By Mark Hazelwood

Ray Neill is 62 years old, and retired from his day job.

But when it comes to the game of baseball, the longtime Perkins coach simply cannot stay away.

After five years as a coach in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate Baseball League in the early 90s, and a 12-year stint as the Sandusky American Legion Post 83 coach, Neill has often given his summer to the sport as well.

And after a couple summers off, he's doing it again. Neill is in his first year as the manager of the Galion Graders, an expansion team in the GLSCL this summer. And he's bringing the college team up north to the area to showcase the talent this week.

“I have a good woman (wife Debbie) at home, and I have an appreciation for good baseball, which this obviously is,” Neill said when asked about taking the job. “When Jack Shuck originally reached out to me, I could tell that the franchise in Galion came on board a little late in the process.

“I could feel that they needed some help and some experience in what this league was all about,” he added.

Teams play a 40-game schedule in the GLSCL, and feature a 30-man roster. The league is in its 30th year in 2015, and has produced dozens of Major League Baseball players, including the likes of 2001 Perkins graduate Brian Bixler, former All-Star and current Cleveland Indian Nick Swisher, as well as former Indians David Dellucci and former manager Eric Wedge.

Tuesday's game against Northern Ohio — based out of Strongsville — will begin at 5:30 p.m. Batting practice for the home team will start at 3:30 p.m., followed by 4:10 p.m. for Northern Ohio.

Hartung Title will sponsor the game, including feeding the teams after the game, while an area little league team will be introduced with the starters at each position when the Graders take the field.

Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children not in a baseball uniform. Children who wear their little leauge uniform have free admission.

“We want to put out that we’re bringing summer college baseball to Ohio,” Neill said. “We may do it again in July. It has some local young men in our dugout, and obviously we're bringing in a pretty good skill set for people to hopefully come out and enjoy some top level baseball.”

Galion features seven Division I players, while Northern Ohio has four.

“It’s outstanding baseball,” Neill said. “I think people who come out will enjoy what they see. There’s guys who played in this league that went on to play Major League Baseball. We’ll see if we’ve got one of them this year. Maybe we do.”

Locally, Oak Harbor graduate A.J. Cecil (University of Findlay) plays for the Graders and is scheduled to pitch in relief of Perkins graduate Luke Fraley, who will start Tuesday's game. Fraley, who helped lead the Pirates to a state semifinal appearance last spring, is on the active roster for the Graders, but isn't with the team on a daily basis.

Fraley, who was a pitcher at Tiffin University this past season, is also on the Sandusky Post 83 roster.

“You are allowed a 30-man roster in this league, and players can go and come back similar to a minor league call up,” Neill said. “Luke has been on our roster for the full season, but he's still young enough to play every day with the Post 83 senior team.”

As expected, Neill said the biggest issue for him getting back into the summer grind has been the schedule. He coached the Sandusky Bay Stars from 1990-94 in the GSCL, and the team existed from 1990-2000. He then led Post 83 from 1999-2010, which included two state championships.

The Graders have a game scheduled for every day of the week except Mondays for two straight months. That includes trips to Athens, Celina, Cincinnati, Lorain, Lima, Newark, Strongsville, Xenia and Flat Rock, Mich.

Also, Neill has about an hour drive to Galion for home games. He's assisted by former Perkins player and Post 83 head coach Michael Shepherd, an assistant at Iowa Wesleyan College.

“I don’t know if I can remember my minor league days, and even now this doesn’t compare to my first go around in GLSCL,” Neill said. “Just last Wednesday, we left Sandusky at 12:30 p.m. for Cincinnati and walked back into the door at home at 4 a.m

“There is no first half or a second half,” he added. “It’s all one full season. It's a rugged travel schedule, for sure.”

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/sports/baseball/8531866