Saturday baseball tourney at G-L honors late coach Schlosser.

Baseball players will be running the bases Saturday in honor of the man credited with helping make Glen Lake baseball a successful program.

A baseball tournament and alumni game will be played in memory of former Glen Lake baseball coach and teacher John Schlosser, who died last March in an automobile accident on M-72.

“One of the nicest things in having this tournament named after him is it recognizes him for all his efforts, and a lot of time that doesn’t happened at a small school. To me, anyway, he’s responsible for getting baseball going at Glen Lake and taking it to a professional level,” said Paul Christiansen, the longtime teacher now athletic director at Glen Lake.

This Saturday at Glen Lake, the hosts will play Onekama at 9 a.m., followed by Manistee Catholic vs. Traverse City St. Francis at 11:30 a.m. A consolation game will be played at 2 p.m., and the championship game is set for 4 p.m. This year marks the second annual Schlosser memorial tournament. Glen Lake won the inaugural event in 2007.

The alumni game will kick off May 24 with a home run derby at noon and a 9-inning game at 1:30 p.m. Both the tournament and the alumni game will begin with a moment of silence dedicated to Schlosser.

One reason Schlosser will be missed so much is because he had so many friends, Christiansen said. He was always keeping in touch with former players and was responsible for starting the annual Glen Lake alumni baseball game, he said.

One player he kept in touch with is Randy Weber, although Weber is more than just a former player of Schlosser’s.

To Weber, Schlosser was a coach, then a mentor, but always a good friend. He first met Schlosser in the fall of 1978 when Schlosser was also coaching football at Glen Lake. Weber was only 15 and recognized Schlosser as a “big, exciting man who knew how to talk to everybody.”

After football season, Weber played baseball for Schlosser for three years. He was a catcher and wore No. 20, just like Schlosser.

“I asked him if it was all right if I wore his number,” he said. “I’ve been No. 20 ever since that day. And I will always wear No. 20.”

Weber, who is now baseball coach at Traverse City West, said he owes his coaching style to Schlosser and added the former mentor’s record is hard to beat.

During Schlosser’s coaching career at Glen Lake, from 1972 to 1986, he won 283 games, lost 119 and tied eight. He was five-time district coach of the year, three-time regional coach of the year, and in 1984, when his team played in the state championship, he was awarded Michigan coach of the year honor.

Current Glen Lake baseball coach Kris Herman said it was apparent at Schlosser’s funeral that he was more than just a great coach.

“If you went to his funeral you only hope you have the impact on people when it’s your time to go that John had on his former players and the people that knew him,” Herman said.

Schlosser’s son Gabe said his father was just that type of guy.

“He was always willing to help out and give advice, (he had) sharp wit and sensibility, lots of people would come just to chat and ask questions,” he said.

Gabe said his father played Little League baseball growing up and continued playing through high school. He then pursued a teaching degree at Central Michigan University so he could continue doing the two things he loved: baseball and teaching.

And off the field and out of the classroom, Gabe Schlosser said his father spent time giving back to the community. He was an active member of the Cedar Hilltoppers and would help organize the Polka Festival, build bird houses, plant trees and fish. He loved the outdoors, his son said.

While fighting back tears, Weber said he will always have a special place in his heart for Schlosser. “There aren’t many days that go by that I don’t think about something he said or did,” he said. “He left a hole that nobody could replace, he was that kind of guy.”

Anyone who wishes to play in the alumni game should contact Kris Herman at 334-3061, extension 404.

By Freddy Hunt
Enterprise intern