The Aquinas College baseball team took to the field Monday for the first time since the Saints’ spring trip was called off about six months ago.
What made Monday even more special was where the Saints began their fall ball season.
Aquinas has moved to the Art Van Sports Complex in Rockford, where it will now play its home games and hold practices.
“It starts with Mike Guswiler, the head of the West Michigan Sports Commission being very supportive of us, and I can’t thank him and (Art Van Sports Complex director) Bryan Baar enough for their partnership,” Aquinas coach Chris LaMange said. “We are looking forward to being out there a long time, and we are proud to be able to call it the home of Aquinas baseball.”
LaMange, a 1994 Aquinas graduate, coached East Grand Rapids’ baseball team for 24 years before returning to Aquinas in June of 2019. The Saints played 14 games this past season before it was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic. Aquinas was scheduled to play some of its games at Art Van last spring but never had a chance. Aquinas has previously played at Kimble Field in Wyoming.
“We have been in discussions with Bryan at Art Van and with the Sports Commission over the last year or so and made the decision this summer over the quarantine,” LaMange said. “We were going to play some of our games there last spring. We weren’t able to get all of our games scheduled there, but 75 percent of our home games were going to be played there.
“I started talking to Bryan over the summer and we were interested in going over there full-time and they were 100 percent on board. They have bent over backwards to make us feel welcomed. I really think that was the nicest facility in West Michigan that was available for us to use. For us to be there, not only for games, but for all of our practices in the fall and spring, I know our guys are very excited to be starting this new chapter.
“We have two fields to use at Art Van, and we have partnered with Art Van to build four new batting cages that were installed a few weeks ago. We were able to contribute and help cover the cost of that, and that’s going to be available for the 1,000s of players for all of the groups that are up there. It has been a great partnership and I can’t thank Bryan enough to make this work. He has given us a top-notch atmosphere for our home games going forward.”
The Saints will be participating in an eight-week fall ball schedule. There are restrictions since practices are limited to 10 players at a time. But LaMange said the Saints will make the most of their opportunities in the next two months.
“A normal year, the primary focus would be a number of intrasquad scrimmages, and we would play three to four times a week,” LaMange said. “Your JV program would play 15 to 18 games in the fall. But we are only able to work with 10 players at a time. That possibly might be lifted, but right now, we have eight weeks where we can have 10 players at a time, and each group can meet three times a week.
“I think we are looking at it as a great chance with the small groups to get back to working on the fundamentals, which are the heart and soul of any successful program. It forces our hand to focus on that, but I think it will pay off or us in the long run as we pay attention to all of the little things that make the difference between winning and losing.”
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