Gene Zawrotuk

This is the third in a series of articles profiling the 2013 inductees into the Butler County Sports Hall of FameBUTLER TWP — After coaching baseball for 45 years, Gene Zawrotuk has found it hard to let go.“I started umpiring last year and was working the bases when a team had a runner leading off first base,” he said. “When the pitcher threw over there, I yelled ‘baaack’ just like all of the coaches.“I have to admit ... I would coach again if I had the opportunity.”It’s the success and dedication to coaching baseball that is landing Zawrotuk in the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame. He will be a lifetime achievement inductee at the organization’s annual banquet April 27 at the Butler Days Inn.“When Jim Lokhaiser Jr. called to tell me I was being inducted, I couldn’t believe it,” Zawrotuk said. “I thought he was putting me on.”Zawrotuk’s connection to baseball dates back to 1952, when he was a player during the inaugural season of the Butler Little League.He wound up working for Armco Steel for 35 years, building up local baseball along the way. Zawrotuk served on the board of directors for Highfield Youth Baseball for 40 years, was co-founder of Mid-County Junior Baseball, managed Butler Township Legion baseball for 10 years and was an assistant varsity baseball coach at Butler High School.His teams won the Mid-County Pony Colt League title 13 consecutive years during one stretch and reeled off 44 straight wins.“We won 41 straight games, lost one, then reeled off 44 more in a row,” Zawrotuk said. “Our loss was 6-5 to Pine-Richland in extra innings. It’s hard to forget that one.”What kept Zawrotuk involved in coaching was the desire to teach kids.“That’s what did it for me,” he said. “I loved to teach kids how to play baseball the right way.“We used to tell the boys there were three ways to play baseball — your way, your dad’s way and our way — and you were gonna play our way.“All we asked of them was two hours of their time during practice or the game. We played old-fashioned baseball. We squeezed, we bunted, we moved runners.”And they won.Zawrotuk said he and his brother, Ron, had a goal of coaching a kid who eventually played in the major leagues. They achieved that goal when Matt Clement pitched in the big leagues.“That was a thrill for us,” he said. “You feel like maybe, in some small way, you played a part in him getting there.”Zawrotuk also had a hand in coaching Jake Cuffman (drafted by the Pirates), Tom Bouch (Kent State), Phil McCarren (Duquesne), Justin McCarren (Pitt) and Curt Schnur (Delaware).He enjoyed coaching in the Butler County American Legion league against the likes of fellow veteran coaches Bob Steiner at Mars, “Red” Slater at Meridian and Dess Schnur at East Butler, among others.“There were quality coaches all over that league and there were a lot of good, clean rivalries,” Zawrotuk said. “The kids wanted to be disciplined and everybody got pumped up to play each other.”Zawrotuk spends much of his time in Florida now and is looking to get involved in umpiring or coaching down there.In the meantime, he is on the Butler County area umpiring list beginning in May.“I guess I’ll always be involved in the game somehow,” Zawrotuk said.Tickets for the banquet are available from any BCSHOF director or online at www.bcshof.com. Ticket outlets include Bill’s Beer Barn, Moses Jewelers, Parker Appliance, Saxonburg Drug and Snack-N-Pack