By John Bohnenkamp

A lesson Chris Monroe learned at the beginning of his summer league baseball coaching career is one he still carries with him.

Monroe was working in the Northwoods League when his team started the season with a two-week road trip.

“(The league schedule was) 73 games in 78 days,” said Monroe, who is an assistant coach with the Burlington Bees in the Prospect League this season. “(The manager) said if you really want to coach, you’re going to find out this summer, and you’re going to find out real quick.

“It was like day 10, and I’m dragging a little bit. I’m throwing (batting practice), I’m tired. He’s like, you better figure this out, if this is something you want to do.

Monroe figured it out.

“And here we are eight years later,” he said.

Monroe, who spent this college season as an assistant coach at Spoon River (Ill.) Community College, said the opportunities he’s been given coaching have been something he’s appreciated, especially in summer league baseball.

“People say, ‘Why do you like coaching summer ball so much?”” Monroe said. “Well, look at the atmospheres you’re in. The weather’s warmer, the fans are coming out to watch you play.”

Monroe found out about the Bees from Jack Gray, a Burlington native who pitched for the Bees last season, and who was coming back to be the team’s pitching coach this season. Monroe was Gray’s pitching coach when the two were at Western Illinois in the 2021 season.

“Jack called me and asked me if I was interested,” Monroe said. “I said, “Prospect League? Oh yeah.’ I had some interviews for some other jobs, but I talked to (Bees manager) Owen (Oreskovich) and I really liked what he said.”

“Chris was looking for an opportunity,” Oreskovich said. “He wants to get out here and learn anything he can.”

“I’m happy he’s here,” Gray said. “He’s going to fit right in with the coaches, the players, the atmosphere.”

Monroe said for players on summer-league teams, it’s often about getting out of a comfort zone.

“At some point, if you’re going to be a good ballplayer, you have to learn to do things yourself,” he said. “Take ownership of your career. The stage that you’re going to be on, a lot of the guys haven’t done that before. A lot of these guys are away from home, far away from home. That’s part of the growing-up process.”

Monroe has done the same thing. He grew up in Massachusetts, near Boston, so coming to the Midwest was a change.

“When I first got here, it was definitely a culture shock,” Monroe said. “I was so used to, on the East Coast especially, a lifestyle that was fast-paced. For me, I had to adjust to that. I had to be like, ‘Dude, you don’t have to get this done right now.’ You can be more personable.

“I think I’m doing a better job of adjusting to it. You don’t have to do everything right at this minute. You can take the time to evaluate something, make sure it’s done the right way. It’s definitely a place for me right now. I really enjoy it. I don’t see myself being anywhere else right now.”

Monroe grew up around summer league baseball, going to Cape Cod League games as a child.

“My family had a vacation house on the Cape,” he said. “It was real easy at 8, 9, 10 years old, to walk across the street and watch a game.”

The opportunities he’s had with the summer leagues are something he wants players who are considering playing professional baseball to experience.

“In my playing career, I wasn’t good enough to play collegiate summer ball,” Monroe said. “So if you’re one of these guys that say you want to take the summer off, well, number 1, you’re missing the opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. Number two, you say you want to play professional baseball but you don’t want to play another 60 games after playing 40 games of college ball, well, you’re lying to yourself.

“What’s it going to be? If you can’t play 80 games between college and summer ball, but you think you can get up for 162 (in Major League Baseball), it’s not happening. It’s a great privilege and a great opportunity to do this, so you may want to think twice before saying no.”

Oreskovich’s approach is for his players to have fun while working on their games, and Monroe shares that.

“The big thing is we want you to go back to school better than when you came to us this summer,” he said. “If we send you back to your school and you’re better than you were when you got here, then we did what we’re supposed to.

“The game rewards the players who go about their business every day. My college coach used to say that to me all of the time. He’d always say the best players are the ones who are most consistent. And consistency isn’t just your play. It’s your approach to the game. Are you a good teammate, are you good to the fans, are you good to that little kid who wants that signed baseball? When your host family asks you to respect your home, are you doing those things to the best of your ability? That’s all part of the process.”

The process Monroe has experienced has taken him to different places. It’s all about figuring things out.

“That’s how life works,” he said.

Photo: Bees assistant coach Chris Monroe (right) talks with Charlie Terrill during a game last week. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By John Bohnenkamp

A team that just came together over the weekend is going to have its growing pains.

That was evident in the Burlington Bees’ 8-7 loss to the Quincy Gems in Thursday’s Prospect League game at Community Field.

Quincy (1-1) scored five runs in the eighth inning after the Bees (1-1) had built a 7-3 lead and seemed in control of the game.

