Big League Gig

When the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates square off Aug. 18 in the third annual MLB Little League Classic , there will be a few familiar faces at the nationally televised event. Some 20 Pennsylvania College of Technology baseball  players, led by head coach Chris Howard, will be responsible for the field tarp in case of inclement weather at the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game.

The Wildcats have served in that capacity since the inaugural game in 2017.

The idea originated with Little League President and CEO Steve Keener. When asked by Major League Baseball if there were grounds crew members for the Little League World Series who could handle the tarp, Keener suggested to Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour, then chairman of the Little League International Board of Directors, that the college’s baseball team would be a good choice for the job.

And Howard and company were more than willing to help out.

“It’s going to be exciting to see major leaguers in our dugout on our home field,” Howard said of sharing the same field at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field with the Cubs and Pirates.

The team will go through several days of training prior to the big game. On the Thursday and Friday before the game, the team will have about 10 hours of practice moving and removing the tarp, while Saturday brings a 12-hour standby day in case of inclement weather. On game day, the team will arrive at 7 a.m. and help where needed around the park before the 7 p.m. start time.

“It’s a long four days of training in the hot August weather,” Howard said. “But the payoff is really rewarding, with some of the best seats in the house during the game.”

Getting volunteers from his team has never been hard for Howard. In 2017, Howard says, he never had a quicker response to a group text than he did when he asked his players to help with the event. Howard expects the same enthusiasm this year.

“Our guys are excited to see Major League players play on the same field that they do,” Howard explained. “It’s one of the coolest experiences they’ll have while they’re here.”