Little League head steps down after 40 years
Mt. Pleasant is a baseball town.
It’s always been that way and probably always will be that way.
From the storied winning traditions at Central Michigan University to the storied winning traditions at Mt. Pleasant High School and Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart Academy the game of baseball has been a constant source of pride in-and-around Mt. Pleasant dating back decades.
Take a quick ride around town and see all the ballfields, that should tell you something.
Moreover, check out the ballfields in June and July and you’ll probably see a tournament or two arise out of the dust as Mt. Pleasant hosts more baseball and softball tournaments annually than any other town in the state.
Again, Mt. Pleasant is a baseball town.
But there’s more to it than that. Why is Mt. Pleasant a great baseball town?
Well, in short, it comes down to having great leadership, people who care about the game whether it’s Little League or Colt League or Farm League.
People like Jim Maclean. For the past 40 years Maclean has played a pivotal role in making Mt. Pleasant a successful baseball town and baseball destination.
As Union Township Little League President Maclean helped build Macdonald Park and its ballfields up into what they are today, which are excellent Little League ballfields. He’s raised funds for lights and new concession stands and helped build both with his own hands. He’s coached and umpired and played the role of tournament director hundreds of times over the years. And he’s done it all without much fanfare or applause, working for the benefit of others all the while.
In 2021 things are going to be different though as Maclean retired as Union Township Little League President last fall after a four-decade run, leaving the reins to Alex Edwards.
“There’s a good core of people on the (Union Township Little League) board right now, people who have been there a little while,” said Maclean as to why he stepped down last October. “I felt like it was time. My wife and I have not been able to travel during the summer months like we want to, so this will give us more time to do what we want.”
As a league Union Township Little League has been a vital feeder program for the Oilers and Irish and even the Beal City Aggies over the years and will continue to be.
Maclean is a big reason why too as he’s oversaw nearly every aspect of little league baseball for decades.
Maclean started as an assistant coach in 1980 and by 1983 he became Union Township Little League president, a title he held for the next 37 years.
“Bob Sullivan was my mentor and the reason I do all this stuff,” said Maclean, who also played in Union Township Little League in the last 1950s.
“He was in it for the kids and wanted to have the best facilities for the kids.
“That rubbed off on me and I kept at it.”
As for what Maclean will do now, well he’ll still be around, albeit not as much.
“I’ll stay involved and help with maintenance and stuff like that,” he added.
“I’ve had a good run.”