JOHN KOVACH | Colleges Poland players enjoying reunion on Express team

YOUNGSTOWN -- Three former Poland High baseball teammates are hoping to capitalize on their experiences this summer with Youngstown Express baseball team in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate Baseball League.
In addition to having an enjoyable and nostalgic reunion , Cole Budinsky, Shane Davis and John Hay also are trying to gain experience, improve their skills, make new friends and learn as much as possible about the talent requirements necessary to advance to the professional level.
The trio and two other area players -- Kevin Libeg (Hubbard and Youngstown State) and Kinsey Henderson (East Liverpool and Thiel) -- are part of the 25-man roster of collegiate players on the Express roster from Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, Illinois, Georgia, Arizona and California.
The team, managed by Larry Wayman (Pitt) who is assisted by Todd Bartley (Malone) and pitching coach Matt Perry (Allegheny), plays its home games at Pemberton-Donnell Park.
The Express has been struggling the first part of the season with a 4-16 record as of last Monday.
The team's next home date is Monday against Pittsburgh in a doubleheader at 6 p.m.
On comeback trail
Budinsky, a red-shirt freshman at Wright State, is using the summer league to regain his form after missing most of last season with illness after being shelled often early in his rookie campaign.
"I actually ended up getting sick right before Easter and I was in the hospital for a week. It was like during the middle of the season. I only had three appearances before I got sick," said Budinsky, who didn't play after that.
He said he struggled in his first three collegiate games.
"They were kind of rough. I don't remember exactly what happened. They were in relief and I don't consider myself a relief pitcher, but a starter.
"It is a very important summer for me to get things going again, especially since we will be getting a new coach."
Budinsky said his health is "100 percent," and that he is making progress in his comeback with the Express.
The son of Charles and Celeste Budinsky, Cole is majoring in athletic training and has a 3.8 grade-point average.
Reunited with teammates
Davis, a sophomore catcher and outfielder for Eastern Michigan as a red-shirt freshman this past season, said he is having fun being reunited with his former teammates. They all played for coach Steve Rohan at Poland.
"It's nice. You show up the first day and see familiar faces you are used to. It's fun talking on the bus and in the dugout about the old times in high school. Transitions are a lot better when you know some people," said Davis, who likes the local, area and regional flavor of the Express team.
"I like it that the league is local. All the [teams we play] are within three hours from here. The kids are from all over the place," said Davis, who also is a designated hitter for the Express.
He lauded the attractive quality of the league. "After Cape Cod and Alaska [summer leagues], this is one of the better places to go." said Davis.
The son of Jeff and Kim Davis, Shane is majoring in secondary education with a 3.0 GPA.
Eyes more innings
Hay, a pitcher for Pittsburgh, said he pitched about 25 innings this year as freshman, but is looking for more mound time with the Express to improve his repertoire of throws.
"I want to get a lot of innings in. I'm trying to work on my off-speed pitches mostly and make my change-up a little finer and work on my slider," Hay said. "It's a good time to experiment to see what I can come up with to improve."
Davis said that the main difference between the summer league and intercollegiate play is the type of bat that is used, which alters the pitcher-batter relationship. The summer league uses wooden bats while colleges use metal bats.
"There is more offense with metal bats than with wooden bats," Hay said. "The wooden bat elevates the playing field [for pitchers] and helps the pitchers out."
The son of Jack and Charlene Hay, John is unsure of his academic major and has a 3.9 GPA.
kovach@vindy.com