NYCBL BASEBALL: Ebers to manage Power
By Nate Beutel
Niagara Gazette

NIAGARA FALLS — The Niagara Power did not have to go far to find its new manager.

Pitching coach Eric Ebers will take the reins of the New York Collegiate Baseball League squad from Sam Kirby effective immediately. Kirby had managed the team since its inception three years ago.

“We made the move based mostly on recruiting,” Power President Cal Kern said Friday. “We need to get better players in here and I believe Eric can do that. He has some great connections in baseball-rich areas.”

Ebers also has an extensive baseball background, pitching at Mississippi State before stops in several independent leagues. Currently, he’s a physical education instructor and modified baseball coach Columbus (Miss.) High School.

“We need to bring in equal talent to the rest of the league,” Ebers said from his Starkville, Miss. home Friday. “We need more depth and more talent really.”

Ebers said he has already sent out mass e-mails to college coaches throughout the country and received positive feedback from a number of areas. He added that the fact the Power is affiliated with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes helps in the deep south.

Recently, Ebers turned down an offer to join the coaching staff at Division I Tennessee-Martin due to his commitment to the Power, his teaching job and his family. That type of dedication is what made Ebers so attractive, Kern said.

“He’s really shown a commitment and passion to really making this thing work,” Kern added. “It’s a year-round thing for him.”

Now, Kern can only hope it leads to more wins on the diamond next summer. The Power has failed to make the playoffs in its short history and had the league’s worst record this past year.

“We want to bring baseball back to Niagara Falls the way it was supposed to be played,” he said. “Our fourth year has to be our most successful year.”