Minor League Baseball Is In Full Swing With The Jamestown Tarp Skunks

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Shaniel Maldonado-Martinez, 19, takes the mound for the Jamestown Tarp Skunks in relief on a hot day for minor league baseball.

Maldonado-Martinez is originally from the Dominican Republic. His family still lives there and is proud of what he has accomplished.

“They always supported me,” Maldonado-Martinez said. “I was one of the first in the family to leave the country and play the sport I love.”

His love for sports began at age 9. He spent his high school years playing for St. Benedict Prep in New Jersey before joining the Tarp Skunks, part of the Perfect Game Collegiate League, comprised entirely of New York teams, stretching from Jamestown to Amsterdam.

He and other players from around the country live in the dorms at Jamestown Community College, his home away from home.

“The teammates. The coach. The staff. It’s like family. It feels like home. They open the door for you. It’s great,” Maldonado-Martinez said.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the team’s owner was going to move it to the Midwest, which would have marked the end of an 80-year baseball tradition in Jamestown.

That’s when a group of local investors, including the man whose name is on the stadium, Russ Diethrick, came together at the urging of attorney and baseball enthusiast Greg Peterson to form Jamestown Community Baseball, LLC. They took ownership of the stadium, keeping the franchise in town.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” Peterson said. “The community came together. They came together for a common goal: to provide summer baseball as affordable entertainment for our community.”

They also work to keep baseball both affordable and accessible.

“Just being able to meet the people in this community makes this whole experience a lot more fun for the players, for the coaches and for everyone involved,” said Tarp Skunks interim head coach Ryan Hill.

That includes Maldonado-Martinez, who hopes to one day play for the New York Yankees. In the meantime, he’s grateful for the opportunities that come his way.

“It’s awesome to look around and see all these people you know yelling about the team and yelling your name or your number, it’s amazing,” Maldonado-Martinez said.

And in case you were wondering where the team name comes from, News Spectrum 1 learned that a number of skunks can literally be found living in the tarp that protects the infield when it rains.