With a few weeks since the 2019 season was completed, Rapids Catcher Andrew Giesey recently reflected on his summer. Enjoy reading Andrew’s reflections, and we look forward to seeing you in 2020!

Baseball season ended just as quickly as it started, and with the conclusion of this season of summer baseball, I can say it has been an amazing experience.  Not only was I able to play baseball against good competition, but I also had the opportunity to grow in faith and meet some great people.

It is interesting to look back and reflect on different events from the time the players arrived until we played our last game together.  The first day we all showed up to the field and nobody knew each other, with the exception of some guys that go to school together.  We all sat in the dugout in hopes someone would spark a conversation to break the silence.  Then, just a short two months later after our last game, everyone was exchanging hugs and taking pictures together in hopes of preserving as much as they could from the 2019 season with the Rapids and the people who quickly became good friends.

The team also did some community outreach events.  The team attended field day at the Filmore School District and a youth camp at a YMCA in Rochester.  These events may seem like they do not have much of a tie to baseball, but it helps share a love and knowledge for the game with the next generation of ball players.  I thought this was a great experience to go out in the community because it gave us a chance to leave an impact on child.  Kids’ Day at the Rapids game was another eye-opening event.  It was the equivalent of a role reversal.  As baseball players, we grow up watching the professionals on television and admire them.  The kids at the game that day looked at us as if we were professional baseball players.  They were waiting in line to get autographs and baseballs from the team.

Faith was another big part of the summer.  As a team, we studied the book of Proverbs twice a week.  Our Chaplain broke it down into lessons on different aspects of life and made each lesson very applicable to our lives as college students.  I found these lessons to be a great way to take a step back and reflect on how I had been living and what changes I could make in my life to grow closer to God.  Not only that, but these lessons sparked discussions within our team that led us to grow a little bit closer to one another by sharing some testimonies and viewpoints on life and religion.

I think I can speak for most, if not all of the Rapids players, in saying that relationships did not just happen at baseball.  They also took place off the field with our host families.  There were some host siblings that would attend the kids’ camp and hangout with their respective players after camp.  Also, you would see a lot of the host families coming out to support the Rapids at home and away games.  Some players have even talked about wanting to return to visit their host family because they had grown so close over the course of the season.  For me, I did not plan to feel as at home as I did.  Nor did I expect to feel like I was leaving family when the final day of the season arrived and I had to return to Pennsylvania.  However, that is exactly how I felt.  Thank you to everyone involved in making the 2019 Rapids season possible!

The mission of the Genesee Rapids is “To present to baseball players, coaches, and all whom they influence, the challenge and adventure of living for Jesus Christ in a needy world, through the game of baseball.” Throughout the season, through relationships built between teammates, coaches, staff, fans and host families, each person involved in the Rapids organization has had the ability to grow in their faith in Jesus Christ.

One of the unique aspects of playing for the Genesee Rapids is the chance to be involved in team Bible studies throughout the season. Team Chaplain, Dr. Paul Shea, has guided the team this summer through a study of Proverbs. Dr. Shea currently serves on the staff of the Houghton Wesleyan Church. He has also had the opportunity to serve the Lord through his time as a professor at Houghton College and a former missionary and teacher in Sierra Leone. Dr. Shea also played soccer and basketball in college.

The theme for this year’s team study was “Champions of Character.” Throughout the summer, the guys on the team have explored this book of the Bible that is full of wisdom which hopefully leads to personal application. Each lesson also directly tied to the teachings of Jesus. Dr. Shea has challenged the guys on the team to not only continue to grow as good men, good players, and good citizens, but more importantly to grow in their personal relationship with Christ.

Finally, these Bible studies have allowed the guys on the team to grow closer to one another. Each of them came to Houghton this summer with a story. God’s story in their lives. Through open discussion, learning and prayer, God has been able to use their diverse backgrounds to bring the team closer. As the season ends in a few weeks, we look forward to seeing how God will use each of these young men in the place where He has called them, for His glory!

Thanks to Donnie Stockin for creating this wonderful reminder of the Rapids Bible Study on Proverbs this summer. Her thoughtfulness is so appreciated by all.

Catcher Andrew Giesey, a rising senior at Thiel College in Greenville, PA, recently shared his experiences from the first half of the season in the blog post below. Giesey is having a solid season with the Genesee Rapids currently batting .316 with 2 RBI along with playing solid defense behind the plate. Enjoy!

