Amateur baseball league honors late Bluffton University ball players

BRYAN, Ohio (AP) — An amateur baseball league has changed its name to honor one of the Bluffton University players killed in a March bus crash and has established awards in the names of all five players who died.

The Northwest Ohio Federation Baseball League officially renamed itself the David Betts Federation League during a ceremony Wednesday in this northwest Ohio town.

High school and college players compete in the league during the summer. Betts, a sophomore from Bryan, was the league’s batting champion last year.

The league renamed its end-of-the-season trophies to the David Betts batting champion award, the Zach Arend most valuable player award, the Cody Holp pitching award, the Tyler Williams best sportsman award and the Scott Harmon most improved player award.

The bus carrying the Bluffton team crashed March 2 after it went up a left-lane exit ramp that dead-ends on a bridge over Interstate 75 in Atlanta. The bus went off the overpass, killing the five players, the driver and the driver’s wife.

Bryan is about 50 miles northwest of Bluffton and about 50 miles southwest of Toledo.