VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- When the summer sun hits, many college baseball players trade in the ping of aluminum for the true crack of the bat, suiting up in wooden bat leagues throughout the country.
"We're just trying to get more reps, trying to improve our game and trying to get to that next level," said Conner Thomas, who is a senior utility player at North Carolina Wesleyan.
"You swing the whole year with metal," noted VCU junior pitcher Philip Forbes. "I feel like it's kind of fun to come out and use wood."
It's a chance for college players to put in some extra work on the diamond, but players from Virginia Beach have always had to seek out teams in other locations in order to take part in the summer fun. Craig Colucci and Pat Stafford, who own D-Bat in Virginia Beach, came together and said "why not here?"
"Why don't we create something in the city of Virginia Beach?," said Stafford of the discussions. "Maybe we can build this off the city and maybe it's something that Virginia Beach can kind of have a home collegiate summer league team one day."
Hence the birth of the Virginia Beach Valor. The team is playing its inaugural season this summer in the Tidewater Summer League and calls Plaza Little League home. Look up and down the roster and you'll spot plenty of local flavor. Stafford notes that about 85 percent of the team calls the Resort City home.
"Half the guys I played with in high school or PONY ball, just down at little league, whatever it is," noted Thomas. "We all played together."
"It's just amazing," added Mekha Hicks, an infielder at Stillman College who is preparing for his freshman season. "You create more bond with college players who are kind of local and even the guys we face. We're enemies on the field, but we make friends everywhere, so it's pretty fun."
It's a squad rooted in the city and one that boasts a name that speaks to those who call it home.
"You can't walk anywhere, not just in the city of Virginia Beach, but in Tidewater, without having some type of connection to military, police, fire, first responders at some level," Stafford pointed out.
"It feels like more than just a game," added Hicks. "We come out here to have fun for summer ball, but wearing Valor just feels like we're showing as much respect as we can to the ones who support us."
These players finally get to take a hometown field for a hometown team in the summer. They're hoping to stay sharp, improve and maybe make some memories that last far beyond the season.
"I'm trying to get better, I'm trying to lead my team in a way and also be that guy they can rely on, be like 'Hey, Conner's got us, no matter what,'" Thomas said of his hopes for the summer.
"The percentage of baseball players that get a chance to play this game, still be in uniform, is a very small percentage," pointed out Stafford. "You're fighting right now to keep the jersey on your back."
"The biggest thing for me is developing my game and also creating relationships with the guys on the team and winning some games, but also just having fun while doing it," Forbes added.
News 3 will be broadcasting the Virginia Beach Valor's game against the Greenbrier Knights on Monday, July 29. First pitch is set for 6:30 and the game will be carried on WGNT.
