The Olean Oilers are back on the practice field as they prepare for their first game of the season against the Salamanca Lizards at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
They have two local players that should interest fans in the area. Jaxson Ross from Salamanca will play after his freshman season with St. Bonaventure, and 2023 Olean graduate Thomas Bates will be playing too.
Another player from Bona is Owen Smith while the coaching staff includes Bona student assistant coach Jackson DeJohn and St. Marys native Jake Meeker as co-head coaches.
The Oilers compete in New York Collegiate Baseball league, which gives college players an oppurtunity to keep playing during the summer time after their spring seasons.
“Yesterday we started, I thought they looked extremely athletic,” said Meeker on an exhibition game Tuesday. “Very athletic in the outfield, getting to the balls in the gaps very well.”
All four starting infielders from last season have returned, “Those are the four main guys that we want,” Meeker said. “The new guys hanging around a little bit, come from Florida or other places, Olean is a bit different for everyone, it’s good to have guys who know spots.”
The infield is expected to have good hands and be quick. Josh Wilson will be playing with fellow infielder Chase Fischer. “Fischer has some good pop in that bat. Really good barrel control, can hit the ball where he wants to, and where he wants to,” DeJohn said.
The most high profile player on the Oilers will be incoming Virginia freshman Bryce Neely playing center field. “A lot of speed, a lot of juice in the bat,” DeJohn said. “Some really quick hands, first college at bat yesterday he turned around a fastball and ripped it to the center field wall.”
Alex Myers and Bates split time at second base in the exhibition game. The pitching staff will include Ross, Bendan Roche and Louis Arreola.
“It was a great day yesterday and they have been showing a lot of good stuff over these last four days,” DeJohn said.
Opening Night at Bradner Stadium looms as the Oilers look to defeat the Lizards on Friday.
“I hope they go out and play like they did last night,” Meeker said. “These kids are new to each other, but the way they played last night it looked like they had played together for three years now.”
“All we want to see is good baseball played,” DeJohn said. “Go do our thing out there.”