“Those games happen,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said.

The Gems put pressure on after going down in order in the first two innings. They scored three runs in the third inning, and had runners in scoring position in the next four innings but didn’t score.

That changed in the eighth. Gabe Swansen homered to left field to bring Quincy within 7-4. Bees reliever Nick Tampa gave up a double and two walks to load the bases, and Oreskovich replaced him with Jaxon Ingram (0-1). Ingram gave up a broken-bat grounder to Lucas Loos for the first out, with Logan Voth scoring. Then Matthew Batts had a two-run double to tie the game, then Ingram gave up a single to Zach Stewart, and Quincy had the lead.

“That’s on me,” Oreskovich said. “I put Jaxon Ingram in a tough situation. I thought he pitched really well. But bases loaded, no one out, that’s a tough situation. That’s on me. I would like to, ideally, not put him in a bases-loaded, no-out situation.”

Oreskovich said he is still learning about his pitchers.

“I just met these kids, and watched them in real life — not on video — just a week ago,” Oreskovich said. “It’s just learning — what guys can handle what situations, what guys we want in certain situations. We’re still looking for our 4, 5 and maybe sixth starter right now, so that’s why you haven’t seen some of these guys pitch yet. We’re just trying to work through — we’ll have a better idea with the pitching by next week.”

The Bees got two shutout innings from reliever C.J. Lewis. Lewis allowed two hits and walked three while striking out two.

Lewis pitched just 3 1/3 innings at Toledo this season.

“I was very impressed with C.J. Lewis,” Oreskovich said. “He started working on a new arm slot this year, and he’s trying to figure it out. I was really impressed with him.”

The Bees, who scored 15 runs in Wednesday’s season opener, built their lead over the first five innings, but had just two baserunners over the last four innings.

“It’s timely hitting,” Oreskovich said. “You get a base hit here or there with runners in scoring position, move guys over, and you score runs, you have a better chance to win games. We just didn’t get that tonight. That’s OK. That’s baseball.”

Quincy’s Cael Kolacia (1-0) was the winning pitcher, allowing three hits in 4 2/3 innings.

The Bees have Friday off, then play a doubleheader at Normal on Saturday.

Photo: Bees reliever C.J. Lewis threw two scoreless innings in Thursday’s loss to Quincy. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By John Bohnenkamp

A.J. Henkle’s college baseball season ended in his first at bat in the first game.

The bat flip as his seventh-inning grand slam left Community Field capped his return.

Henkle hit for the cycle, driving in six runs in the Burlington Bees’ 15-5 win over the Quincy Gems in the Prospect League opener for both teams on Wednesday night.

Henkle was 4-for-5 on a night when the Bees had 18 hits. He had an RBI double in the first inning, a single in the fourth, and a run-scoring triple in the fifth.

When he hit in the seventh, he knew what was on the line.

“It was definitely in my head,” Henkle said. “But I wasn’t swinging for it or anything.”

Henkle turned on what he called a “nice inside fastball” from Gems reliever Kolby Kiser, launching a home run to deep left field.

Henkle took three steps as he watched his home run that ended the game on the 10-run rule, then he flipped his bat while his teammates celebrated.

Henkle, a sophomore at Illinois-Chicago, tore a tendon in his left thumb in the Flames’ season opener at New Mexico State on February 18. He sat out the rest of the season, and was cleared to play for the Bees last week.

“He texted me, said, ‘I’m all cleared, O,’” said Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, who was a coach at McHenry County College when Henkle played there. “I was like, ‘I can’t wait.’”

“Just taking the field, it felt amazing,” Henkle said. “All of the hits, none of that mattered. Just running out there, that’s what really felt good.”

Henkle played for the Bees last season, and knew he wanted to return this summer.

“Coach O, I’ve known him since he was young,” Henkle said. “My host family last year was great. I knew the situation here would be good. I’d get a lot of (at bats).”

“I’ve known A.J. since he was a little guy,” Oreskovich said. “I’ve always wanted him to play for me.”

Henkle also threw out Quincy’s Andrew Fay at the plate after Gabe Swansen’s fourth-inning single.

“He was throwing about 93, 94, from the outfield back (at McHenry County),” Oreskovich said. “I knew he had it in him. And I know that’s his favorite thing to do besides hit.”

The Prospect League offers opportunities to players who didn’t get a lot of playing time this season, and Henkle wasn’t the only one taking advantage.

Bees first baseman Weston Fulk, who took a redshirt year at Iowa this season as a freshman, went 3-for-4 and drove in a run.

