The Southern Ohio Copperheads are a member of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. The GLSCL boasts 13 teams, all of which are based in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. While the teams are limited to the Midwest, the athletes in the league hail from colleges across North America.
The Copperheads have been in operation since 2002. Although they haven’t played for the past two seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Copperheads are ready to bring summer baseball back to the Southeastern Ohio community.
The team itself is “Community owned, student operated,” which means that although there are community members behind the ownership of the team, Ohio University students run the show. This season, Charlie Clegg and Chris Marks will serve as Co-General Managers and keep track of ballclub activities while supervising the leadership team.
The 2022 staff features 11 students who work on all aspects of operations. The Copperheads provide students with experiential learning in aspects ranging from marketing to player operations.
However, the Copperheads’ main goal is to connect with the community.
“Our main avenue to being in the community is our Director of Community of Relations,” Marks said. “He handles all of our community events. He has us out in the community during farmer’s markets, connecting with local youth baseball teams and softball teams and organizing clinics for kids not just in Athens, but the other surrounding communities like Albany and Trimble.”
During the offseason, the Copperheads’ staff have been preparing for the 2022 season by establishing community partnerships. They’ve made appearances at the Ohio Health Athens Marathon and the Athens Sandlot Parade to spread the word about their return to Bob Wren Stadium.
The team has also collaborated with local businesses. Larry’s Dawg House in Athens serves as the team’s official concessions. The Copperheads have committed to staying local, and their partnership with Larry’s Dawg House reiterates their drive to be an active contributor to the community they are in.
Social media is one of the main avenues the Copperheads utilize to reach their fanbase. They are active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This allows the Copperheads to be present within the community and helps fans to put faces to names.
“We’re really trying to be active on all three of those platforms,” Clegg said. “We usually post five to seven times a week. It is really easy to reach us.”
The Copperheads shared one of their many upcoming promotions for the 2022 season on their social media pages in late March. They are offering to host a wedding at Bob Wren Stadium, similar to how some professional clubs do.
The closest professional baseball team to Athens is located in Columbus. However, Athens residents don’t have to travel far for a similar experience at a Copperheads game. Tickets are cheap — priced at just $5 per ticket — and the season runs throughout the summer.