Tom and Ian Ganaway are one of three sets of brothers playing on the same team in the CLPB.
The Ganaway brothers are from Plainfield, NJ where Tom, 22, was an infielder at Dickinson College and his younger brother Ian, 19, is a pitcher at Gettysburg College.
The Ganaway brothers played for the Jupiter Wave and with a three-year age difference, this is one of the first times they have played on the same team.
Last summer the Ganaway brothers played a few games together in a different summer league but did get a chance to face each other this past season as their schools are in the same conference.
Tom’s favorite baseball memory with his brother is when he bested Ian when they faced each other in college.
“I was able to go 1-1, with a walk off of him…steal a couple of bases and able to score and we ended up winning that game,” Tom Ganaway said.
While Tom’s favorite memory is besting his brother, Ian’s favorite memory is when they played together last summer.
“We really got to play a lot together at the same time on the field,” Ian Ganaway said. “I thought it was nice to connect right after quarantine and COVID-19 and stuff like that. After being together and training so long during that period together, we were finally able to go out and connect and really be ourselves on the field together which is very cool.”
Our Judith Altneu asked the Ganaway brothers a few more questions sabout their relationship and time in the CLPB together.
What made you guys want to play together at the CLPB?
Tom: “It was easier for us to do it together and play together, be down here living with each other just made everything easier, but it’s also great that we’re able to be down here as brothers and working hard together, it just makes it fun.”
Ian: “I was a bit hesitant after the season. I kind of wanted to just go home see my friends and stuff like that, but just like a more college summer league. But my dad got my brother into it and once my brother said he was in I was 100% with it wanting to play with him for sure.”
What’s your favorite part about playing with your brother?
Ian: “I really enjoy playing with him because he’s always known me more than anybody else on the mound. Ever since we were young, I was hitting ground balls to him or just him catching my little bullpens. When I got him out at shortstop, he’s able to kind of key in and send some adjustments out there if I’m struggling a bit.”
Does playing with your brother give you a completive advantage? If so, how?
Tom: “It helps when either he’s on the mound or I’m out in the field and we can kind of see something and help coach each other out of a thing or help each other with adjustments that we make. But really, it’s just awesome to be able to play behind him.”
Ian: “I think when we’re definitely on the field together, him at shortstop, me on the mound … we’re all playing collectively well as a team. Definitely control being able to like if there’s a runner on second being able to have that connection controlling the running game and just things like that being able to just have that kind of intuition connection.”
The Ganaway brothers have wrapped up their time in the CLPB at the end of June, so I decided to ask them what their favorite part about the summer was.
Tom: “It’s been really awesome to play at these fields and like the competition that we are facing has been great. It’s awesome to be able to challenge ourselves and that’s what I’ve really enjoyed about it every day.”
Ian: “I love the group of guys we have and just like the energy that our team brings and the competition it brings from all around the league it’s very fun. It brings a lot out of the guys especially being down here in Florida, it’s beautiful weather every day.”