Lafayette Aviators players Eli Hickman and Brooks Sailors soak in hometown atmosphere

LAFAYETTE — Rensselaer Central 2020 graduate Eli Hickman gets a chance to stare out into the bright lights of Loeb Stadium after a hard-fought game in the Prospect League.

He is digesting each bit of the experience, scouring the outfield now in what could be the last summer as a summer college player for Lafayette Aviators.

"It's pretty special here, especially in the realm of summer collegiate baseball and being close to home," Hickman said. "It makes you proud to come out here every night and gives you something more to play for than just yourself and your team with seeing all the fans out here."

Hickman along with catcher Brooks Sailors are part of a handful of Lafayette area-born players who find themselves feeling the flattery of being local sports celebrities. Children between the ages of 6-12 flock to Hickman and Sailors, hoping to get autographs of players who could one day play in the major leagues.

For Sailors, being behind the plate for the Lafayette Aviators is part of a pastime rooted in a childhood filled with trips from his home in Brookston to ballparks in Lafayette and Danville, Illinois.

Sailors' father is current manager Jamie Sailors coached the Danville Dans after being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals as a left-handed pitcher in the 1992 MLB Amateur Draft.

Once that batboy for his father's teams, the younger Sailors now finds himself grown up. A quick-footed and toned 6-foot-1 catcher who hits left-handed and has elite defensive skills as a stalwart at the plate and a cannon arm.

"The fans," Sailors said. "The best place to play in the Prospect League is here at Loeb and the fans make it so much more fun playing anywhere else."

For Hickman, he has come to terms with the fact his career is winding down, enduring arm injuries. Now he'll venture into the coaching realm after being granted a fifth year at Concordia University Chicago.

"I've got about 10 months playing this game and I'm just trying to come out, be a little kid and have as much fun as I can," Hickman said.

Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached atehanson@gannett.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.