The Genesee Rapids experience has been great after the first few weeks, and this does not only include baseball.  The coaches, fans, and my host family have all contributed to make this a great experience.  The team came together quickly to start the season.  All of the players seemed to click, and we played well together. Everybody supported one another, and we won and lost as a team.  Personally, however, the season did not start the way I had hoped.

During the Old Timers Game, I received a concussion from a foul ball and was not able to play for about two weeks.  At first, this was devastating news because the reason to spend the summer in New York was to play baseball.  However, I am grateful for the time I had away from the game because it showed me how much support is in the Genesee Rapids organization.  All of my coaches were insistent on taking time to ensure my health before I returned.  They made sure to treat me as a person before treating me as a player.  This was very reassuring to know that I was not looked upon in a poor way for taking a few extra days to make sure I was healthy again.  Also, my host family was great.  They did what they could to help me recover as best as possible. Even little things like including me at lunch and conversations helped time pass and made the process go faster.

As I neared the date of being able to return to play, Kids’ Day had arrived with the seats full of 1,300 kids from local schools.  This turned out to be a great experience.  It put some things into perspective for me like how much of an influence I can be to a younger child.  They all looked at us like we were professional athletes and were asking for autographs the entire game.  These kids being able to talk to us was the same as one of the Rapids’ players interacting with a player from the major leagues.  Instead of playing on Kids’ Day, I was able to spend a large part of the day talking to kids and some parents in hopes of being able to give the kids a great experience.

Lastly, I have been able to get back in touch with my faith as a result of being here and being surrounded by other Christians.  Being able to study the Bible as a team is eye opening because each person has a different story that relates back to the Bible and how they have interacted with it.  On top of that, my host family reads the Bible after dinner throughout the week and then we have discussion about the passages and their relation to life and what is going on in the world today.

I am looking forward to what the second half of the season has in store both on and off the field.

The old ballpark song says, “Take me out to the ball game. Take me out with the crowd.” On June 14th, the Genesee Rapids hosted a huge crowd for their ball game with the Olean Oilers. Many of those in attendance were kids from local schools as the official count of kids at the game was an amazing 1,365!

Those kids played a major role in the Rapids 8-5 win. In the top of the 4th, the Rapids gave up 5 runs to the Oilers and entered the bottom of the 6th trailing 5-1. It was then that the kids took over and as the ballpark song mentions, they began to “root, root, root for the home team.” Their cheers of “Let’s Go Rapids!” began and got louder throughout the inning, reaching the point of yelling at the tops of their lungs. The Rapids players felt the energy from the crowd scoring 5 runs to take a 6-5 lead and never looked back.

Nicholas Zielomski had 3 hits and 3 RBIs including a key hit in the 6th inning with 2 outs to bring in 2 runs. “The kids had a HUGE impact on the game today. They were amazing and contributed a lot to the momentum swing in the game. As a team, we could see they were getting into their [Oilers players’] heads” said Zielomski after the game. Ozzie Rodriguez closed the door on the Oilers to pick up the save.

The day was extra special with all in attendance enjoying the visits from Buffalo Bills mascot, Billy Buffalo, and Buffalo Sabres mascot, Sabretooth. Kids’ Day at the Genesee Rapids is always one of the highlights of the season, but the 2019 version will be one that is remembered by fans, players, and everyone else who was there for a long time. Can’t wait to see what the 2020 Kids’ Day will do to top this year!

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Although school may not be out for every kid in the state of New York, summer is officially upon us as the Genesee Rapids open up their 6^th season of NYCBL action this Friday, June 7^th at Houghton College Baseball Field.  The Rapids are looking to bounce back from a 15-27 season under the leadership of new Head Coach Thad Johnson.  Johnson, a native of Jamestown, NY, is an alumni of St. Bonaventure University and is currently an assistant coach at Menlo College in Atherton, CA.  New this season to the staff is Pitching Coach, Ryan Christenson of Ellsworth, WI, where he is a high school teacher.  Returning for his sixth year on staff is Assistant Coach Bill Swanson.

One of the strengths of this year’s Rapids team should be its pitching staff.  Heading into the season, the Rapids have 13 arms on staff.  This depth will help the Rapids deal with the 42 game schedule that includes more doubleheaders this year.  Many of the Rapids pitchers are two-way players that can also play the field at a variety of positions if needed. 

