Former Miners assistant Crosier to be in upcoming book
Jun. 26—When the Association of Professional Ball Players of America called Steve Crosier to get his thoughts on a looming project, they were immediately taken by his story.
There were, after all, various points in his life when Crosier was literally a teacher by day and a baseball professional by night.
"Late in the fall, they were calling a certain number of people because they were putting together a history of baseball," he said. "They called different coaches and players. They had called me; I was a member. I just told them about my situation as far as teaching and then juggling Minor League Baseball through the years.
"Once I started talking about that they said, 'Well this is going to be interesting. Can we put your information in?' and I said sure."
The end result will be out for all to see when the APBPA publishes its Oral History Book in the fall. The organization launched the project as a way of preserving the stories of those who contributed to baseball and the APBPA.
Crosier's contributions to the game have been many, and in a way unique.
He spent 12 seasons as a strength and conditioning coach in pro baseball — five in the Mets organization, six with the Rays and one with the Marlins. Parts of many of those seasons fell simultaneously with Crosier's full-time position as a teacher. He taught middle and high school at many stops in Kanawha and Putnam counties.
At first, it wasn't a problem.
"When I first started working with the Mets, we didn't go back (to school) till after Labor Day," Crosier said. "The first year I worked in the South Atlantic League I took a leave of absence the second semester because they wanted me to work long-season. The second, third, fourth and fifth year they wanted to keep me so they put me in Kingsport (short-season Appalachian League) in the summer, and then I could go to extended spring training over spring break, and then I'd go down for the summer."
Crosier left the Mets after the 2005 season and eventually joined the Rays organization. He was assigned to to their Gulf Coast League affiliate his first year, and the season ended in mid-August, again allowing time for him to get back to West Virginia in time for the start of school.
Things changed the next season.
"The next year I was in Princeton and it would go right until the end of August. That was when (the school year) started about the third week in August," he said. "I would leave early afternoon, get there, hit the ground running. If we didn't go extra innings I would get to bed about 12:30 or so for about two weeks.
"A lot of moving parts. You gotta hope you get down the turnpike and they're (construction crews) not working, there's not a wreck and everything. You always hope for not extra innings so you can get home and get in bed by 12:30, one o'clock. Because I would always get up at 6 (a.m.) to get ready for school."
It was an exhausting time, but a period Crosier enjoyed. And it would not have been possible without the support of others.
"I had a lot of good (school) administrators to work with, a lot of good coaches as far as (allowing me to go) back and forth," he said. "It all worked out."
Crosier's last pro season was in 2018 with the Marlins organization in Jupiter, Fla.
All told, Crosier's coaching career has spanned 39 years at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He amassed 300 wins as head coach at South Charleston. He coached in seven Class AAA state championship games at South Charleston and Nitro.
Crosier is a four-time Kanawha County High School Baseball Coach of the Year.
He was an all-state player at Winfield High School, and in college played for the legendary Cal Bailey at West Virginia State where he was a two-time honorable mention All-American. He was inducted into both the Winfield and West Virginia State halls of fame.
"Cro" also served two years as strength and conditioning coach for the men's basketball team at New Mexico State. He was later the hitting coach for Beckley's West Virginia Miners summer collegiate team in 2016 and 2017.
Crosier now resides in Daniels and is a frequent guest on the Courtside with Coach Crist podcast hosted by Fayette County coaching guru Greg Crist. He is the baseball director at Alpha Sports Academy in Hurricane, and this past season helped head baseball coach Lawrence Nesselrodt at WVU Tech.
In 2019, Crosier was inducted into the Sports Legends Hall of Fame and currently serves as its baseball director for founder and curator Tex Williams.
"Coach Williams has been a great mentor and person to me, and a father figure," Crosier said.
Email: gfauber@register-herald.com; follow on Twitter @gfauber5
