When Mark Bonshak looked around the scholastic sports landscape at Whitehall High School, he saw an area that was overlooked when it came time to celebrating its history.

Football has homecoming where alumni would converge to reminisce and watch a game, while basketball season had its Hall of Fame ceremony with a banquet and a tribute to former athletes during the game.

But baseball?

Baseball didn't have anything that bridged the current varsity game with its past.

With that as his motivation, Bonshak set out to rectify that situation and decided to establish an event that would bring together Zephyr baseball alumni and Youth Baseball Leagues from all the parks and playgrounds in Whitehall and Coplay. He saw a need and wanted to create something that would link the past and the present, as well as build into the future.

"Every other organization has something, but baseball's never really done anything," said Bonshak who is an assistant varsity baseball coach at Whitehall.

Hence, he's initiating the first annual alumni game that will take place at Schadt Avenue Complex, beginning May 11. It's part of a weekend celebration that will also include an invitation to watch the current varsity players host Pleasant Valley High School, as well as an alumni game that's bound to bring out competitive juices.

While the details are still being hammered out, Bonshak said that the primary focus is to gather as many members of the Whitehall High School baseball family and spend a weekend playing, watching, and enjoying baseball.

"We're just trying to create something and bring back the members who've played baseball," said Bonshak, a 1982 graduate.

One of the highlights of the alumni affair is a breakfast social that's going to kick off the weekend. It's going to be free for those who attend and will be a good way for former players and their families to mix.

"What we really want to do, is create a good family environment," said Bonshak.

Bonshak said that the Schadt Avenue Park, Playground, Athletic & Recreation Association (SAPPARA) will be donating the use of the facilities, including the two ball fields. Sunday May 12th is another component of the alumni celebration as Bonshak has proposed a "marathon" baseball game that will begin at dawn and end at dusk.

Bonshak harkened back to his days playing college baseball at Bloomsburg University for this inspiration, with the game featuring current varsity and junior varsity ballplayers playing from sun up to sun down on Sunday. The game will also serve as a fundraiser, as individuals can sponsor innings or simply make a donation, with the proceeds benefiting the baseball program.

"This is going to be totally towards baseball," said Bonshak.

Right now they're compiling a list of former players with the aid of Athletic Director Robert Hartman and intern Jon Byrne. Their goal is to reach as many players as possible and get them informed about the alumni event.

After the breakfast social, the former players are invited to take the short trek to the high school to watch the Zephyrs host Pleasant Valley on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

On April 28th the Varsity and JV teams will run an "Opening Day Clinic and Tour" for the Youth Leagues of Whitehall and Coplay. Bonshak said they'll run the kids through drills and teach them the fundamentals of the game, tour the field house and the lockeroom. Bonshak said, "These kids are our future and we as a baseball team want to give back to each Park and Playground from which our Players came up through and promote the sport of Baseball in our Community".

Bonshak said it's bound to be a busy weekend and he hopes that they'll get a big turnout for this inaugural event. With the help of SAPPARA, he said they'll have a great venue to kick off the event, making it as family-friendly as possible. He also said they'll be working in conjunction with the booster club to coordinate this event, as well as the support and assistance of head coach Shaun O'Boyle.

"We want to bring the Whitehall [baseball] community back together," said Bonshak.

Anyone interested is asked to get in touch with the Whitehall Athletic Office at hartmanb@whitehallcoplay.org.