CONGRATULATIONS TO DAN HAMKER FOR WINNING THE 2023 JACKET AWARD!

The North Ridgeville Baseball League, Inc. recognizes an outstanding volunteer each year by bestowing "The Jacket Award." It takes an army of volunteers each season to make the league a success and the leagues wishes to honor those who go above and beyond in making that a reality.

We are proud to announce that this year, Dan Hamker! Congratulations to Dan for winning this year's award!

Here is Dan Hamker's winning nomination:

• I would like to nominate Dan Hamker for the Jacket Award. Dan has spearheaded/volunteered for numerous improvement projects at Palmer Field in 2022 to include replacing the wood stairs or rails on both Field 1 and Field 2. Dan utilizes his resources to remove and dispose of bulk materials from the park which save the league potential money in hiring someone to do it. Dan has also volunteered multiple times to attend the county board meetings on Sundays so the NRBL has someone in attendance. I feel that Dan Hamker epitomizes what the Jacket Award is and should be all about.

Here are the other 4 nominees, along with their nominations:

Terry Banks

• Terry truly goes above and beyond to ensure that every game has umpires scheduled. Throughout this past season I, as a coach, had other (away) teams comment how shocked they were that Palmer Field was providing 2 umpires at games as most other fields were only providing one per game. I think every coach would love to have 2 umpires at every one of their games and Terry made that happen more often then not when teams were playing at Palmer Field.  Not only is he great at scheduling the umpires, but he is really good with working with all of the umpires crazy schedules. He reaches out to them throughout the season to ensure all is well and is very welcoming and helpful with new umpires.  We are very luck to have him at Palmer Field and I’d love to see him honored with this award to show how thankful everyone is of him and how awesome he is at what he does! 
• Despite the challenges with umpire staffing, Terry did an exceptional job. He was always getting games covered with the best, most qualified umpires, allowing our youth baseball players to be able to play their games. In addition, the he would always go the extra mile with a younger umpire to make sure they had a great experience. If he wasn't umpiring, you could always find him in the stand where he was always to willing to jump in and lend a helping hand. Terry really stepped up to the plate this year and was a true asset.
• Terry has been the NRBL head umpire for several year. Over that time he has revolutionized not only the scheduling process, but has put in place a mentorship system that has resulted in several new umpires becoming great officials. Terry also will never hesitate to jump in the stand or help out wherever it is needed. He can often be found peddling pickles, pretzels and all other items in the stand. He also keeps the board on their toes by never knowing what he will say next. He is a true embodiment of what an ideal volunteer and friend are and he truly deserves this prestigious honor. 

Ben Gunvalsen

• He did a fantastic job in the stand and coaching this year. Ben is one of the greatest most dedicated friends anyone could ever have. Ben dedication to palmer and the success of the stand is truly a great thing to see. 

Kevin Greiner

• Kevin was always the 1st to volunteer to go the extra mile, whether it was blowing dugouts or working the concession stand, he was always willing to donate his time. 

Gary Brown

• Gary has served as a coach in the organization for over 12 years. In that time he has always been a shining of example of "doing it the right way." He places importance on winning but more importantly he stresses growth and fun. His teams are always respectful of the game, teammates, opponents and officials. In addition, he gives freely of his time to help at Palmer to ensure that the restrooms are always clean, all while running his own business. Gary is a most deserving recipient of this award.
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Please take a moment to congratulate Dan Hamker, as well as all those who were nominated!