Starting pitcher Jared Townsend, who didn’t play at Iowa Western Community College this season after suffering a foot injury, threw 80 pitches in three innings, allowing four hits and four runs while striking out five.

Oreskovich said he wanted to keep Townsend around 50-60 pitches.

Townsend was at 60 pitches when he gave up a flyout to left field with runners on first and second with one out in the second inning. He was backing up the play at third base when Oreskovich advised him of the pitch count.

“I said, ‘You’re at 60,’ and he basically (waved it off), said, ‘I’m good,’” Oreskovich said, smiling. “In the dugout after that inning, he was like, ‘I want one more.’”

Steven Escarcega, who didn’t pitch this season at Hawaii Pacific, threw a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one hit while striking out one.

Townsend got a cushion because of the Bees’ five-run first inning. They added one more run in the third, three in the fourth and two in the fifth.

Adrian Nery (1-0) was the winning pitcher. Bennett Stice (0-1) took the loss.

Every Bees hitter got at least one hit. Charlie Terrill had three hits, while Chase Honeycutt and Sam Monroe had two. 

Oreskovich said he’s known he would have a good offensive team since the players arrived for their first workouts last weekend.

“Our guys have taken unbelievable BP in the last three days, four days, however long we’ve been here,” he said. “What I’ve preached since I’ve got here is these guys having fun. And when you’re having fun, you’re relaxed, and you’ll actually do well. That’s the mindset I’m trying to build in these kids this summer.”

Box score

Photo: A.J. Henkle (left) is greeted by Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich after a grand slam to end Wednesday’s 15-5 win over the Quincy Gems. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By John Bohnenkamp

Playing for the Burlington Bees in the Prospect League last season was the finale of Jack Gray’s playing career.

It turned out to be the beginning of his coaching career.

The Burlington native spent this college season as the pitching coach at Carl Sandburg College. And he’s back with the Bees this summer, this time as the team’s pitching coach.

“I love it,” Gray said. “No place I’d rather be right now.”

Gray has a deep family connection with the Bees, dating to when the Bees were a franchise in the Class A Midwest League. Ed Larson, Gray’s grandfather, was a long-time Midwest League executive and also was president of the Burlington Baseball Association. Larson died in 2019 during the final season for the Bees in the Midwest League.

Gray played in college, starting at Carl Sandburg College before concluding his career at Western Illinois University last season. And when he finished with the Bees last season, his playing days were over and his coaching career was set to begin.

Gray didn’t hesitate when new Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, who was an assistant with the team last season, called Gray and asked him if he wanted to be on his staff.

“It took me about five seconds to say yes,” Gray said. “It was just a perfect fit, with all of the history with my family with the Bees.

“It was nice to end my playing time here, just because with my grandpa and everything, there’s been such a tradition here. And with it being the first year in a new league, it just worked perfectly. It was a lot of fun here. Having my career end here, I wouldn’t want it to end anywhere else.”

Now Gray has shifted into a new role.

“He is very willing and wants to learn to be a coach,” Oreskovich said. “I wanted to give him that opportunity, teach him some of the things I’ve learned, especially after being an assistant coach here.”

Gray’s coaching career was launched in between games of a doubleheader between the Bees and the Normal CornBelters last season. Carl Sandburg head coach Josh Foreman, who was an assistant with CornBelters, asked Gray if he wanted to join his staff. Gray, whose college playing career included playing for Foreman at Carl Sandburg, thought it was a great opportunity.

“I learned a lot,” he said. “It’s a bit of a jump going from player to coach right away.

“One of the main things I learned is that basically not everyone is going to learn the exact same thing the exact same way. Some guys are going to interpret it a little differently.”

Gray took a hands-off approach working with the Sandburg pitchers, and he’s going to do the same thing with the Bees.

“I’m not a big ‘I’ve got to change all of your mechanics’ guy,” Gray said. “I threw weird, so if they’re comfortable throwing weird and they can throw strikes and be efficient, why not? If it works for them, I’ll fine-tune what I can, but let them be comfortable with what they’re doing.

“With the summer league, I’ll do a little bit of instruction. But basically, a lot of the guys are here to get innings — either they didn’t get to play a lot in the spring, or they want to work on something and this is a perfect time to work on it. I’ll let them work on their own, and if they need some help, I’ll be there to help them.”

Eight of Gray’s teammates from last season have returned. Being their coach will be an adjustment, Gray said.

“They know I’m a coach now, and they respect that,” Gray said. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re still friends of mine. It is a little weird coaching your friends. But from what I’ve seen, they’re going to listen to me exactly like a coach.”

