CRESSON — Mount Aloysius baseball standout Mark Saxman has signed to play in the prestigious Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL) this summer.
Saxman, a junior pitcher for the Mounties, will be playing for the team from Lexington, Ky.
“(Playing in the GLSCL) is going to be a great experience for me,” Saxman said.
The GLSCL is a collegiate wooden-bat league comprised of teams from Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky. The league is partially funded by Major League Baseball and has had many notable alumni since its conception in 1984.
Nick Swisher, who won the 2009 World Series with the New York Yankees, is GLSCL alum, as are Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge and Chad Cordero, who won the 2005 NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award with the Washington Nationals.
Saxman, a graduate of Chestnut Ridge High School,
will compete against top players from across the country, including players from highly regarded NCAA programs like Miami, Michigan State, North Carolina and Notre Dame.
“I couldn’t think of a more deserving athlete to be selected to compete in (the GLSCL),” Mount Aloysius coach Kevin Kime said. “He is one of the hardest workers on our team. His dedication to the weight room and offseason workouts has been truly remarkable.”
Last season, Saxman started 10 games on the mound for the Mounties and them in wins. He also led the team in home runs.
Saxman has also played well in the Johnstown AAABA league the past two seasons, and was named to the all-league team as a utility player last season. He also was selected as a pickup player for Martella’s Pharmacy to compete in the 2009 AAABA National Tournament.
Kime said Saxman was throwing in the low 80s as a freshman, but he put on 30 pounds since then and has gotten a lot stronger. He fastball is now getting near 90 mph.
Saxman is excited about the chance to prove his skills against some of the nation’s best talent.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime to play against players of that level of talent,” he said. “I am looking forward to going to Lexington and contributing as much as I can to my team.”
