When the Rockingham County Baseball League opens its campaign later this month the daily level of competition should only improve from recent years, according to James Madison baseball coach Marlin Ikenberry.
“You might have some pro scouts floating around the league,” Ikenberry said.
The Dukes skipper, who earned a one-year contract extension from JMU earlier in the week, said many college players need an opportunity to take their swings or log their innings on the mound after the spring season was truncated due to COVID-19 concerns. That also meant traditional collegiate summer organizations such as the Valley Baseball League scrapped their seasons for the same reason.
Ikenberry said more than a few from his JMU squad are already signed up to play in the RCBL this summer.
Two JMU pitchers, Justin Showalter and Lliam Grubbs, are listed on the Bridgewater Reds’ roster. Showalter, a Turner Ashby product, was off to a blazing start for the Dukes, boasting a 4-0 mark with a 0.67 ERA when the season ended. Grubbs, an alum of Louisa County High, had two saves for JMU.
Fellow Dukes like Hunter Entsminger (New Market), Matthew Kleinfelter (Broadway) and Liam McDonnell (Broadway) have found landing spots, too.
“What you’re seeing right now in summer baseball are local leagues like the RCBL,” Ikenberry said, “and there are others – one in Northern Virginia, one in Richmond and one in Virginia Beach. But you’re seeing kids stay local and play in these leagues, and it’ll make these leagues better and stronger.”
And it’s not only Ikenberry’s Dukes that should boost the league.
Clemson catcher Adam Hackenberg, a former Miller School standout and 2018 MLB Draft selection of the Kansas City Royals, is listed on Montezuma’s roster as is William & Mary pitcher Jacob Haney, a Charlottesville native.
Former Spotswood star Cam Irvine, a High Point University commit, told the Daily News-Record earlier this month he planned on playing for Grottoes.
“What you’ll see in the RCBL is a lot of good baseball played,” Ikenberry said. “You’ll see a lot of kids who want to play because so many of these college leagues can’t, so it’s going to be interesting.
“It’ll be a shortened season, but I told all of my guys that my goal is if they play six weeks in the summer, and then we’ll have a six-week season for ‘em in the fall, but it’s to get an actual season in before next year. Normally you find a lot of times that by the time they finish their college season they want to shut down or try to get stronger and they don’t play in the summer. But now, you’re going to see kids play because they haven’t played and you’re going to see good baseball here locally and in the state of Virginia because kids are staying home and playing locally. I think it’ll be exciting.”
Ikenberry said the idea of players preferring to stay local could stretch beyond this year, too.
“Especially back when I played, everyone knew of the RCBL and the tradition of that league,” Ikenberry said. “And for them to do what they’re doing and hold strong I think is amazing. I understand why they’re doing it. I’ve talked to others about this, too, but for the college summer leagues – the Coastal Plains League, the Valley League – they all have host families, so it makes sense to have local kids live at home and play in these local leagues. I think the next couple of summers you’ll see these local leagues take off a bit.”
