Spending the summer in Omaha
Stone graduate selected to Corn Belt League all-star team
Ed Lee Jr. proved last spring what he could do as a first baseman and clean-up hitter at the NCAA Division II level.
This summer, the 2014 Thomas Stone High School graduate showed that he can be equally effective against players from many different collegiate levels.
After putting up a solid numbers at Goldey-Beacom College (Del.) in his junior season, Lee spent the summer playing for the Omaha Blue Bombers in the Corn Belt Summer Collegiate League.
The former Stone product recently was selected to play in the Corn Belt League all-star game for his strong efforts, The league’s season started in June and ran until the beginning of August.
“It was a huge honor to make the all-star team and get recognized,” said Lee, who has been in Omaha since May 25. “Facing different pitchers from different colleges really helped me grow as a player. It was just an awesome experience to play in this league.”
The all-star game was held at Millard North High School in Omaha on Saturday, but Lee wasn’t able to attend due to flight schedule constraints.
With the Bombers this summer, Lee collected a.288 batting average with 22 hits, five doubles, four triples, 18 RBIs, 14 runs scored and a .382 on-base percentage.
The league consists of five teams based in Omaha and attracted college players from all over the country and various levels.
Each team in the league plays between 30 to 40 games and an Exposure Showcase was available for all players looking to be evaluated for a possible collegiate or professional baseball career.
Lee contributed to the Bombers finishing with a 19-10-2 record. The team finished in first place in the regular season, but fell in the first game of the playoffs.
“The assistant coach [Gene Bowles] when I played at Prince George’s Community College reached out to me about the league and I was uncertain at first because I was going to be [far] away and didn’t know what the level of competition was going to be like,” Lee said. “But once I got here and stayed with my host family I enjoyed every moment of it. This will be an experience that I will never forget.”
Lee’s host was family located in Oakland, Nebraska, about an hour away from Omaha. The family was comprised of mother Amy Guill, father Jarvis Guill, sons Connor and Corbin Guill, and their adopted son Victoria Huerza.
“It was great, they have a giant house that they had built and it is very open, they made me feel at home,” said Lee. “The family was always doing something whether it was cooking on the grill or everyone outside in the pool or playing wiffle ball. So when I wasn’t playing baseball I had the opportunity to do fun things with the family.”
In his first year in the college ranks, Lee attended Division II’s Benedict College in South Carolina, before transferring to P.G. Community College.
Lee then committed to Goldey-Beacom the following year, which turned out to be the perfect fit as he is excited for his senior season next year.
“Benedict just the right fit and another year wasn’t I needed to get stronger and prepare for college baseball,” said Lee, who stands at 6-foot6. “I definitely feel like I’ve come into my own in college. Before college I always needed motivation to put in work and give my 100 percent effort but now I realize you have to put in extra work outside of practice if you want to play.”
Last season at Goldey-Beacom, Lee batted .216 with one homer, 18 RBIs, five doubles and two triples.