The only Ohio player to ever be picked in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft returned to Athens this weekend a part of Ohio’s first annual Alumni Game on Saturday.
Steve Swisher, who played catcher for the Bobcats from 1970 through 1973, was called by coach Rob Smith, as he wants to continue to educate players on the history of the program.
“We’re continuing to try to reconnect with all the alumni we can,” Smith said. “I thought it was important to certainly reach out to some of the guys that were able to take this experience here at Ohio and make something of it. (Swisher) certainly did that.”
After coming to Ohio as a shortstop, then-coach Bob Wren converted him to catcher, as Mike Schmidt was the team’s starting shortstop at the time and is now a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame .
Although he was apprehensive of the move at first, Swisher came to appreciate it as he became a three-time All-Mid-American Conference player and eventually was drafted 21st overall by the Chicago White Sox in the 1973 MLB Draft.
The return to Athens was a dream come true for Swisher, who said he hasn’t been asked to get involved with the program for 25 years.
“I’ve been to a lot of places in my life,” Swisher said. “But for coach Smith to ask me to come back here, that means a lot to me. … Man, this is one of the greatest days of my life. I love it here. I had a great experience and (Smith) gave me the chance to be somebody.
The one-time MLB All-Star was reminiscent of his days with the Bobcats and the attitude of success that was apparent in a program that made a trip to the College World Series in 1970.
Swisher recalled a story of a senior asking him how many MAC Championship rings he wanted on his finger by the time he graduated. He replied that a couple of rings would suffice and the senior repeated the question until he said that he shouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than four.
But that attitude stemmed from the top, Swisher said.
“This program was built around two things: pride and tradition,” Swisher said. “And the man most responsible for that was a man named Bob Wren, the greatest fundamentalist I’ve ever been around in my life.”
The glory years of Ohio baseball is something Swisher wants to restore, as he has pledged that he’ll do what he can to help in the rebuilding process of a team that finished last in the MAC East last season.
“What’s happened in the past is one thing, but what happens in the future is another,” Swisher said. “For myself and other guys that were involved with this tradition, that we can get top quality players to come to Ohio University, we’re going to do everything we can to help coach Smith’s program.”
Smith hopes this weekend will give his current team a look at
“One of the things that I hope our players get is an appreciation for the opportunity they have in front of them,” he said. “I think as anybody who’s gone through being a student-athlete, you gain a greater appreciation after you’re done playing.”
Swisher will be a captain in the team’s alumni game, which will welcome back several players from last year’s squad, including Toronto Blue Jays prospect Brett Barber and other blasts from the recent past, with Jensen Painter and Ethan Newton also slated to return.
If you go:
Ohio Baseball’s First Annual Alumni Game
Saturday, 12:00 p.m. at Bob Wren Stadium
@c_hoppens
ch203310@ohiou.edu
