Eastern Gateway eyes adding more sports

March 13, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

With Eastern Gateway Community College set to unveil its varsity baseball squad in 2018, talks are under way to add more sports programs over the next two academic years.

Former Cleveland Indians pitcher Jason Stanford has been tabbed as the Gators’ initial diamond coach. It is the hope of John Zizzo, EGCC athletics director, that men’s and women’s basketball, and either women’s volleyball or women’s softball be approved for competition by the school’s Board of Trustees.

“I had some preliminary conversations back in 2014 with Dr. Laura Meeks [former school president] and she was very positive about EGCC moving forward and expanding into the athletic realm,” Zizzo said.

While Meeks was excited by the idea, Zizzo said she felt that it would be unfair to undertake such a daunting project with her retirement looming.

Current president Dr. Jimmie D. Bruce eventually reached out to Zizzo with the hope of revisiting those athletics aspirations.

“In October 2015, [we] began dialogue in regards to adding several athletics programs for our students,” Zizzo said.

Zizo said the EGCC Board of Trustees approved baseball for the 2017-18 academic year with the team implementing a fall program starting this September.

Actual competition will begin next spring,.

“Jason has already signed players for his first recruiting class and is expected to add more,” Zizzo said.

The next two anticipated programs will be men’s and women’s basketball.

“We will become members of Ohio Community Athletic Conference, an NJCAA Division II scholarship league,” Zizzo said. “Our reasoning is that if we do add scholarships in the future, then we won’t have to switch conferences.”

The is to play a full conference schedule, despite the fact that the school is probationary and won’t be eligible for a league title.

“The tentative plan is to practice and play homes games at Bob Cene Park in Struthers,” Zizzo said. “We have a lot to prove to the league in several areas and welcome that opportunity.

“In addition to being satisfied with us on the field, they want us to be compliant and fiscally responsible as well,” Zizzo said. “If they like what they see, then that’s when we’ll find out if we become a full-fledged member.”

Zizzo is immersed in an aggressive fund-raising campaign.

“Future sports, as well as baseball, depend on our fund-raising efforts,” Zizzo said. “It needs to be known however, that we aren’t a rival to YSU or any other area college or university. We feel as if we are their feeder system and can be a great asset to them down the road.”

Zizzo lauded the efforts and support of Bruce, Stanford and Phil Panno, assistant diamond coach.

The first EGCC athletics fund-raiser is scheduled for April 8 at Austintown’s Immaculate Heart of Mary Banquet Center, 4490 Norquest Boulevard.

Tickets for the reverse raffle-silent auction are available for $100 with YSU President Jim Tressel and former world lightweight boxing champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini serving as guest speakers

Further information can be obtained by calling Panno at 234-855-4097.