With Indians’ legend Len Barker taking the mound to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, the Lorain County Ironmen officially began its first season against the Chillicothe Paints.

Between Barker, team co-owner Kevin Rhomberg and hitting coach “Super” Joe Charboneau, it’s not difficult to notice the connections between the Ironmen and the area’s Major League ballclub.

Charboneau, who won the 1980 AL Rookie of the Year, has also been a coach for several Frontier League and minor league teams.

“I hope to mentor (my players) and guide them on their way to the next level,” Charboneau said. “You don’t have to have been in the big leagues to be a good coach, but they do listen a little more intently and trust you a little more.”

One of the most difficult adjustments the Ironmen will have to make between collegiate and Prospect League baseball is from aluminum bats to wood bats.

“You really have to shorten your swing and use you lower body more,” Charboneau said. “It’s just not very forgiving. They can’t drive the ball like they used to, so there’s a period of frustration.”

Having Charboneau on the bench with decades of experience around the game is a great advantage to manager Eric Cormell.

“He’s seen just about everything in baseball that can happen,” Cormell said. “We have a reference point, and any time we see something we can go to him for a remedy. I’m ecstatic about having him as part of my staff.”

Catcher J.T. Feldkamp, who caught Barker’s first pitch before the game, is proud to have such high-caliber influence around the team.

“All these guys know what they are talking about,” he said, “and it’s nice to have them help us get as good as they were.”

Barker spent five seasons with the Tribe, 1979 to 1983, and threw a perfect game in 1981. He still lives in Northeast Ohio and is an assistant coach at Notre Dame College.

“I go around the area, and people recognize me and want to talk about the perfect game,” Barker said. “I enjoy it. It’s something that I will have with me for my whole life.”

Barker thinks the Major League experience associated with the Ironmen will ultimately help develop the team’s young ballplayers “Joe’s a great guy and great at teaching kids,” Barker said. “He’s going to teach them how to hit the ball the right way.”

Rhomberg played in 41 games for the Indians from 1982-1984 and coached for over ten years, including at Cleveland State University.

“Kevin has been around this business for a long time,” Barker said. “He knows what he’s doing, and it will be a lot of fun.”

With Rhomberg and Charboneau, the Ironmen have the advantage of being able to learn from men with not only professional experience, but with experience playing in Cleveland.

Lorain County Ironmen owner Kevin Rhomberg talks about host familys. The Ironmen are in need of host familys for this year's baseball team.

Ironmen owner Kevin Rhomberg talks about season tickets for the Lorain County Ironmen baseball team this year.

LORAIN — There was excitement in the air at the Lorain County Ironmen offices on Thursday as Lorain’s Prospect League team had their open house, hosted by the team’s part-owner Kevin Rhomberg, team manager Eric Cormell and assistant coach Joe Charboneau.

The Prospect League team Ironmen, who formally were named the North Coast Knights last season, was purchased by Rhomberg, a former Cleveland Indian, and partner Bob Schenosky, who runs a Mentor-based company — RS Entertainment LLC. They will play a 56 game schedule with 28 home games played at the Pipe Yard. The league, which is an elite wood bat summer league for college players with at least one year of eligibility, has sent over 175 players to Major League Baseball.

Rhomberg could hardly contain his excitement about the upcoming season. He plans to have fireworks every Friday night, a diamond dig promotion, a food vs. fan promotions sponsored by Mutt and Jeff’s, a Metro Park day, bring your pet to the game day and Snoopy’s 60th Birthday celebration — sponsored by Cedar Point, amongst other promotions throughout the season.

"We’re very excited about it," said Rhomberg, who played his college baseball at Lewis University and then the College of St. Francis before the Indians drafted him in the 14th round in the 1977 amateur baseball draft. "We’re really getting the ball rolling. With the fireworks on the Friday nights and all the events, it will be exciting. We’re really trying to make it the affordable family entertainment at the Pipe Yard."

Rhomberg also has a crew installing a new concession stand underneath the main concourse and a 80x20-foot party deck down the third base line, along with a berm-seating area down the right field line, where you can bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on top of hill.

Eric Cormell, who was selected to manage the team, just completed his second season as assistant coach at Oberlin College. He served as the team’s hitting and base-running instructor and also coached first base. Cormell, a three-sport athlete at the University of Akron, was also the head coach at Nordonia High School for a season. Cormell played four years of professional baseball.

He too is excited about the opportunity.

"I’m kind of in a similar boat as the players," Cormell said. "I’m looking to progress in my career as a coach. Any chance you can get to do summer collegiate baseball where you’re able to work with some of the best players in the country and show what you can do on the field as a manager or a coach, it helps build your resume and furthers your career as well."

Cormell’s main assistant coach will be the ever-popular former Cleveland Indian Joe Charboneau. Charboneau, who made his debut with the Indians in 1980, and finished with a .289 batting average with 23 home runs and 87 RBIs — earning him the American League Rookie of the Year award. His second season was filled with injuries and Charboneau wasn’t able to live up to the hype. Two back surgeries halted the rest of his career and was released in 1983.

His goal is to teach what he wished he knew back then.

"You don’t have to be a number one draft choice to go on from college," Charboneau said. "There’s independent leagues now so there’s a lot more opportunities to play pro ball. I want to give them something from hitting that they can take and use the rest of their career. I was a late-round draft choice, I was released before I made the big leagues. I was out of ball before. There are second and third chances, you just got to keep battling and not to ever give up on your dream."

Charboneau is focused on what he wants to teach.

"My role as Ironmen coach is to really instill some confidence in these kids, make their summer fun, make their summer safe and teach them some stuff and make them better citizens and better baseball players as far as their on-field conduct. Beside that, I want to meet people in Lorain. Get out, support us, it gives you a unique opportunity. Some of these kids you’ll see in this league are going to play in the big leagues someday. It’s a great opportunity to bring your kids, get some autographs, be around some college kids, and just enjoy it."

Season tickets are still available for just $99 for the season. The team is still looking for host families. Host families are needed to house out of town players and will receive a pair of season tickets. If interested in tickets or if you want to be a host family, go to www.lcironmenbaseball.com.

Stay tuned for players and coaches previews, along with a team outlook on the upcoming season of Lorain County Ironmen Baseball.