“It will be good for Jack to be our pitching coach,” said Bees assistant coach Chris Monroe, who was Gray’s pitching coach at Western Illinois. “He’s going to learn his own style on how to do things, how he wants things done. And there’s no better place to do it than a few blocks down the street from his house. You can’t beat that.”

It is that connection, and the fact that he’s still wearing a Bees uniform, that made this a perfect place for Gray.

“Kind of keeping it in the family,” Gray said. “I know my grandpa would like it. I figure he’s somewhere watching all of this and smiling.”

Photo: Jack Gray (right) signs an autograph for a fan after a game last season at Community Field. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By John Bohnenkamp

Owen Oreskovich said putting together the Burlington Bees’ roster was a lot like putting together a college baseball team, something he has done as an assistant coach.

Now that the Bees’ manager got his players, though, he wants them to approach this summer as if they were on a professional team, something he learned last year as an assistant coach with the team in the Prospect League.

“(Former Bees manager) Gary (McClure) ran it like a pro team,” Oreskovich said. “And I really liked that from a summer aspect. I’m not your school’s coach — I’m not going to have a stretching program, that kind of stuff. You do what you’ve got to do — whatever you do at school, you go do it, however much time you need. You want me to go throw (batting practice), I’ll go throw it. Come ask. I’m a personable guy.

“I’m going to run it like a pro team runs things. I just want these kids to have fun. That’s what baseball is about, in a good league. Treat them like pro baseball players.”

The Bees open the season on Wednesday night against the Quincy Gems at Community Field.

Oreskovich said finding players was similar to his job as an assistant at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids.

“It’s just the same old thing I do every day,” he said. “It’s just recruiting.”

Still, Oreskovich had to scramble in the days before the team reported to Community Field this weekend to find the final pieces to the 30-man roster.

“It’s tougher to find arms nowadays,” Oreskovich said. “But I found some guys and I really think we have a good team here.”

Eight players are back from last season’s team, which was in its first year in the Prospect League.

Finding the rest of the roster required some work.

“It’s all about asking coaches, people you know,” Oreskovich said. “Some of the kids, you see them on Twitter, you reach out to them. That’s how you do a lot of baseball recruiting these days. You go on (social media), you see video. And you reach out to them.”

A look at the Bees’ roster:

PITCHERS

Steven Escarcega (RHP, Hawaii Pacific) — Has not pitched this season.

Weston Fulk (LHP, Iowa) — Redshirted this season for the Hawkeyes. A first-team all-state selection in Iowa last summer after going 6-3 with a 2.42 ERA at Ankeny High School, where he was teammates with Iowa pitcher Brody Brecht. Can play first base as well.

Devin Holmes (LHP, Highland CC) — 1-0 in eight appearances. Struck out 15 in 10 ⅔ innings.

Jaxon Ingram (RHP, Texas Wesleyan) — 1-0 in three appearances this season.

Ian Landreneau (RHP, Texas Wesleyan) — 3-5 with a 5.59 ERA in 14 appearances. He has 34 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings.

C.J. Lewis (RHP, Toledo) — 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA in three appearances this season.

Cauy Massner (RHP, Iowa Wesleyan) — Only local players on the team — graduated from Mediapolis High School. 

Kyle Maurer (RHP, Fort Wayne) — 0-0 with a 10.03 ERA in 13 appearances. Maurer pitched in four games for the Bees last season.

Osvaldo Mendez (LHP, Alabama State) — 5-2 with a 4.83 ERA. Struck out 62 in 50 ⅓ innings. Pitching for the Puerto Rico U23 team, and will join the team in late June.

Garrett Moltzan (RHP, Texas Wesleyan) — 3-1 with a 3.71 ERA in 20 appearances, with 58 strikeouts in 51 innings. Went 1-3 with a 6.81 ERA for the Bees last season.

Adrian Nery (RHP, Morton College) — 2-2 with a 7.03 ERA. Struck out 20 in 24 ⅓ innings.

Owen Rice (LHP, McHenry County CC) — 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA, with 37 strikeouts in 30 innings.

Nick Tampa (RHP, Morton College) — 1-0 with 1 save in 5 appearances. Struck out 10 in 6 ⅓ innings.

Jared Townsend (LHP, Iowa Western CC) — Hasn’t played this season, but will be the Bees’ Opening Day starter.

Paolo Zavala (RHP, Morton College) — 5-1 with a 3.72 ERA, with 29 strikeouts in 38 ⅔ innings.

CATCHERS

Chase Honeycutt (Jones College) — Hit .171 with 2 home runs and 15 runs batted in. Hit .261 with 14 RBIs for the Bees last season.

