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May 22, 2022 By George Von Benko for The 5 min read

Former Belle Vernon Area baseball standout Eric Lind had pro baseball aspirations, but unfortunately those dreams were derailed because of injury.

鈥淚 got started when I was seven or eight years old like most kids,鈥� Lind stated. 鈥淚t was mainly baseball at that time. I really didn鈥檛 play basketball until junior high, it wasn鈥檛 like today where they have youth programs for basketball. Football I played one year of midget football and I played in junior high.鈥�

Lind played baseball, basketball and football at Belle Vernon.

鈥淚 played two years of varsity football,鈥� Lind said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 play my senior year because I wanted to concentrate on baseball and basketball.鈥�

In 1984 Belle Vernon posted a record of 0-9-1 on the gridiron. In 1985 Lind蘑菇视频 junior season the Leopards went 5-5.

鈥淢y sophomore year Chuck Machesky was the football coach and my junior season Bill Connor was head coach,鈥� Lind recalled. 鈥淚 was behind Scott Zolak one season and Jim Eley was starting quarterback my junior season. I didn鈥檛 see the field behind those two. I moved around and played a little bit of tight end and worked out on defense at safety.鈥�

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Lind also played basketball for coach Don Asmonga. His junior season BVA was 2-20 and in 1986-87 as a senior Lind was on a squad that finished 6-18. Lind tallied 79 points as a reserve his junior season. Coming off the bench as a senior he scored 98 points including back-to-back 15-point efforts against Laurel Highlands and Upper St. Clair.

鈥淢y junior year we didn鈥檛 have any seniors, so we were young,鈥� Lind said. 鈥淢y senior year I guess we under achieved.鈥�

Coach Don Asmonga coached basketball and baseball at that time for Belle Vernon.

鈥淚 had a good relationship with coach Asmonga,鈥� Lind stated.

On the baseball diamond was where the lefty hurler Lind shined brightest. He was on Leopard teams that went 12-8 in Section 2 his junior campaign and 10-8 in 1987. One of the bright spots for Lind occurred on April 23, 1986, when he tossed a two-hitter as Belle Vernon upset Laurel Highlands, 6-1.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 make the playoffs my junior and senior seasons,鈥� Lind said. 鈥淚 had a handful of pro scouts contact me and a couple showed up at games we played. I had a good fastball and decent curve. I was a power pitcher.鈥�

Lind was All-Section 2 as a senior.

鈥淚t was nice to be named All-Section,鈥� Lind stated. 鈥淐onnellsville was loaded, Laurel Highlands was loaded and Uniontown had a good team. We had a really tough section.鈥�

Lind played for Belle Vernon American Legion in 1986 and Charleroi American Legion in 1987.

鈥淟egion ball was great back then,鈥� Lind offered. 鈥淚t was a good brand of baseball, it蘑菇视频 not that way anymore with all the travel leagues, but it was a good brand of baseball. I also played in the Mon Valley Collegiate League for Belle Vernon in 1988. I also played for Dearth in the Fayette County League. That was a good league, a very good mix of older players and younger players.鈥�

When Lind graduated from Belle Vernon he was courted by some schools with scholarship offers.

鈥淭he recruiting process for baseball back then is not like it is today,鈥� Lind explained. 鈥淭hen it was word of mouth, it was really different. I ended up going to Garrett College in Maryland because Jim Farkas went there. He was from Belle Vernon and he talked me into visiting Garrett and I liked it.鈥�

Lind pitched two seasons at Garrett and statistics are hard to find. He had some arm issues that hampered him.

鈥淚 think it was a good decision to go to Garrett,鈥� Lind said. 鈥淚 was nursing an elbow injury and I was unsure about my future in baseball. I did OK there, but I spent a lot of time in the trainers room. We weren鈥檛 bad. We were over .500 both years, but we didn鈥檛 make the playoffs.

鈥淚 did some starting and was OK and I鈥檇 make it to about the fourth or fifth inning until my arm would act up. They then turned me into a closer. It was a switch for me, but it was my opportunity to get on the field and be successful. It was the back end of my second year and I had some success in that role.

鈥淭he scouts backed off because of my injury issues. There was no opportunity for pro baseball. I ended up playing County League baseball, just play after I was done with school.鈥�

Lind bounced around at several jobs, but landed at Dick蘑菇视频 Sporting Goods in Smithton, Pa., at the distribution center. He has worked there for 22 years.

鈥淚 got into coaching this past year,鈥� Lind stated. 鈥淚 coached the freshman team at Belle Vernon. I enjoyed it, I have a son that蘑菇视频 15 and having him kind of revitalized my love for baseball. I love teaching him.鈥�

Lind, 54, resides in the Belle Vernon area with his wife Shannon. They have been married 16 years. They have three children: Hayley (20) Parker (15) and Paityn (12).

George Von Benko蘑菇视频 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 蘑菇视频. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.