MANSFIELD, PA – The Mansfield Destroyers and Mansfield University announced a continued partnership for the 2020 season. The Destroyers will once again play their home games at Joseph B. Shaute Field on the MU campus.
The Destroyers are coming off a very successful inaugural season which saw them qualify for the NYCBL (New York Collegiate Baseball League) West Division championship series, before losing to eventual league Champion Niagara Power 2 games to 1 in the best of 3 series. The Destroyers also led the NYCBL in attendance. “This speaks in high volume for the fan support we got,” said Don Lewis, team owner, and president. “We are really excited to announce that we led the league in attendance. Congratulations and thank you to everyone that helped make us a huge success our first year.” Lewis also thanked the community members and host families that assisted the team throughout the season.
Mansfield University President Charles Patterson congratulated Lewis and head coach Brian Hill on a successful season and thanked them for choosing Mansfield and Mansfield University as its home. “It’s meaningful to us, it’s meaningful to our community. It has been a pleasure to get to know Mr. Lewis and coach Hill, and to meet all the collegiate players, who have come from as far as California, to play baseball right here in our community,” Patterson said.
Patterson added, “This partnership that we have between Mansfield University, the borough, Tioga County, and the Destroyers is an example of the collaboration between a university and its home communities to further opportunities that support the institution and support the community as well. As our enrollment continues on a trajectory of growth, advancing community relations between the university and our surrounding communities is a key aspect of where you will see me, and where you will see the University. It is a partnership we must embark on to strengthen both the community and the institution. I’m very, very pleased that the Destroyers have sought to stay in Mansfield next year, and I’m looking forward to the excitement that it will bring in the seasons to come.”
Dawn Hull of the Mansfield Chamber of Commerce said, “We had a vision of the community having something to do in the evenings. After the first game, the community said this is our team, this is our family. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.” She then thanked Don Lewis for having faith in the community to make the season a success.
Lewis also announced that head coach Brian Hill will return for the 2020 season, and offered Hill a lifetime contract with the team. Hill then announced that Colton Evans, centerfielder from UC-Davis is the first player signed to play next season. “He loved the university and loved the community and wanted to come back.” He then praised the quality of the playing field at the university and thanked the community for the support. “It was great seeing 500-600 fans at our games throughout the season.