Brady Logan (Northwest Mississippi CC) — Hit .308 with 1 home run and 17 RBIs.

Ben Tallman (Iowa) — Hit .244 in 35 games with the Hawkeyes, with 1 home run and 11 RBIs.

INFIELDERS

Trey Adams (Northeastern JC) — Hit .353 with 4 home runs and 33 RBIs. Has 16 stolen bases.

Tucker Cole (Black Hawk College) — Hit .224 with 2 home runs and 18 RBIs.

Dawson Estep (Connors State College) — Hit .313 in 9 games.

Joey Fitzgerald (Harper College) — Hit .262 with 2 home runs and 20 RBIs. Hit .218 with the Bees last season.

Ryan Grace (Quinnipiac) — Redshirted this season.

Kevin Santiago (Texas Wesleyan) — Hit .352 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs. Has a .697 slugging percentage and a .420 on-base percentage. Hit .271 with 7 home runs and 27 RBIs for the Bees last season.

Charlie Terrill (McHenry County CC) — Hit .214 with 1 home run and 7 RBIs.

OUTFIELDERS

Brandon Bickford (Mount Mercy) — Hit .233 with 1 home run and 8 RBIs.

A.J. Henkle (Illinois-Chicago) — Has played in one game this season. Hit .233 with 1 home run and 7 RBIs last season for the Bees.

Sam Monroe (Southeastern CC) — Hit .283 for the Blackhawks with 4 home runs and 32 RBIs. Hit .267 for the Bees last season.

Spencer Nivens (Missouri State) — Hitting .352 with 9 home runs and 48 RBIs in 57 games. Has a .972 OPS. Will join the team after playing in the NCAA tournament with the Bears.

Lincoln Riley (Eastern Illinois) — Hit .283 with 2 home runs and 21 RBIs. Hit .237 with 3 home runs and 26 RBIs for the Bees last season.

Photo: Burlington Bees outfielder Sam Monroe makes a catch in a game last season. Monroe is one of eight players returning from last season’s team. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By John Bohnenkamp

Owen Oreskovich said it was an easy decision to take the job as the Burlington Bees manager in the Prospect League this season.

Oreskovich, who was a coach with the Bees last season, is a full-time assistant at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids. But Oreskovich enjoyed his time in Burlington, and the chance to manage a team in the college summer league was too good to pass up.

“I enjoyed my time here last year,” Oreskovich said at the Bees’ spring banquet on Friday night. “Burlington’s a great town, you’ve got a great front office here, good place to be, good people to be around. It wasn’t a hard answer.”

The challenge for Oreskovich has been putting together a roster for this season.

Oreskovich already has 22 players signed for this summer, but is still trying to complete his pitching staff.

“We basically have a full position player roster set already,” he said. “Just looking to add eight or nine arms.”

Oreskovich said several players from last season’s team are coming back — position players Lincoln Riley (.237), A.J. Henkle (.233), Chase Honeycutt (.261), Kevin Santiago (.271, 7 home runs), Joey Fitzgerald (.218) and Sam Monroe (.267), along with pitcher Garrett Moltzan (1-3, 6.81 ERA).

Oreskovich has gotten help finding players from new Bees pitching coach Jack Gray, who is working at Carl Sandburg College this season after finishing his college career last season at Western Illinois. And other players have tipped him off to friends or players they have seen.

“Some guys will text me and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got this buddy here,’” Oreskovich said. “So I’ll tell them I’ll check them out, see if it’s someone we want. And we’ve been able to find some guys like that.”

He’s also gotten help from Mount Mercy head coach Jack Dahm, who manages the Clinton LumberKings in the Prospect League as well.

“Coach Dahm’s been doing this a long time,” said Oreskovich, who also played at Mount Mercy. “He knows all there is to know, and he’s a great guy to lean on for help.”

Oreskovich wants a full roster, because he knows it can be a long season.

“I learned that you’ve got to give these kids a little bit of a break once in a while,” he said. “I want to have a few more position players and pitchers. It’s a long season. Some of these kids will play a full college season, that’s about 50 games. And then they’ll come here and play 60. Big-leaguers do it, but that’s all they do. They don’t have school or anything else.

“So, I want to be there for them, guide them, let them have some fun. Let them enjoy themselves. To me, that’s what summer baseball is for. It’s still competitive, you want to win. But all of the things you learn here — getting to meet new guys, living with host families, getting to know the fans — those are things that can last a lifetime.”

Photo: Bees third-base coach Owen Oreskovich (right) congratulates A.J. Henkle after a home run last season. Oreskovich will be the Bees’ manager this season, while Henkle will return for a second season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)