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FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1970THE EVENING SUN 9The 1970 Empire State League baseball season opens Sunday with Norwich hosting Owego on the Veterans Field diamond. 'Second year mentor Dave Petley is fielding a veteran team with the addition of at least two highly touted newcomers.Cliff Stone, fresh out of service where he saw a lot of action on the mound with Air Force squads In Europe, will be a big addition to the pitching staff.Dave Skonleckl, who has a long background In the game and comes fresh from the University of Rochester squad, will be playing second base.The rest of the Infield will have Bob Gray at third base, Fred Zahner at shortstop and Bob Griffiths at first. Griffiths tied for the league home run trophy last season and led Norwich at the plate with a .317 average.Jerry Parker will be back behind the plate. Larry Abbott, Btll Bradt and Chuck Collier will be roaming the out field.Bradt anti Griffiths will also be getting their share of pitching chores as the schedule has at least two double*game weekends with the possibility of more If ralnoutsoccur.Petley expects to add several area high school players as soon as school Is out, Including Jack Parker, Dave Brunton and Dave Martin from the Norwich High team and Larry Palmer from Sherburne-Earlvllle.The Empire League has been expanded to 10 teams this year with the addition of three new clubs. Last year's pennant winner, Skaneateles, has withdrawn.In the Eastern Division will be Norwich, Hainbrldge, Greene, Afton (pne of the new teams) and last year’s playoff winner Whitney Point.In the Western Division, two new squads, Richford and Candor will Join holdovers Owego, Homer and Cortland.Each team will be playing a 13.game schedule meeting their own division clubs twice and those from other divisions once.“ft should be a real good race this year,” said Petley. “We don’t know too much about the new clubs, but we hear they field some pretty tough teams.“We tied with Whitney Point for second In our division last year and they went on to win the playoffs. We hope to do better with the addition of Cliff Stone and Dave Skonleckl and some of these real good high school players.’’Norwich won the Empire League Championship In 1968.There Is no admission charge to Merchant games at Veterans Field.On Memorall Day weekend Norwich hosts defending playoff champion Whitney Point Saturday, then travels to Greene for a game with that entry on Sunday.
Newspaper Details
Norwich Evening Sun
Norwich, New York, US
Fri, May 22, 1970
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Patricia R.
NY, USA 06 Oct 2021
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