Although he’s gone on to play college baseball at West Liberty University in West Virginia, Lucas Marsh plays his summer ball close to home.

Growing up in Salamanca and a star in multiple sports at Ellicottville Central School, Marsh chose Jamestown Community College to start his pursuit of collegiate baseball. There, he played for a coach with deep ties to Salamanca, Jerico Weitzel.

After two years at JCC, he landed at Div. II West Liberty last year and will have two years remaining with the Hilltoppers. But he’s still getting work in with his college coach and Weitzel’s father Jay and uncle Brad, as Marsh is playing his second summer with the Salamanca Lizards in the NYCBL.

“I love the knowledge that the Weitzel family brings to the baseball field,” Marsh said of returning to the Lizards after their inaugural 2024 season. “They’re fun to play for. Love being around Jay and Jerico and Coach Brad. Awesome personalities to be around. And just like to rep the hometown as well.”

Marsh is one of seven returning Lizards from that initial team. He’s also one of several Big 30 area grads, including infielder Harley Hoag (Salamanca, Hilbert), left-handed pitcher Sawyer Prince (Port Allegany, Penn State Behrend) and infielder Nate Wolf (Cattaraugus-Little Valley, Hilbert).

Many Lizards have played for the Weitzels before, whether here with the Lizards, at JCC or in travel ball. Marsh was excited to continue playing for the baseball family.

“Just because they put effort into us,” he said. “So
I like just the effort he brings to the field, and the effort he puts into our game (for) us to get better. I just really respect him and his baseball knowledge.”

Playing last summer in the NYCBL gave Marsh some idea what the next level might look like, crediting the competition with teaching him to “make adjustments faster.”

“And just how to play every day more because in college, the more you’re playing on the weekends and one mid-week day,” he said. “This league, you’re playing four nights a week. It’s fun ball.

Of his goals to prepare for Year 2 at West Liberty, he noted, “Just being able to slow the game down as much as I can. Sometimes the game can speed up on you. I just really want to see how well I can slow the game and let the game come to me this summer.”

Fellow returning Lizards Dylan Kinney and Timothy Johnson are both former JCC players as well. Kinney, a left-handed pitcher, is set to play for Texas A&M International after committing weeks ago following his sophomore year at JCC.

“It was just a good environment, good competition,” Kinney, a Winter Haven, Fla. native said of returning to Salamanca. “I really like the Weitzel family. They’ve done a lot for me both in college and in summer ball, so it was just the right fit for me.”

Last year showed Kinney, who started Salamanca’s 2025 opener Tuesday night, the importance of staying ahead in counts against this kind of competition.

“People aren’t going to get themselves out,” he said. “You’re not going to get gifted outs, you’ve got to go in there and compete. You can’t throw a lot of balls. If you get behind in counts, you’re going to get your stuff touched up. It’s just all about staying in an attack mindset and filling up the zone.

“It all starts with throwing strikes on the mound and everything falls into place from there. I feel like if we can get on the bump and fill up the strike zone, we’ll be competitive.”

Johnson, in the outfield, played last year at Pitt-Bradford and has another year remaining with the Panthers. The San Tan Valley, Ariz., native came a long way to play juco ball at JCC and is still thankful to the Weitzels for bringing him in.

“The Weitzels, they took me in as a freshman there at JCC,” Johnson said. “It showed me a lot so I came back, they got me under their wing again. They’re just showing their baseball etiquette around the field and doing things the right way.”

Even more than playing time on the field, Johnson sees summer ball as a chance to learn from other players from programs across the country.

“This game, you just have to have fun,” he said. “Just having fun here. Being around a new group, it’s always the best because we come from different schools.

“Honestly, it’s not even getting reps, it’s just being around a whole new group and seeing how other baseball minds work, you know?”

So how can the Lizards become more competitive in their second NYCBL season? The returnees have a few ideas.

“Keep the vibes light,” Marsh said. “Just have fun, show up to the field. It’s summer ball. Have fun, but you’ve got to have focused fun. You’ve got to be focused fun, that’s it.”

Johnson wants his fellow position players to support the pitching staff “in all aspects.” Kinney, naturally, thinks it starts with throwing strikes. And he sees a team around him that’s focused on winning.

“There’s guys here that want to come here and win,” Kinney said. “They don’t want to come here and just get their work. Everybody that comes here, they want to compete and want to win. So I feel like we have a lot of guys that are bought in this year.”