what we can do, but really doing it."

The BlueSox nickname "is no accident,"Trich said. "It is designed to stay in line with Pullman Park's affiliation with minor league baseball teams from the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers years ago.

"Red Sox, White Sox — now BlueSox. Our home uniforms will be old-style to remind people of those Butler Yankees days."

The BlueSox plan to host community events, have on-field contests between innings, fundraising opportunities, clinics for young players, birthday parties, an honorary bat boy program, pre-game and post game miniconcerts and fireworks nights.

A web site will soon be launched and a BlueSox office will be established at Pullman Park. In the meantime, the team can be reached at bluesox2009@yahoo.com or by calling 724-263-9874.