Board votes to add boys sport; 1st pitch in spring 2024
Having struck out in three previous attempts to be added to the Aurora school district’s spring sports roster over the past 20 years, baseball recorded a clean hit Monday night.
Supt. Jody Phillips pitched the idea and the board gave its unanimous consent after a 30-minute discussion, voting to approve baseball as a sport for boys starting in the spring of 2024.
“If you are keeping track, we are becoming a bit encapsulated with schools around us that are adding baseball,” Phillips began, reporting that the York School Board voted in June to join a list of area participating baseball schools that includes Central City, Grand Island Northwest, Hastings Adams Central, Hastings High, St. Paul and others. “It’s expanding, so I want to have the discussion. I put it on the agenda.”
Phillips gave a brief recap of the issue’s history in the 4R district, citing a 4-2 vote by the board to deny baseball in 2004. The issue was rejected again 10 years later, and though a vote was never taken last year the subject was discussed and eventually died for lack of support.
“Meanwhile, in 20 years baseball has tripled in the number of schools that are offering it across the state,” Phillips continued. “We’ve chosen not to add it over those 20 years and it has continued to expand. Just this last year there were 102 schools that have baseball,” later clarifying that 74 teams were fielded, including 28 that involved cooperative arrangements between neighboring schools.
‘Watering down’ concerns
One of the concerns raised previously is the possible “watering down” of other spring sports, with the potential that some new participants would choose baseball over track, soccer or golf. Phillips addressed those concerns as well.
“As far as competing for students in spring sports, that is the case sometimes,” he said. “But what we also have to take into account is that there are kids who are not doing anything that are going to be added into this, so we’re not necessarily going to be taking a lot of students from other sports.”
In cases where a player did switch sports, Phillips said that too might create added opportunities.
“Let’s pretend that we take a soccer kid, a starting soccer player,” he said for example. “There’s someone behind that starter who now is going to be given an opportunity to play, an opportunity to do good, and opportunity to I hope be successful.”
At that point, boys basketball coach Kevin Asher make a PowerPoint presentation, sharing information with the board on the potential interest in and impact of adding baseball as a spring sport for boys.
“I’ve been through this a couple of times at a different school, but starting a baseball program at this time, in my opinion, where our conference schools are in our area schools, we are surrounded by baseball,” Asher reported. “I mean, let’s face it, I think there’s no doubt about it that every school around us has it except for the lower class schools like Hampton, Giltner and Henderson. One of the things that concerns me as a coach is will we eventually lose a student that participates in different activities here to go to York because that family wants to play baseball. Or, will we gain an advantage by the move in getting kids from Henderson, Giltner or Hampton, whatever it may be, because their family wants to play baseball?”
Asher, who later noted that no decision has been made as to who the head coach or assistant coaches will be, said Aurora coaches as a rule do not recruit athletes who are participating in other sports.
“Now if we know they’re not doing anything, like a few of these boys who aren’t playing baseball right now in the spring, then yes, we would definitely try to pull in those boys into your program.”
Asked about the numbers required to field a baseball team, Asher said 18 to 25 players would be ideal, and he said he is confident Aurora could field 20 or more in its first year. And as for a potential schedule, he said even with a late start he believed Husky baseball could see a 15-20 game schedule with teams potentially including Crete, Seward, York, Columbus Scotus, Central City, Twin Rivers, Adams Central, Malcolm, Centennial, Hastings and others.
Addressing those concerns head on,
Phillips said he spoke Monday with coaches of the other three spring sports for boys.
“I spoke with Mr. Farris, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Badura and I gave them the exact same information that I just gave you tonight and all three of them, and I will quote, are supportive,” he said. “Their only concerns were logistics of the season, so if we have bad weather who goes where, who gets to practice inside and that kind of thing. Those are legitimate concerns, but as Mr. Asher said, I fully anticipate that those four people would work together.”
Home field
Phillips informed the board that he had spoken with Mayor Marlin Seeman and City Administrator Rick Melcher about using Mitchell Field as the Huskies home field. Though no contract has been signed pending city council approval, he said Seeman and Melcher indicated no real concern with that happening since the field is not currently used during the spring season.
As for the budget, Phillips estimated an annual cost of approximately $20,000, which would cover three coaches, equipment (which could be shared with the Legion program), umpires for home games and travel expenses to road games.
“I can tell you, based on the conversations we had last year, that we would fundraise and solicit some funds to see what we can do as far as making that either minimal or no expense to the district,” he said. “I can’t say with 100 percent certainty, but I do think that we would be able to get some donations.”