With the 2011-12 high school sports season winding down to a close, many of our followers have asked us what’s in store for the summer.

While the fall high school season isn’t far away, The Westshore Sports Fanatic! is pleased to announce that it will be providing coverage of the Lake Erie Crushers baseball team. The Crushers, who play at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, open their fourth season at home this Friday night when they host the Schaumburg Boomers at 7:05 p.m.

“We’re pleased to begin what we hope is a long partnership with the Crushers,” said BeAFanatic.com editor Jim Horvath.

“The organization has provided the Westshore area with plenty of great family-oriented entertainment over the past three seasons,” Horvath said. “We’re happy to be able to provide our readers with up-to-date information on the team while our high school athletes are on their summer break.”

The Crushers will host a three-game series with the Boomers, one of eight teams out of Illinois in the 14-team Frontier League. The two teams will play again Saturday at 7:05 p.m., then conclude the series Sunday at 5:05 p.m.

Friday night’s season and home opener will have all the excitement and anticipation of opening day, and will conclude with a fireworks display. Saturday is MAC Madness Magnet Schedule Giveaway Night, presented by All Pro Freight Systems. The Avon facility will be hosting the Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament May 23-26.

Last season the Crushers overcame a slow start and finished with a record of 51-44. They got into the league playoff series, but were eliminated by the Joliet Slammers in the Eastern Division Championship series.

The Crushers will be led by veteran manager John Massarelli, who has led the team to an overall record of 158-128, including the Frontier League Championship in the team’s inaugural season in 2009.

Back on the playing field for Lake Erie is outfielder Andrew Davis, a former Kent State standout and a three-time Frontier League All-Star. Davis was the league’s MVP runner-up last season and hit .333 with 12 home runs and 87 runs batted in.

In the pitching rotation, Paul Fagan and Eric Diaz-Gonzalez return as the Crushers’ frontline starters. Fagan logged 127.2 innings last year and won seven games with 89 strikeouts, while Diaz-Gonzalez earned four wins in 37.2 innings.

For more information, go to the team’s website: www.lakeeriecrushers.com. You can also follow the team on Facebook and Twitter, @LECrushers.

Tag:AV