Some people head to the coast for the summer. Some go to the San Juan islands, some fly out to Hawaii or California or Florida to get their relaxation in.
For Centralia College baseball coach Ben Harley, there’s only one place to be this time of year: Kalamazoo, Michigan. And he’s not exactly relaxing, going into his second season as the pitching coach for the Kalamazoo Growlers of the Northwoods League.
“It’s busy,” Harley said. “Holy cow, it’s busy.”
How busy? Last Tuesday, the Growlers were rained out, ending a run of 15 consecutive gamedays. Then they were off Wednesday.
Thursday, they started a run that — weather permitting — will see them take the field 34 times in 32 days.
Welcome to the world of summer league baseball. The collegiate season may end in May — and for the few Division I teams lucky enough to make it deep into the postseason, June — but for most players, the summer only sees things ramp up, with leagues popping up all over the county.
So once CC’s season ended, the Blazers split up to go all over the place. Six are playing in the Power Collegiate League in Palm Springs, California. Two are playing in Nebraska for the independent Western Nebraska Pioneers. Two are suiting up for the Madisonville (Kent.) Miners of the Ohio Valley League. A whole bunch are staying closer to home in the Pacific International League, based in King County, while others are headed out to Arizona and North Carolina.
And it’s not limited to players. Harley, who learned about the job in Kalamazoo from a post on Twitter last spring, found the ultimate firehose-drinking experience as a coach, getting the chance to share his knowledge with players while also learning a whole lot for himself in just a few short months.
“During our preseason meeting with all of the coaches in the league, they talked about how this is like a developmental league for pro ball — for the players, for the coaches, for the general managers of the teams, for everybody involved,” he said.
Harley’s pitching staff this year includes hurlers that run the gamut from junior colleges to NAIA ball, up to the top conferences in Division I. In true summer ball style, more arms will come and go over the course of the summer. Last season, over 30 pitchers took the ball for the Growlers under Harley’s watchful eye, with barely any practice time to really work on any finer points.
“For the most part, we’re doing an hour of early work and then jumping into games every night,” he said. “So a lot of it is teaching these kids how to win baseball games and get them better for their programs.”
In Harley’s case, those games are happening on one of the biggest stages in the country. The Growlers averaged over 2,200 fans per game at Stryker Field last season, a number that would have been fourth in the Pac-12 this past spring, dwarfing Washington’s attendance rate and doubling Washington State’s. The Northwoods League, probably second to only the Cape Cod League in terms of scale of summer leagues, has a deal with ESPN to stream multiple games every night online.
“The reason I wanted to come out here was just how well-known the Northwoods League was, and how many high-level, pro guys come through here,” Harley said.
One of those pro-level players might be Harley’s own. CC catcher and first baseman Casen Taggart etched himself into Northwoods League lore last season with a go-ahead home run in the 10th inning of the Great Lakes Championship, capping off a summer where he hit .291 in 23 games.
Taggart just wrapped up his sophomore season in Centralia, where he earned first-team All-NWAC and third-team All-American honors. Currently, he’s committed to play at Washington State next season, but that could change if he hears his name called in next month’s MLB draft.
“He’s doing great,” Harley said. “I’m very curious to see what happens next month with the draft and where he ends up, whether he ends up at Washington State or just to see how that goes. He’s done such a good job these past two years. He’s Mr. Quiet Confidence, doesn’t say a whole lot in the clubhouse, but everybody knows he’s there to work his tail off.”
As of Thursday, the Growlers sit in third place in the Northwoods League’s Great Lakes East Division. Harley’s pitchers are boasting a collective 4.01 ERA — sixth in the 24-team league — and Taggart is batting .308 with a home run in eight games.
But it’s just the middle of June. There’s still a lot of baseball to be played in Kalamazoo before Harley even thinks about coming back to the Hub City, or Taggart makes a possible choice between Pullman and the minors. A whole lot of baseball.
“It’s quite the proving ground,” Harley said. “If you can survive the 72 games here, you can usually survive a minor league season. Or at least you’re a little more ready for it.”