In the field, the Rapids feature multiple All-Conference performers from their respective college seasons.  Cairn University teammates Caleb Edman and Michael Sorowice are joining the Rapids for their first seasons in the NYCBL.  Sorowice was an honorable mention OF in the Colonial States Athletic Conference while Edman was named a first team OF and the league’s Co-Rookie of the Year.  Another pair of college teammates with all-league honors are joining the Rapids as well for the first time.  Eastern Mennonite University Catcher Ray Tricarico was named to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference 2^nd Team while teammate and OF Jaylon Lee was a 3^rd Team selection.

We are thankful to the faithful attendance of our Rapids fans over the years, and we look forward to seeing many of you out at the ballpark this season!

This season, Rapids Catcher Andrew Giesey will be sharing an inside look at what it looks like to play for the Genesee Rapids. A native of Penn, PA, Giesey recently completed his junior season at Thiel College in Greenville, PA. This spring, he batted .264 with 14 runs scored and 12 RBI. Behind the plate, he had 113 putouts which ranked him second on the team. As the Rapids prepare to open the season at home on Friday night against the Hornell Dodgers, read Andrew’s first blog entry below that looks at his process of joining the Rapids and some of his goals for the season ahead.

When I was in my search for a summer baseball team, I talked to some of my teammates and coaches.  Alex Lam was one of the people I had talked to. He had played with the Rapids last summer and had a great experience.  After hearing his story about the team and the quality of baseball, I wanted to pursue it for myself. 

I then went to talk to my college coach about how to find a team in the NYCBL.  He advised me to fill out recruitment forms on the website, and he would call the team that I was interested in.  One morning, I received an email from the Rapids stating that my application was being reviewed, and they would be calling my college coach to gather some information.  About noon the same day, I told my coach to expect the phone call. As I said that, Mr. Kerr from the Rapids was calling him. 

After the phone call, my coach emerged from his office saying it was a good phone call, and I should expect to hear from Mr. Kerr.  Within the next 10 minutes, I was on the phone with him agreeing to play on the Rapids this summer.  The process was very timely and straight forward, and I was grateful for how efficient the process was.

I am very excited to be able to compete with the Rapids in the NYCBL, as it will provide an opportunity to play baseball at a high caliber.  With this, I hope to improve myself by exposing the lacking areas of my game.  In addition to baseball, the Rapids are a team with Christian roots.  This was meaningful to me because I have grown up in the church, and faith is an important part of my life.  As I am sure many college athletes know, it is hard to balance school and sports while finding time to attend church and Bible studies regularly.  This summer will provide me the opportunity to grow in my faith while playing baseball. I could not ask for much more.

I am looking forward to what the summer will hold with the potential to grow in faith and baseball, all while I continue to grow as a person.

10 days.  240 hours.  The countdown is on to the official start of the 6th season of Genesee Rapids Baseball.  For those of you who do not know, the Rapids are part of the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL).  The league started in 1978 as a summer wood bat developmental league for professional baseball.  You may not know that a small part of the league’s budget each year is actually funded by Major League Baseball.

Located in Upstate New York, the NYCBL gives collegiate players who have not yet signed a professional contract the opportunity to develop their skills against a higher level of competition, gain more experience with wooden bats, and be evaluated by scouts.  This season, there are 10 teams divided into two divisions and has expanded to included a team in Mansfield, PA.

Some notable NYCBL alumni currently in the Major Leagues include Pitcher Mike Fiers of the Oakland A’s, who earlier this year threw his second career no-hitter.  Two time MLB All-Star and current OF J.D. Martinez, of the 2018 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, is another NYCBL alumnus.  Also, two-time World Series champion and three time MLB All-Star Hunter Pence, who is currently playing OF for the Texas Rangers, also played in the NYCBL.

Beginning June 1st, 27 young men from across the United States and even Aruba and Puerto Rico, will descend on Houghton, New York, for the 2019 season of Genesee Rapids baseball.  The goal of this blog is to provide you, the reader, with greater access to what a season of Rapids baseball looks like.  We will have entries from players on the team giving us insight on what being a Rapids player means.  We will also look to highlight some of the behind the scenes people that make Genesee Rapids baseball what you have come to know, love and look forward to every summer.  

We hope to see many of you out this summer to cheer on the Rapids as they meet the challenge and adventure of living for Jesus Christ in a needy world, through the game of baseball.