For the 2023 summer season, Union baseball players Sam Poindexter and Ethan Orwig have been invited to play in the Prospect League for Jackson’s brand-new team, the Jackson Rockabillys.
The Prospect League is a summer collegiate baseball league comprised of 17 teams across the Midwest in which college players can gain valuable experience with wooden bats and a high level of competition, play in a minor league-type environment and get the opportunity to be watched by MLB scouts.
The Jackson Rockabillys is the newest team to be formed in the league. Headed by the former league commissioner Dennis Bastien, the Rockabillys will take up residence at the Jackson Ballpark, the previous home of the Jackson Generals.
The Prospect League is a prestigious athletic organization, a place for college players across all divisions to hone their craft as well as garnering a notable reputation for producing alumni who went on to play in the MLB. Now Poindexter and Orwig get to participate in this tradition, not only getting to represent the city of Jackson but also Union University on a larger platform.
“That’s what makes me want to do well even more,” Poindexter, a junior pitcher and psychology major said. “Because I know that I’m representing our school and our program and what we stand for. Not only on the field but off the field, I’m going to try to do my best to kinda represent what this school is about.”
For Orwig, a sophomore pitcher and English major, getting the experience for its own sake is what matters.
“Of course you’re wanting to win every game you’re put in, but at the end of the day, you’re just playing baseball,” Orwig said. “It would be pretty special to win a championship, but it’s really just the experience and just having fun. I really think it’s going to be reminiscent of just playing as a kid, of playing baseball just to play baseball and for the love of the game.”
Both Poindexter and Orwig expressed their hopes for fun and gaining confidence in their skills and performance. Playing against teams that have players of different skill levels and coming from Division I backgrounds, these two Union players will certainly get the opportunity to grow through the competition.
“I think that can only make me better for sure,” Poindexter said. “And then, maybe if I can play somewhere after, either if it’s an independent league, or stuff like that, someone could see me playing in that and maybe be kind of a stepping-stone to whatever is next. If there is nothing next, then I still get a good experience out of it.”
The Rockabillys’ season consists of 58 games, opening May 31 and ending with the Prospect League Championship Series in the second week of August. Poindexter and Orwig will have a brief time of rest in between the end of Union’s season and the beginning of the Rockabillys season, but for these baseball players, that isn’t a problem.
“Give me a week of rest and I’ll go right back at it,” Orwig said.
The Rockabillys play the Cape Catfish for their first home game at the Jackson Ballpark on June 2.
Photo courtesy of UUAthletics
Editor’s note: Ethan Orwig is a family member of the author.
