OLEAN — The Olean Oilers, fresh off making the announcement that they will be joining the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL), are set to unveil Mike Threehouse as the franchise’s next head coach.
The former St. Bonaventure baseball player and long-time softball coach is set to lead the Oilers into the future and according to team president Matthew Fidurko, they could not be more thrilled he said yes.
“We think Mike Threehouse was the perfect candidate,” Fidurko said. “He checks a lot of boxes. First, what we were looking for in our first head coach going into the Perfect Game League was a local connection. We want people in the community to be connected to our coaches and ‘House’ definitely checks that box. He is an ingrained member of our community through-and-through. He grew up in Olean, went to school at St. Bonaventure, coached at St. Bonaventure and helps run the Twin Tiers Academy. We were also looking for someone that had his personality. When you’re coaching summer baseball, it’s not as much about the day-to-day instruction. It’s about managing a group of people. You’ve got to keep 35 players interested for two months. It’s a grind, it’s a grueling schedule, and House has that background, has that ability to lead a group in a very player-centric way.”
Threehouse will help the Oilers navigate their first season in the PGCBL after having been a member of the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) since 2012. As Fidurko noted, the Oilers wanted someone with strong ties to the community to lead them into the unknown and they are excited for what the future has in store with ‘House’ at the helm.
“We’re trying to make this the community’s team,” Fidurko said. “The team is a part of the community, and having (Threehouse) as the head coach is just super important. We want people to feel a connection to our head coach and to our team and everybody in town knows who House is. He’s respected, he’s well liked, he’s well loved and we could not be more excited for the future of the Olean Oilers with Mike Threehouse.”
