The University of Kentucky and the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League have a relationship spanning the seven years the PGCBL has been a destination for collegiate summer baseball. Beginning with the Amsterdam Mohawks, Kentucky’s former head coach Gary Henderson’s son, Alex, played for Amsterdam in 2005, starting one of the most prevalent relationships between school and summer team in Perfect Game League history.

“Typically we get their best freshman,” said Amsterdam president Brian Spagnola. “Gary came up a couple times to visit and liked how we took good care of the kids, and started sending some of his better guys here.”

Once the connection was formed, the Mohawks have since received over 10 Kentucky players, including Logan Darnell, current Major Leaguer Luke Maile, Chris Bisson, Chandler Shepherd, Kyle Barrett, JaVon Shelby, Riley Mahan, Zach Logue and a handful of other Wildcats.

The relations between Kentucky and the PGCBL soon spread, as Kentucky’s former assistant and current Mississippi State volunteer coach, Mike Brown, coached in Amsterdam during the 2013 season and took to the atmosphere in Elmira. Elmira has since reaped the benefits by receiving several notable Kentucky players, including 2017 SEC Pitcher of the Year Sean Hjelle. 

Hjelle posted a 3-1 record in eight starts with a 3.06 ERA over 44 innings for the 2016 Elmira Pioneers. The 6-foot-11 righty struck out 42 and gave up just one run and eight hits in his last three appearances, while striking out 23 in 24 innings. He topped off his summer throwing a complete-game shutout in the PGCBL playoffs, giving up two hits and striking out six.

“For me, my favorite part of the experience were the fans in Elmira,” said Hjelle. “I thought they were awesome. We had at least 2,000, if not 2,500 people a night, and they were just excited to be at the ballpark and hang out with their family and just watch a baseball game.”

During the 2016 summer, Hjelle was joined by teammates Storm Wilson and Zeke Lewis in Elmira, with Austin Keen pitching for Amsterdam. While the development on the field preceded one of the most dominant campaigns on the mound for any college pitcher in 2017, the relationships formed with players from across the country were just as much a part of the overall experience for Hjelle.

“I still talk to a fair amount of guys from that team. I grew close with a couple guys from Wofford, and coach Hill keeps in contact and sends me messages and congratulations every once in while. So just having those relationships in the future, that’s why you do it.”

From a developmental standpoint, the pitchers in Elmira had the opportunity to learn from one of the best, in head coach coach Matt Burch, who was a first-round pick of the Kansas City Royals in 1998 out of Virginia Commonwealth University.

“For me [it was about] enjoying the experience and taking in different perspectives, pitching especially, with coach Burch up there,” said Hjelle. “He was a big pitcher back in his day, and knows a lot about pitching. And also just talking with players and their approach, which may be different than yours, and just trying to learn and key off that. There’s just so many different minds up there, and going back and taking that all in and just trying to make it unique to yourself, and going out there and taking what you learned, and making the best of it [is what I wanted to do].”

A little help from an intricate college coaching web, starting with John Cohen’s coaching tree, has since spread the Perfect Game League name around the SEC, leading to more players from Auburn and Mississippi State, with Henderson now the pitching coach for the Bulldogs.

Coaching changes have also further strengthened the relationship the PGCBL has with Kentucky, as former Maryland associate head coach Jimmy Belanger is now the pitching coach at Kentucky—the PGCBL is a long-time recipient of Maryland players.

“They know what we do and how well we take care of the kids,” said Spagnola about the recent influx of Power Five conference players. “Kentucky wanted to continue it, and that’s where we got T.J. Collett this year.”

Sean Hjelle pitched for Elmira in 2016 (Photo: Lexi Woodcock)