Le Moyne’s Dick Rockwell Field is the most difficult place to play in the Northeast-10 Conference. It isn’t the field. It isn’t the gloomy Syracuse weather. It’s the fans.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Hill Crew is back.
The Hill Crew are known as the iconic group of baseball fanatics who perch themselves on the hill next to left field at Dick Rockwell field. Currently run by senior Mike Martin, graduate student Jim Janson and junior Tim Taylor, the Hill Crew is known across campus as those loud fans who cheer on the baseball squad, while also having some fun with the opposing left fielders.
The Crew specializes in chilling out and watching America’s game while continuing the tradition of the Le Moyne spirit. However, many students don’t know that the Hill Crew was created by recent alumni of Le Moyne.
“The Hill Crew started well before my tenure at Le Moyne,” Martin said. “It was started by Kevin Roth, Kevin Hassett and Jack Fletcher. Nobody anticipated it to be what it has become. It was just started as a cool sport to watch the game and mess with the opposing left fielder.”
Roth [Class of 2011], Hassett [2010] and Fletcher [2013] set the bar for the group and Martin and his crew have run with it, creating a well-known group of students of all ages who love the sport and their school.
“My favorite part about the Hill Crew is the unity from the Le Moyne students,” Martin said. “We all get together and have a great time, while also making our field the toughest place to play in DII sports.”
Some of the chants by the crew involve asking the left fielders to “drop and give me twenty,” which generally raises a lot of laughter from the crowd. And sometimes, these opposing outfielders will give sass right back…or they’ll do twenty push-ups.
With Martin and Janson heading out next year, they have taken the time to groom new leaders to make sure the Hill Crew tradition keeps going.
“We’ve already showed some younger kids the ropes and taught them the tradition,” Martin said. “They’re more than prepared to keep it going and with a leader like Tim Taylor, I know it’ll get done.”
Even though the Hill Crew hasn’t gotten much action this year because of the surprisingly long winter season, they are still ready to take advantage of the last few home games of the season.
With all the sports going on at Le Moyne, the Hill Crew solely focuses their cheering for the baseball squad. However, that doesn’t mean anything against the other amazing sport teams the school has to offer.
“Every team at Le Moyne is awesome, but we’ve just always had a special bond with the baseball guys,” Martin said, who has been friends with several baseball team members since he entered as a freshman. “Besides, who doesn’t love watching a live version of America’s pastime?”
If sports aren’t your thing, go to the baseball games anyways just for the entertainment and support provided by the Hill Crew. However, the baseball team sees how much of an impact the Hill Crew has on their squad.
“It’s unbelievable how much better we play at home and a large part is due to the Hill Crew,” senior baseball captain Nate Reynolds said. “They create an environment that is second to none.”
With a group that ranges from just a small crowd at some games to over 35 students at others, the Hill Crew not only is enjoyable for the other fans, but the Le Moyne players too.
“It is by far my favorite thing about playing at Le Moyne,” Reynolds said. “The Hill Crew gives us an edge and we feed off of it.”
With a solid junior leadership role held by Taylor after Janson and Martin leave, the Hill Crew is sure to be a fixture and a fun tradition. No matter if it’s a close game or a blowout, sunny or rainy, the Hill Crew will always be the number one fans of Le Moyne baseball for hopefully several years to come.
