Snappers' spirit spreads throughout the nation

While Beloit may have one of the smallest markets in minor league baseball, its fan base has found a way to extend across the country.

The Central Street Snappers, a summer wiffleball team in Auburn, Mass., have become a league favorite for their stylish game jerseys and T-shirts. Modeling the official Beloit Snappers apparel won the team the best jersey award for the Greater Auburn Wiffleball League (GAWL) this summer.

"We wore the 'Beer Mug' shirts all season and they were a big hit throughout the summer," Central Street Snappers manager Mike Jenkins said. "In the playoffs we switched to the 'Oh Snap' shirts and it definitely won us the best jerseys because people were shocked to see the new ones. No one saw it coming."

It may be surprising to see a group of friends on the East Coast representing a minor league baseball team located 1,040 miles away, but ever since the team discovered Snappy D. Turtle online, the Snappers name has stuck.

Jenkins and teammate Jason Vrusho were researching Major League Baseball farm teams and stumbled upon the Mascot Mania Contest where Snappy D. Turtle was a contestant, and knew they had found a team name.

"We really got big into it once we decided to go with the Snappers name and got the shirts and hats for the uniforms this year," Vrusho said. "That's kind of when we realized to follow the Snappers. I follow them on Twitter and follow the games. We haven't had a chance to go to a game yet, but we've been talking about it though."

For a group of friends that have been playing variations of summer wiffleball together since they were 11 years old, the league represents an annual tradition as important as any other holiday. As friends grow older and move away for college, the GAWL has become the central meeting point for old friends to reconvene and make new memories.

The Central Street Snappers have even added another event to their annual tradition as the Snappers won the first ever Winter Classic - a wiffleball game played in the snow - when the teams returned for Winter Break this year.

"It makes everybody's day on Saturday, every single time. Everyone is sad when the season ends and we have to go back to school and whatnot," Vrusho said. "It's a way to reconnect with all of our pals and even if we're at school, it gives us something to talk about. When we all come back for winter break we play a Winter Classic, it's a lot of fun to play in the snow."

In addition to the actual wiffleball game being played, the Central Street Snappers have utilized social media and their website to enhance the playing experience for everyone involved.

The GAWL website (http://gawltimes.wordpress.com/) consists of game recaps, video highlights, stats, scores, and even videos of friends acting as analysts, dissecting the upcoming matchups. The extensive coverage of the league only adds to the excitement and gives some friends who prefer writing from the sidelines, rather than playing, a creative outlet.

"A couple of our friends are journalism majors and they like to write articles about the games each week," Jenkins said. "They take the media part really seriously and the website is always up to date. It's really nice to look at."

Vrusho added that the online experience is the reason "the league keeps going" and why "everyone stays so interested."

"Everyone is a part of the (website) and the Facebook group. Everyone can talk smack and joke around and start beefs between teams and whatnot," Vrusho said. "But the way the website is set up, as soon as the games are over, one kid will always write up an end of the game recap. I don't know if they do it for schoolwork or just for fun, but everyone in the league enjoys it. You can see how you're doing and see your batting average and ERA."

As the GAWL season winds down and friends begin to pack up and head back to school, the thoughts of next summer already creep through the minds of the players. Until next May, however, they must be satisfied with their online league banter and the satisfaction of representing the Snappers.

"Every single time I put (my Snappers shirts) on, I'll get approached by at least a couple people and they always ask where I get the shirt," Vrusho said. "I always say the Beloit Snappers."