Southern Ohio Copperheads

The Southern Ohio Copperheads is a community-owned, student-operated collegiate summer baseball team based in Athens, Ohio. The team is a member of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL), one of 11 leagues in the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB). In 2018, Southern Ohio won its first and only GLSCL Championship in franchise history.

The Copperheads play their home games at Bob Wren Stadium, which is also the home ballpark of the Ohio Bobcats baseball team. The current executive director is Jake Lietzow , the General Manager of the Copperheads is Nicholas Medvitz , and the head coach of the Copperheads is Rocky Brunty.

The inception of the Southern Ohio Copperheads baseball team began in the spring of 2002, with a conversation between two prominent Ohio University officials. Dr. Andy Kreutzer, director of the sports administration program at Ohio University and Alan Geiger, assistant to the president of Ohio University, began a discussion about summer in Athens, Ohio and the about affordable, family entertainment. Their conversation drifted to other university officials and civic leaders looking for activities in the summer and the idea of a baseball team in Athens started to gain momentum. It picked up when Joe Carbone, head baseball coach Ohio University, recommended the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League because it was coming to town for a weekend in the summer of 2001.

Bob Wren Stadium, the home park of Ohio University baseball, played host to an exhibition game between Team USA and the Great Lakes League All-Stars on July 15, 2001. Nearly 1000 fans attended, and the game was considered a success. Following the game, Dr. Andy Kreutzer stated, “We received a lot of really positive feedback from the all-star game and the success led us to believe that Southern Ohio would support a team."

The small group grew through phone calls and recruitment. John Wharton, former Chairman of the Copperheads Board of Directors, was recruited because of his ties to Ohio University baseball. As a major fundraiser for the Bobcats, he was a natural supporter of a new initiative for summer baseball in Athens.

Dave Palmer, current team general manager and owner of local radio station WXTQ/WATH, wasn't involved at the beginning, but after seeing the exhibition game he became convinced that a baseball team in Athens was a viable idea. "The summer months here are slower paced and more relaxed," Palmer said. "I saw this as an opportunity to bring an athletic event to the summer months that will really enrich the region's life."

The group decided to come together formally at the end of the summer of 2001 and create an organizational structure. The non-profit organization listed three goals for the team: Providing family entertainment in southern Ohio, offering a great opportunity for collegiate players to develop and improve their skill levels, and creating a laboratory learning environment for students at Ohio University. The next step was gaining acceptance into the Great Lakes League as a new franchise, and that word came in September 2001. With acceptance from the league, the board now had just over nine months to make baseball in Athens a reality. A group of eight students, which included three sports administration students, worked closely with the board for eight weeks and produced a business plan.

As the winter months were passing, the team named Scott Googins, then an assistant coach of the Miami Redhawks baseball team, as its first head coach. Googins put his roster together for the new team, while the Board of Directors organized a contest to name the team and after two weeks of suggestions the Copperheads was chosen as the team's name. Local artist Tad Gallaugher was called upon to create the logo that would grace the team's uniforms, caps, and merchandise.