There’s a new team to cheer for this summer. That’s because Seguin is officially a destination where being called up to the Big Leagues is now a real possibility. That’s all thanks to The Seguin River Monsters, who since the start of June have managed to captivate the hearts of baseball fans and who have helped to fill the once empty summer seats at the historic Smokey Joe Williams Field.
Photo by Jarred Kindles
Although the stadium is host to the Seguin Matador Baseball team during the spring, much of the stadium has been underutilized throughout the months of June and July. That’s until Team Owner Mike Gigliotti made the decision to bring the collegiate league team to Seguin.
“The Seguin River Monsters participates in the Texas Collegiate League and that’s actually the highest level of summer college baseball in the state of Texas,” Gigliotti said. “There are leagues all over the country. Every state or territory really has one so the TCL or the Texas Collegiate League is the biggest one here in Texas. The real famous one that really everybody knows, baseball fans know is up in Cape Cod, the Cape Cod League and that’s a summer league as well and there’s a famous movie actually. It’s called Summer Catch with Jessica Biel and one other kid but it’s about that league and it’s a comedy and it’s a funny movie but that’s the Cape Cod league in Massachusetts. There’s a league in New York. Where I’m originally from – I’m originally from New York and I grew up watching the Utica Blue Sox in my hometown and they participate in New York Collegiate’ s league.”
The owner says it’s all about playing at the next level for these guys. He says although it’s a grind, it’s also an opportunity.
“So, really there’s all these different collegiate summer leagues so that after the normal college season, these kids can keep playing ball in the summer but the difference is in their normal college league they use metal bats and the difference is the summer league switches to wooden bats so it’s an opportunity for professional scouts, major league baseball scouts to come and see can these kids hit with wood bats and can they play every day on a MLB schedule,” Gigliotti said. “So, I don’t know if you notice but our schedule, I mean we are playing every single day so it’s a grinding two-month schedule in June and July almost like a Minor League or Major League schedule and it’s an opportunity for these kids to showcase what they have with wood bats and if they can play on that type of a schedule. So, that’s really how the collegiate system works in the summer across the whole country.”
Photo by Jarred Kindles
Much of the enthusiasm for summer baseball in Seguin has also come from the use of the nostalgic stadium located at the Seguin Events Complex. Named after the National Baseball Hall of Famer and Negro League player, the stadium has either fueled your love of the game or has instilled that seed for those who are out experiencing it for the very first time.
“We are really excited to have it here in Seguin and also to be at historic Smokey Joe Williams Field and to be able to use that field and hopefully continue to use that field and continue to bring improvements to it over the year,” Gigliotti said.
He says the use of the stadium makes it easy to ensure that “summer baseball experience” that is important for the Seguin River Monsters.
“It’s just a great thing to do. Even if you are not a baseball fan, it’s fun to come out, grab a bite to eat, grab a drink, socialize with people especially if you have kids,” Gigliotti said. “We are working on getting a lot more stuff for the kids to do. All of the kids run the bases after the game which is really fun. They are all getting autographs from the baseball players. We have baseballs that are here. They can get the foul balls. It’s really funny when a foul ball is hit, you see a swarm of kids who run to grab a foul ball. So, if you have kids but you might not be interested in baseball, your kids are going to have a great time. We are working on getting some inflatables like an inflatable bounce house for the kids try to create more of a carnival atmosphere for them at the ballgame. That’s something we are trying to implement for this year. We will definitely have it for next year.”
Photo by Lizz Daniels
A fan favorite that is synonymous with post games was also experienced in late June with the team’s first fireworks event – an event that Gigliotti hopes to host multiple times during the 2023 summer season. Fans will also find Gill cheering on that night’s line-up. Gill, is the team’s official green fish mascot that can be seen parading up and down the stands and keeping up with the team spirit throughout the ballpark.
It’s no doubt that in just these last short weeks, the Seguin River Monsters has successfully evolved into a household name. The players have, of course, each invested personally into the program. However, Gigliotti says for any team to succeed in this league, it will take a great community like Seguin to truly build the strongest program possible.
“We have something called the host family program and right now we have I believe five or six host families that are actually helping us house kids that are not from the Seguin or San Antonio or Austin area,”Gigliotti said. “Many of the players are from Texas. But obviously as you know, Texas is a very large state. We do have two players for example from Florida that are on our team that are staying here in Seguin and so really the idea is we can get people from all over the country. If we can grow our host family program and expand it, then we can go after talent all over the country. There is a ton of talent I will say in Texas. Texas is a very big baseball state as you know and we do have a lot of talent locally, San Antonio, Austin area – a lot of Houston. The Houston kids we have, they are all staying locally with host families. Our goal is to just maintain a strong host family program and we really appreciate all of the host families that have stepped up.”
Photo by Jarred Kindles
Although June is over, fans are reminded that there are still a number of games left in this year’s schedule. Game tickets are $5 a person. They can be purchased at the gate or online at seguinrivermonsters.com/tickets. Fans are also encouraged to check out the Seguin River Monsters Facebook page for daily game reminders.
Gigliotti says it’s been a whole new ballgame now that his dream for summer baseball is in full swing here in Seguin. He says both players and the community have exceeded his expectations for this inaugural year. As he looks at the seasons ahead, he says it’s all now about swinging for the fences so that summer days will continue to be double plays for his Seguin River Monsters.