April 21st, 2022
In its second season in the PGCBL this summer, the Niagara Power will continue to lay a foundation for success.
The Power joined the PGCBL ahead of the 2021 season as part of the league’s expansion to 16 teams. After spending 11 seasons in the New York Collegiate Baseball League, Niagara became a member of the PGCBL with the purpose of elevating their status while expanding the PGCBL’s geographic reach well into Western New York.
The 2022 Power will be led by a first-year Head Coach in Brandon Shileikis, who has spent the winter and spring recruiting players to join the team.
“There’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes than you think. As an assistant you’re usually chipping in to make your manager’s job a little bit easier whenever you can. When you’re the one in charge, there’s a lot that falls on you,” Shileikis said.
This year’s Power team will be headlined by a pair of Kansas State teammates in outfielder Cameron Uselton and pitcher Griffin Hassell that the team is planning on having play big roles this summer. Some other players include Iona teammates in outfielder Nick Dicarlo and infielder Matt Shuhet, infielder Julian Uejima (Quinnipiac) and a number of locally based, Niagara County CC players in infielder Andrew Fairbrother, shortstop Zach Evans and catcher Justin Hodil.
The team will have at least one returner, that being pitcher AJ Kinney (Fredonia State), who pitched eight innings across five relief appearances for the Power last summer.
Shileikis noted that part of the draw for players to come to the Niagara program is that it’s a good area to spend a summer in with lots to do.
“It’s a beautiful area. You’ve got the falls, if you’ve got your passport with you you’ve got Toronto right across the border, so I think it’s a beautiful area, there’s plenty of stuff to do and I think it can be a great experience for the guys, so I think there’s a good draw to come out to play there,” Shileikis said.
Of course, the team is planning on having success on the field as well.
“My job, I feel, is if I can send a player back, whether it’s an incoming freshman who’s going into their first season of college ball or it’s a freshman who didn’t get as much playing time as they wanted, if I can send them back to their program better and a little more prepared, I think I’ve done my job,” Shileikis said.
With that comes letting the players have fun and play their style, something that Shileikis has learned is crucial in summer baseball.
Shileikis said: “I’m going to let them play.”